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Calendar Change 1752

Purchase MM Records, Vol. 1108, 1700-1800, p. 11; Family History Library Film #17293

To the Quarterly and Monthly Meetings of Friends in Great Britain, Ireland and America

Dear Friends

Pursuant to the Directions of the last yearly Meeting and the Report of a Committee, Appointed by the Said Meeting to consider what Information or advice might be Necessary to be given to Friends in Relation to an Act made the last Session of Parliament for Regulating the Commencement of the Year and Correcting the Calendar now in Use, this Meeting hath thought Convenient to communicate unto you the following Advice viz:

1. By the Said Act it is Ordered and Enacted that the Supputation according to which the year of our Lord beginneth on the 25 Day of March Shall not be made Use of from and after the last Day of December 1751 and that the first Day of January next following the Said last Day of December Shall be Reckoned taken Deamed and Accounted to be the first Day of the year of our Lord 1752 and so on from time to time the first Day of January in Every year which Shall happen in time to come Shall be Reckoned taken Deemed and Accounted to be the first Day of the year and that Each New year Shall Accordingly commence and begin to be Reckoned from the first Day of every Such Month of January.
2. The Opinion of the Said Committee, Agreed to by the yearly Meeting was That in all the Records and Writings of Friends, from and after the last Day of the Tenth Month called December, Next the Computation of Time Established by the Said Act, Should be Observed and that Accordingly the first Day of the Eleventh Month commonly called January Next Shall be Reckoned and Deemed by Friends the first Day of the first Month of the year 1752 and

And whereas for the More Regular Computation of time the Same Act of Parliament doth direct that the Natural Day next Immediately following the Second Day of September in the year 1752, Shall be called Reckoned and Accounted to be the fourteenth Day of September, Omitting for that time only the eleven Intermediate Days of the common Calendar.  The opinion of the Said Committee Aproved by the Yearly Meeting was that Friends Should be found in the observance of this Direction, and omit the Said Eleven Nominal Days Accordingly, And we think it may be usefull and Expedient on the present occasion to Revive in your Remembrance Some of the Motives which Induced our Ancient Friends to forbear the vulgar appellations of the Months and Days and to Observe in their Conversations and writings Such Names as were Agreeable to Scripture and the Practice of good Men therein Recorded.  The Children of Israel the People whom God chose out of all the Families of the Earth to place his Name among and to make himself known unto were Strictly commanded, not only to abstain from the Idolatrous Practice of the Nation in the Midst of whom they dwelt, but were enjoined to be Circumspect in all things that the Lord commanded, and even to make no Mention of the Names of other Gods, Neither to let it be heard out of their mouth […] this Injunction was not Relative to any Secular Typical Riter, External Ceremonies or Institutions of the Law peculiar to the Jewish nation, but […line missing…] ordinance Respecting the Honour of the one Almighty Being the Same yesterday ToDay and forever and as such ought to be Regarded by us, and by all the Generations of those who with the Heart belive as well as with the Tongue Confess that that[sic] the Lord he is God and that there is None Else besides him Deut-4-35 who hath declared I am the Lord, that is my Name, and my Glory will I not give to another, Neither my Praise to Graven Images Isaiah-48-8   Convinced of this Great and Everlasting Truth, both by the Testimony of the Holy Scripture and the Manifestation of that Divine Principle, which leads those who ages faithfull to its Teachings from all that would Dishonour the Name of God either in Word or Deed, our Ancient Friends were Conscientously concerned to refrain from the use of those Names of Months and Days which had been Ascribed by way of Honour to the Gods of the Heathen and in Conformity to their false Worship, this Concern rated[?] upon them from a Firm persuation that the Glorious Gospel Day and Time was Come wherein the Lord was fulfilling his Covenant with Israel viz:  I will take away the Name of *Baalim out of his Mouth and they Shall no More be Remembered by their Name Hosea-2-17  (*this word Baalim being the Plural number of Baal signifying Lord has Relation to the Names of Diverse Gods of the Heathen worshiped in Several places).  And that you may the more clearly dicern the Importance of that Christian Testimony, born by our Predecessors in this Case we Recommend what Follows to your Serious Consideration, viz:

A Brief Account of the Origin of Names of Some Months of the Years and of all the Days of the week Now Customarily and commonly Used

1.      January was so called from Janus, an Ancient King of Italy whom Heathenish Superstition has Deified to whom a Temple was built and this Month dedicated.

2.      February was so called from Februa, a word denoting Purgation by Sacrifices it being used in this month for the priests of the Heathen God Pan to offer Sacrifices and Perform certain Rites conducing as was Supposed to the cleansing or Purgation of the People.

3.      March was so denominated from Mars, feigned to be the God of War, whom Romulus, Founder of the roman Empire, pretended to be his Father.

4.      April is generally supposed to derive its Name from the Greek appellation of Venus, an Imaginary Goddes worshiped by the Romans.

5.      May is said to have been so called from Maia the Mother of Mercury another of their pretended Ethnick Deities to whom in this Month they paid their Devotions.

6.      June is said to take its Name from Juno, one of the Supposed Goddes of the Heathen.

7.      July so called from Julius Caesar, one of the Roman Emperors who gave his own Name to this Month which before was called Quintilio or the Fifth.

8.      August so named in Honour of Augustus Ceasar another of the Roman Emporors.  This Month was before called Sextilis or the Sixth. 

The other four Months Namely September, October, November and December, still retain their Numerical latin Names, which according to the late Regulation of the Calendar, will for the future be Improperly applied however from the continued Use of them hitherto as well as from the Practice of the Jews before he Babylonish Captivity & it Seemed highly probable that the Method of Distinguishing Months by their Numerical Order only was the most Ancient as it is the most plain Simple and Rational.

 As the Idolatrous Roman thus gave names to Severall of the Months in Honour of their pretended Deities, So the like Idolatry prevailed among our Saxon Ancestors, Induced them to call the days of the week by the name of the Idol which on that Day they peculiarily worshipped.  Hence the First Day of the Week was by them called Sunday from their Accustomary Adoration of the Sun on that Day.

 The Second Day of the week they called Monday from their Usual Custom of Worshipping the Moon on that day.

 The third Day of the Week they Named Tuesday in Honour of one of their Idols called Tueseo.

 The fourth Day of the Week was called Wendesday for the Appelation of Woden Another of their Idols.

 The Sixth[sic…no fifth day mentioned…] Day of the Week was Termed Friday from the name of Friga an Imaginary Goddes by them worshipped.

 The Seventh Day they Stiled Saturday as is Supposed from Saturn or Seater by them then Worshipped.

 The Continued use of these Names of days derived from Such gross Idolatry of the Heathen is a demonstration how little the Purity of the Christian Religion was understood By the generality of those who came into the Publick profestion of it.

 The following Ages of Popish Superstistion, not only Indulged their pro[…]lites in the use of Such Heathenish Names & Customs but also Invented and Introduced other unsound Unscriptual Practices in Religion, for when the profestion of the Christian Religion became National Multitudes of the Heathen Priests, where Interest lay in the performance of Rites, Ceremonies and Sacrifices, embracing prevailing Christianity with Selfish […] and laboured early with too much Success to find Employment for themselves, by Imposing on the people a New Set of Ceremonies, and Sacrifices bearing Some Resemblance to those which in their former State of Heathenism they had been Accustomed to from this courrupt Source & Sprang the Popish Sacrifice of the Mass, the Celebration of which at particular times and on particular Occasions gave Rise to the Vulgar Names of Michaelmas, Martinmas & Christmas and the like.

 Seeing therefore that these Appellations and Names of Days, Months & […] are of an Idolatrous or Superstitious Origin contrary to the Divine Command the Practice of good and holy Men in former Ages and Repugnant to the Christian Testimony born by our faithful friends and Predecessors in the Truth for the Sake of which they patiently endured many Revilings let Neither the Reproach of Singularity nor the Specious Reasonings of Such as would evade the Cross of Christ turn you aside from the Simplicity of the Gospel, nor discourage you from keeping to the language of Truth in Denominating the Months and days According […] Scriptural ways of Expression And so shall we follow the Example of our worthy Elders and come up in a Noble and Honourable Testimony against these and all other Remains of Idolatry and Superstition.

 From the Meeting for Sufferings in London the Sixth of the Seventh Month 1751.