MD
Avinoam Mann wrote:
>
> On Tue, 3 Aug 1999, Michael Deakin wrote:
>
> >
> > 1.DATE OF HYPATIA'S DEATH
> >
> > This is normally quoted as 415AD, and this dating depends on the
> > statement of Socrates Scholasticus: "This happened in the month of March
> > during Lent, in the fourth year of Cyril's episcopate, under the tenth
> > consulate of Honorius, and the sixth of Theodosius".
> >
> > The consular dates (see Edith Mendez' posting) point unequivocally to
> > 415, but would require Cyril to count his dates rather strangely (his
> > episcopate began in October 412).
>
> It is not Cyril who is counting his dates, but Socrates, and he, to be on
> the safe side, counts them in three ways. The question is: what does the
> "tenth consulate", say, mean? In the Talmud, most of which was composed
> between the 2nd and 6th century, there is a discussion of dates, and they
> mention four New Year's Days. The one which is most relevant here is
> perhaps the "new year's day for kings". From the discussion it is clear
> that the years a king is reigning are not counted from the date of his
> succession, or his coronation, but from a fixed date in the year.
> Applying this to Cyril, if the fixed date (New Year's Day) is the first of
> January, say, then Cyril's first year would last from the beginning of
> his episcopate in October 412 till the 31st of December 412. Then 415 would
> indeed be his 4th year. It is possible that the dating system of the Talmud
> was the one common in the Byzantine empire at that time, I have no
> knowledge about that.
> The Talmud, by the way, interprets the dates given to the reign of
> various kings in the Bible (Book of Kings) by the above system.
>
> Avinoam Mann