Dionysius Exiguus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Dionysius Exiguus(Dionysius the Humble) |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | c. 470 Scythia Minor, Eastern Roman Empire |
| Died | c. 544 (aged 73 or 74) Rome, Eastern Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Canonized | 8 July 2008, Bucharest by the Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church |
| Feast | 1 September (first day of the Byzantine liturgical year) |
Dionysius Exiguus (which means "Dionysius the Humble" in Latin) was a monk from the Eastern Roman Empire. He was born around 470 AD in a place called Scythia Minor. This area is now part of Romania.
Dionysius lived in Rome from about 500 AD until his death around 544 AD. He is most famous for inventing the Anno Domini (AD) dating system. This system is used to count years in the Gregorian calendar and the Julian calendar. Many churches also use his method to figure out the date of Easter.
Dionysius was a very learned person. He translated many important Church rules from Greek into Latin. These rules, called canons, helped guide how churches were run. He also wrote about basic mathematics.
Contents
Who Was Dionysius Exiguus?
Dionysius was known as "Dionysius the Humble." His friend, Cassiodorus, said that even though Dionysius was from "Scythia," he had a true Roman spirit. He was very good at both Greek and Latin languages. He was also a strong Christian and knew the Bible well.
The term "Scythian" was a bit confusing back then. It could mean someone from Scythia Minor. Or it could just mean someone from the northeast part of the Greco-Roman world. It didn't always mean a specific ethnic group.
Some people thought Dionysius might have been related to the Goths. This idea came from a single old source. However, there is no strong proof for this. It is more likely that Dionysius was from a local Latin-speaking family. Many important people from that region were also of this background.
Dionysius's Important Works
Dionysius translated many important books from Greek into Latin. These included the "Life of St. Pachomius" and works by other saints.
He also made big contributions to canon law. Canon law is a set of rules that guide the Church. His collections of these rules were very important.
He created several collections of Church laws:
- A collection of decisions from Church meetings (synods and councils). He made two versions of this.
- One version included rules from Eastern councils in both Greek and Latin. This included rules from important councils like Nicaea and Chalcedon.
- Another version was only in Latin. It included rules from the "Canons of the Apostles" and other councils.
- A collection of official letters and decisions from the popes. These letters were from Pope Siricius to Pope Anastasius II.
The Anno Domini (AD) System
Dionysius is best known for creating the Anno Domini (AD) dating system. This system counts years from the birth of Jesus Christ. He used it to mark the years in his Easter table. He did not use it to date other historical events.
When he created his table, he said the "present year" was 525 years "since the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ." We don't know exactly how he got this number.
Dionysius wanted to replace an older dating system called the Diocletian years. This old system honored a ruler who persecuted Christians. Dionysius did not want to continue remembering this tyrant.
The AD system became widely used in Western Europe after the Venerable Bede used it. Bede was a famous historian who wrote Ecclesiastical History of the English People in 731 AD.
Some people at the time believed the world would end 500 years after Jesus's birth. Dionysius's new dating system may have helped calm these fears. It shifted the timeline, making the supposed end of the world seem further away.
How Easter Dates Are Calculated
In 525 AD, Dionysius created a table of 95 future dates for Easter. He also wrote rules to explain how to calculate them. This was requested by Pope John I.
Dionysius based his table on an existing one from Alexandria, Egypt. This Alexandrian table was already used in the East. Dionysius simply extended it and converted it for Western use.
The Alexandrian method for calculating Easter was very old. It had been used by the Church of Alexandria since the early 4th century. Dionysius did not invent a new method. He mainly helped to convert and spread it.
The date for Easter is the Sunday after the 14th day of the moon. This moon must occur on or after March 21st. This date is important because it relates to the Jewish Passover.
Dionysius's method for calculating Easter is called the Julian Easter. Many Orthodox churches still use this method today. The Gregorian Easter, used by many Western churches, uses a similar idea but with different calendar dates.
Dionysius's Easter table was eventually accepted in Rome. It also spread to Britain and Ireland. This helped to end disagreements about when to celebrate Easter. By the 7th century, most churches in the West used Dionysius's tables.
Images for kids
-
A robot icon, often used for kid-friendly content.
See also
