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Comparative List of Dates section.
The '''Byzantine Calendar''' or''' ''"Imperial Creation Era of Constantinople,"'' ''' was the calendar officially used by the [[Byzantine Empire]]<ref>The term Byzantine was invented by the German historian Hieronymus Wolf in 1557 but was popularized by French scholars during the 18th century to refer to the Eastern Roman Empire. The citizens of the empire considered themselves ''Romaioi'' ("Romans"), their emperor was the "Roman Emperor", and their empire the ''Basileia ton Romaion'' ("Empire of the Romans"). The Latin West designated the empire as "Romania", and the Muslims as "Rum".</ref> (Eastern Roman Empire) from at least 692 AD, until it was conquered in 1453.
It placed the date of creation at 5,508 BC, and was characterized by a certain tendency which prevailed in several parts of the empire to number the years '''‘Apo ‘[[w:Etos Kosmou|Apo Kataboles Kosmou’Kosmou]]’'''- AKK (Greek), or '''‘Ab ‘[[w:Anno Mundi|Ab Origine Mundi’Mundi]]’'''- AM (Latin), that is, from the beginning of the world, which had already been a tradition amongst Hebrews and Jews. The era was calculated as starting on [[September 1|September 1st]], and [[Jesus Christ|Jesus]] was thought to have been born in the year 5509 of the Eastern Roman system.
After the collapse of the Byzantine Empire in 1453, the Byzantine calendar continued to be used by Russia (translated into Slavonic) until 1700, when it was changed to the Julian Calendar by Peter the Great.<ref>Prof. Charles Ellis (University of Bristol). [http://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=5547 Russian Calendar (988-1917)]. ''The Literary Encyclopedia''. 25 September, 2008.</ref>. It is still used by a number of Orthodox Churches. The year AD 2000 was 7508 AM.
==Earliest Christian Sources on the Age of the World==
The earliest extant Christian writings on the age of the world according to the Biblical chronology are by [[w:Theophilus of Antioch|Theophilus]] (AD 115-181), the sixth bishop of Antioch from the Apostles, in his apologetic work ''To Autolycus'',<ref>Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol.2, pp.118-21.</ref> and by [[w:Sextus Julius Africanus|Julius Africanus ]] (AD 200-245) in his ''Five Books of Chronology'' <ref>Ante-Nicene Fathers. vol.6, pp.130-38.</ref>. Both of these early Christian writers, following the [[Septuagint]] version of the [[Old Testament]], determined the age of the world to have been about 5,530 years at the birth of Christ.<ref>Fr. [[Seraphim Rose]]. ''GENESIS, CREATION and EARLY MAN: The Orthodox Christian Vision''. St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, Platina, CA, 2000. p.236.</ref>.
==Byzantine Calendar==
==Other Dominant Church Calendars==
===Comparative List of Dates of Creation===
The ''Byzantine Calendar'' along with the ''Alexandrian Calendar'' were the two dominant systems (among others) in the Eastern Orthodox world. Being finalized in the seventh century, by the late tenth century the ''Byzantine Calendar'' had become the widely accepted calendar of choice for Chalcedonian Orthodoxy. The ''Alexandrian Calendar'' continued to be used by the [[w:Coptic calendar|Coptic]] and [[w:Ethiopian calendar|Ethiopian]] Orthodox Churches from the sixth century and up until the present day.
====Early Church Writers====
* 5537 BC - [[w:Sextus Julius Africanus|Julius Africanus]] (AD 200-245), Church historian.
* 5529 BC - [[w:Theophilus of Antioch|Theophilus]] (AD 115-181), Bishop of Antioch.
* '''5508 BC''' - '''Byzantine Calendar''' or''' ''"Imperial Creation Era of Constantinople."'' ''' (finalized in 7th c.).
* 5500 BC - [[w:Hippolytus of Rome|Hippolytus of Rome]]. (ca. AD 234), Presbyter, writer, martyr.
* '''5493 BC - Alexandrian Christian Era''' (AD 412).
* 5199 BC - [[Eusebius of Caesarea]], Bishop of Caesarea and Church historian (AD 324).
====Other Estimates====
* 5199 BC - Mentioned in the ''[[w:Roman Martyrology|Roman Martyrology]]'', published by the authority of Pope Gregory XIII in 1580, later confirmed in 1640 under Pope Urban VIII.
* 4004 BC - Anglican Archbishop [[w:James Ussher|James Ussher]] (AD 1650).
* 3952 BC - Venerable [[Bede]] (ca. AD 725), English Benedictine monk.
* 3761 BC - [[w:Hebrew calendar|Hebrew Calendar]] (Judaism).
===Alexandrian Christian Era===
===Anglican and Protestant===
In the English-speaking world, one of the most well known estimates in modern times is that of Archbishop [[w:James Ussher|James Ussher]] (1581–1656), who proposed a date of Sunday, [[October 23]], 4004 BC, in the Julian calendar. He placed the beginning of this first day of creation, and hence the exact time of creation, at the previous nightfall. (See the [[w:Ussher chronology|Ussher chronology]]).
==Summary==
Fr. [[Seraphim Rose]] points out that "even the most mystical Fathers" such as [[Isaac of Syria|St. Isaac the Syrian]] accepted without question the common understanding of the Church that ''the world was created "more or less" in 5,500 BC'':
:"The Holy Fathers (probably unanimously) certainly have no doubt that the chronology of the [[Old Testament]], from [[Adam and Eve|Adam]] onwards, is to be accepted "literally." They did not have the fundamentalist's over-concern for chronological ''precision'', but even the most mystical Fathers ([[Isaac of Syria|St. Isaac the Syrian]], [[Gregory Palamas|St. Gregory Palamas]], etc.) were quite certain that Adam lived literally some 900 years, that there were some 5,500 years ("more or less") between the creation and the [[Incarnation|Birth of Christ]]."<ref>Fr. [[Seraphim Rose]]. ''GENESIS, CREATION and EARLY MAN: The Orthodox Christian Vision''. St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood, Platina, CA, 2000. pp.539-540.</ref>.
* [http://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=5547 Russian Calendar (988-1917)]. Charles Ellis, University of Bristol. The Literary Encyclopedia. 25 September, 2008.
* Paul Stephenson. ''"Translations from Byzantine Sources: The Imperial Centuries, c.700-1204: [http://homepage.mac.com/paulstephenson/trans/scyl2.html John Skylitzes, "Synopsis Historion"'': ''The Year 6508, in the 13th Indiction: the Byzantine dating system]"''. November 2006.
* Dr. Stephen C. Meyers. [http://www.bibleandscience.com/archaeology/exodusdate.htm Biblical Archaeology: The Date of the Exodus According to Ancient Writers]. Institute for Biblical & Scientific Studies (IBSS). Updated April 30, 2008.
* [http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/2444/chronology.html Chronology of the Biblical Patriarchs].
==Further reading==