The twenty-fifth day of December.
In the five thousand one hundred and ninety-ninth year of the creation of the world from the time when God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth;
the two thousand nine hundred and fifty-seventh year after the flood;
the two thousand and fifteenth year from the birth of Abraham;
the one thousand five hundred and tenth year from Moses and the going forth of the people of Israel from Egypt;
the one thousand and thirty-second year from David’s being anointed king;
in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel;
in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
the seven hundred and fifty-second year from the foundation of the city of Rome;
the forty second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus;
the whole world being at peace,
in the sixth age of the world,
Jesus Christ the eternal God and Son of the eternal Father,
desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful coming,
being conceived by the Holy Spirit, and nine months having passed since his conception,
was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary, being made flesh.
“……….the two thousand and fifteenth year from the birth of Abraham; “
Have no problem with this line on – the earlier stuff doesn’t hold water.
However, may you all have a Blessed and Holy Christmas – these good wishes coming to you from the place that leads the world – if only in the time of day. 🙂
[…] A Proclamation – Donald McClarey – T.A.C. […]
The proclamation of the birth of Christ goes back Don to the Roman Martyrology published in 1583 by Pope Gregory XIII. Since then it has been recited at Christmas Midnight and Christmas Eve masses. Modern updatings have been made to render it more historically accurate but I prefer the traditional version, hallowed by time.
Merry Christmas to you and to all of the contributors, commenters and readers of TAC!
Mr. McClarey, Merry Christmas to you and your family – and a heartfelt thank you for running this blog, one of the very best Catholic blogs on the net.
My bride and I just got up after getting to bed at two after midnight mass PF, so your very kind words are a welcome first-thing-in-the-morning Christmas present! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Hi, Don and Merry Christmas!
Do we know what “in the sixth age of the world” means?
Thanks!
“Do we know what “in the sixth age of the world” means?”
The six ages were first written about by Saint Augustine. The sixth age began with the coming of Christ and will end with the final judgment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Ages_of_the_World
Many thanks.
At the Jesuit prep school I attended, we didn’t touch on Augustine much. I’ll look deeper.
Thanks again!
Augustine, along with some other ancients, held to an ‘ages’ school of thought regarding history. It was based upon the weekly schema. Variations existed as to when it would begin and end. There were different theories.