Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/635

 EAS

Golden Numbers, or Tears of the Lunar Cycle, we frail have a Table for the finding of Eafier for ever.

Such Table being of notable Ufe in the Julian Commu- tation, we {hall here fubjoyn it.

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EBO

Gold.

Full Moons

next

Gold.

Full Moons next

Numb.

after Ver. Equin.

Numb.

after Ver. Equin.

I

j April,

D

XI

15 April, G 4 April, C

II

25 March,

G

XII

III

13 April,

E

XIII

24 March, F

IV

2 April,

A

XIV

12 April, D

V

22 March,

D

XV

1 ^-n/, G

VI

10 April,

a

XVI

21 March, C

VH

39 March,

E

XVII

9 y^«7, A

VIII

18 April,

c

XVIII

29 March, D

IX

7 April,

F

XIX

17 v#n7, B

X

27 March,

B

Now to find Eafier, for any given Tear, find the Domi- nical Letter, and the Golden Number of the given Year, as directed under Dominical Letter and Golden Number.

Then, in the Table, feeking the Dominical Letter, with the Day of the Pafchal full Moon, and the Sunday Letter annex'd thereto 5 Compare this Letter with the Dominical Letter of the given Year 5 that it may appear how many Days are to be added to the Day of the Pafchal full Moon, to give Eafier-Day.

E. gr. In the Year 1715, the Dominical Letter is B, and the Golden Number VI 5 consequently, the Pafchal full Moon, is fixed, by the Table, to the 10th of April $ whole Sunday Letter being B, the Dominical Letter given, it felf is a Sunday : and, therefore, Eafier will fall on the Eighth Day following, viz. the 17 th of April.

But in this Computation, the Vernal Equinox is fuppofed affix'd to the 21ft of March, and the Cycle of 19 Years, or Golden Numbers, is fuppofed to point out the Places of the new and full Moons exactly : Both which are Er- roneous. Whence it follows, that the Julian Eafier never happens at its due Time, unlefs by Accident.

For an Inftanee of the Error, it may be obferved, that an the Year 171 5, the Vernal Equinox falls on the 10 th of March 5 11 Days e're the Rule fuppofes it: And the Pafchal full Moon on the 7 th of April, 3 Days earlier than was fuppofed. Mafier-Day, therefore, which is held on the 17 th of April, mould be held on the 10 th.

This Error was "grown to fuch a Pitch, in Courfe of Time, that Pope Gregory XIII. thought neceffary to correct it. And accordingly, in the Year 1582, by the Advice of Aloyfms Lilius, he order'd 10 Days to be thrown out of Otlober 5 fo to bring back the Vernal Equinox to its old Place, viz. the 21ft of March. And hence the Gregoria?z Calendar, Gregorian Tear, &c. See Gregorian.

In the New, or Gregorian Computation, in lieu of Gol- den Numbers, the Time of Eafier is found by Means of Epacts, contrived for that Purpofe. See EpAct.

The following Table renders the finding of Eafier in the Gregorian Year, from the Year 1700, to the Year ijjoo, very eafy.

Pafchal full

Pafchal full

EpaSs.

Moons.

Bpabls.

Moons.

X

13 April, E

IX

4 April, C

XI

2 April, A

XX

24 March, F

XXII

22 March, D

I

12 April, D

III

10 April, B

XII

1 April, O

XIV

30 March, E

XXIII

21 March, C

XXV

18 April, C

IV

9 April, A

VI

7 April, F

XV

29 March, D

XVII

27 March, B

XXVI

17 April, B

XXVIII

15 April, G

VII

6 April, E

XXVIII

2<5 March, A

Now, to find Eafier for any given Gregorian Tear. Seek the Dominical Letter, and the Gregorian Epact ; as fhewn under Epact, iSe. Find the Epact in the Table, and note the Pafchal full Moon, with the weekly Letter, correfponding to the fame. The reft is performed, as al- ready taught for the Julian Eafier.

E. gr. The Dominical Letter of the Tear 1715, is R and the Epaft XXV ; confequcntly, the Pafchal Moon falls on the 18 th of April, C : And therefore Eajler-Day is the 21 ft of April.

Tho' the Gregorian Calendar be, doubtlefs, preferable to the Julian ; yet it has its Defects. It cannot, for Inftance, keep the Equinox fix'd to the 11ft of March ; but it will fometimes fell on the 19th, and fometimes on the 23d.

Add that the full Moon happening on the 20th of MariK might fometimes be Pafchal; yet is it not allowed as fuch, in the Gregorian Computation : As, on the contrary, the full Moon of the 22 d or March, maybe allow'd for Pafchal which yet it is not. Scattge'r and Calvifms have proved* other Inaccuracies on this Calendar. See Calendar

EAVES, the Margin, or Edge, of the Roof of a Ho'ufe - being the lowcft Tiles, Slate, or the like, which hang over the Walls, to throw off the Waters to a Diftance from the Wall. See Roof.

EiVES-te#, is a thick feather-edge Board, generally nail'd round the Eaves of a Houfe for the lowermoft Tiles, Slate, or Shingles to reft upon.

EBIONITES, antient Hereticks, who rofe in the Church, from the very Beginning thereof. See Hereticks.

Origen takes them "to have been fo called from the Hebrew Word Ebion, which in that Language fignifies Poor; becaufe, fays he, they were Poor in Sen'fe, and wanted Underftanding. Eufebius, with a View to the fame Etymo- logy, is of Opinion they were thus called, as having poor 1 houghts of Jef us Chrift; taking him for no more than a mere Man. But all this, fays Monf. Simon, in his Critical Hiftory, is no more than a forry AUufion to the Name of thefe Sectaries, which in the Hebrew Tongue fignifies 'poor.

ris more probable, the Jews gave this Appellation to the -.Chrifiians m general, out of Contempt ; becaufe in the firft Times there were few but poor People, that embraced the Chrifiian Religion.

This Opinion Origen himfelf feems to give into, in his Book againftCe//««; where he fays, that they called Ebio- mtes, fuch among the Jews, as believed that Jsfus was truly the expected Mejfiah. It might even be urged, with fome Probability, that the Primitive Chrifiians affumed the Name of themfelves, in Colformity to their Profeffion. "Tis certain, Epiphanius obferves, they valued themfelves on being 'Poor, in Imitation of the Apofiles.

The fame Epiphanius, however, is of Opinion, that there had been a Man of the Name Ebion, the Chief, and Founder of the Sect of Ebionites ; being contemporary with the Nazarenes and Corinthians. He gives a long and cxaa Account of the Origin of the Ebionites, making 'em to have arofe after the Deftruction of Jerufalem ; when the firft Chrifiians, called Nazarites, went out of the fame to live at 'Pella. See Nazarite.

The Ebionites, then, are little elfe than a Branch of Nazarites ; only, that they alter'd and corrupted, m many Things, the Purity of the Faith, held among thofe firft Adherents to Chriftianity. For this Reafon, Origen diftin- guifhes two Kinds of Ebionites, in his Anfwer to Celfus ; the one belicv'd that Jefus Chrifi was born of a Virgin ; and the others, that he was born after the Manner of other Men.

The firft were Orthodox in every Thing, except that to the Chrifiian Doctrine, they joyn'd the Ceremonies of the Jewifi Law, with the Jews, Samaritans, and Nazarites : They differed from the Nazarites however, in feveral Things, chiefly as to what regards the Authority of the facred Writings : For the Nazarites received all for Scri- pture, contain'd in the Jewifi} Canon ; whereas the Ebio- nites rejected all the Prophets ; and held the very Names . P amd > Solomon, Ifaiab, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, in Abhorrence. See Pentateuch.

They receiv'd nothing of the Old Tefiament but the 'Pentateuch ; which mould intimate them to have de- fended rather from the Samaritans than the Jews. They agreed with the Nazarites in ufing the Hebrew Gofpcl of St. Matthew, otherwife called the Gofpel of the twelve Apoftlcs : But had corrupted their Copy in Abundance of Places. And, particularly, had left out the Genealogy of out- Saviour, which was preferv'd entire in that of the Nazarites, and even thofe ufed by the Corinthians. See Gospel.

Thefe laft, whofe Sentiments, as to the Birth of our Saviour, were the fame with thofe of the Ebionites, built their Error on this very Genealogy. See Cerinthians.

Befide the Hebrew Gofpel of St. Matthew, the Ebionites had adopted feveral other Books under the Names of St. James, John, and the other Apoftles. They alfo made ufe of the Travels of St. Peter, which are fuppofed to have been written by S. Clement; but had alter'd them fo, that there was fcarce any Thing of Truth left in them. They made that Saint tell a World of Falfrioods, the better to authorize their own Practices. See S. Epiphanius, who is very diffu- five on the antient Hercfy of the Ebionites, Her. 30.

EBONY, in Natural Hiftory, a Kind of Wood, brought from the Indies, exceedingly hard and heavy, and taking a very fine Polifh ; and on that Account, ufed in Mofaic and Inlaid Works, Toys, f Sc. See Woon, Mosaic, £J»c.

There are divers Kinds of Ebony ; the moft ufual among us are black, red and green ; all of them the Product of the Ifland of Madagajcar, where the Natives call them indifferently, Hazon Maiuthi, q. d. black Wood. The Ifland

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