Question:
What is the meaning of Old Style and New Style? Didn’t these calendar changes affect the weekly cycle?
Answer:
The Old Style of reckoning time is that of the Julian Calendar, prescribed by Julius Caesar, “in which three years of 365 days each were always followed by one of 366 days, and the months, after some changes made by Augustus as to their number of days, had the length now adopted in Europe and America. This calendar is now twelve days behind the Gregorian Calendar.”— Standard Dictionary, 1907.
The New Styfe is that of the Gregorian Calendar, “prescribed by Pope Gregory XIII, by which the Julian Calendar was modified by calling October 5, 1582, October 15, and continuing the count ten days in advance, and by making the terminal 240 years of the centuries, 1700, 1800, 1900, etc., common years of 365 days, except when the year was a multiple of 400, as 1600, 2000, etc.; the calendar now in use in nearly all Christian countries except Russia and Greece.”— Id.
The change was made in Rome as given above. It was not made in England till 170 years later, when September 3, 1752, was reckoned as September 14, and the beginning of England’s year was changed from March 25 to January 1, 1753. But these changes in no way affected the days of the week. In Rome, October 4, 1582, was Thursday. The next day was called October 15, New Style, and that day was Friday. In England, September 2, 1752, was Wednesday. The next day was called September 14, and that day was Thursday. Neither change made any difference in the days of the week. Russia’s days of the week are identical to ours.
(See also “HASN’T THE WEEKLY ORDER BEEN LOST?”)
