Re: Merry Christmas

["Alan B. Spencley" <spencab@nbnet.nb.ca>]

Rod wrote:
> 
> John Duncan McCallum <mccallum@melbpc.org.au> wrote in message
> news:3861B57B.C9B8D99B@melbpc.org.au...
> > Hello everyone.
> > I would like to wish all readers of these newsgroups a very merry
> > Christmas and a wonderful and happy New Year.
> > I will not wish everyone a happy new millenium as, like our friend
> > Dave McLoughlin in NZ, the millenium is not until next year.
> > If anyone does not believe me, try counting from 1 and see what you
> > get after counting 2000 consecutive numbers.
> >
> > John McCallum
> but John, if the baby Jesus was born at the year 0 [zero] You know BC and AD
> and all that guff
> would you not start your count on his birthday [0000 AD]  not his first
> birthday?? which was of course 0001 AD
> ;o)   Rod

No "but" about it.
A decade is ten years.
The first year {year zero} is only called the year "0" until it is year
one, at the end of it.
Now follow this:
B.C. = Before Christ. The years can be counted backwards {ad infinitum}
from the moment of transition from B.C to A.D
Anno Domini = the year of our Lord. This is the year that we would call
him "one year old" AFTER it was a complete year from the day of His
birth.
We can count foreward in time {ad infinitum} from this moment.
>From the birth until the completion of the first year we are in the
realm of Christ being between zero years old {the moment of birth} and a
full year old.
Having stipulated all these facts we see that a decade ends after ten
years are complete.
Follow along now.
A.D. "0" = the first year of Christs life = A.D.1 { when it was
fulfilled}.
You think that Mary and Joseph watched Jesus grow for a year and then
said 'Happy zero birthday son.'??

Thus:
1=1
2=2
3=3
4=4
5=5
6=6
7=7
8=8
9=9
10=10
This constitutes a decade. It requires 10 complete years.

A century is completed at the end of 100 years and a millenium only
happens when 1,000 years have passed.
The third {post Christian} millenium started New Years Day 2,001 A.D.,
{and this was about 3-5 years ago}.

Alan
Feel free to ask questions.