#althist

Suppose that early Christians, instead of trying to fit the lunar-based Easter within the solar-based Julian calendar instead simply adopted the Jewish calendar (or more likely, something very similar to it - in the first century AD the exact rules for the Jewish calendar were not public knowledge, so they’d probably have to build their own calendar, and there are certain rules that would make no sense in a Christian context so would definitely not be copied by this Christian calendar) for religious festivals - all of them, not just Easter

So, for civil purposes, the Julian calendar continues to be used in the Roman state, while this Christian lunar calendar is used for religious purposes, which becomes increasingly important after the Christianization of the Roman Empire

Would the Julian calendar eventually be abandoned, becoming just an historical curiosity, with this Christian Lunar Calendar being adopted for civil purposes as well

But going into the modern era, I wonder if there’d be some who’d look back at that old Julian calendar and admire its simplicity, and argue that that or something similar should be adopted for the modern age. The French Revolutionary Calendar I could imagine being adopted the same there as in our timeline, but it would be an even bigger break from tradition than in our timeline, since it would change even the basis of the calendar from lunar to solar

Calendar reform is difficult though, so I suspect that, even if there were many who wanted to adopt a solar calendar, we’d continue to use this Christian calendar for civil purposes - and with all Christian holidays being tied to it (i.e., no distinction between what are called mobile festivals and fixed festivals in our calendar) it would be especially difficult to replace the calendar in our Christian-dominated culture

There might not be any equivalent of the Gregorian calendar reform. If rules similar to the Jewish molad calculations were adopted, it would stay very close to the moon. At most, there might be a reform of the 19-year cycle, but I suspect there would be less urgency to it (the whole “first full moon on or after the vernal equinox” formula developed within the context of a solar calendar needing to decide which full moon to count, but that might still have been seen as important), so the calendar would’ve continued unchanged, and Eastern and Western Christians would continue to follow the same calendar, celebrating their major festivals at the same time

I had a very rough week, and you know what that means! Conlanging!

And it came to pass in his rising palace, that Wrathful Shamaak(1) beheld the black Lands by the Waters(2). And he said to himself, “These men are improperly formed(3). They wander as nomads when they would better settle and build cities. They slaughter beasts when they would better sow seeds. They tear down low what they should erect tall. Out of the silt they are improperly formed, so back into the silt I shall form them.”

Point of Departure: April 14th, 1865

John Wilkes Booth fails to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. However, his conspirators, Lewis Powell and George Atzerodt, succeed in killing William H. Seward and Andrew Johnson, respectively.

Notes and Consequences:

-President Lincoln, and no chance of a President Johnson, may lead to an easier Reconstruction and earlier Civil Rights.

-Johnson and Seward’s deaths may push the government to put in more security, to protect anyone important in politics.

- Congress may push Lincoln to appoint a new Vice President.

-the 1867 Alaska purchase: contrary to popular belief, the idea was popular in the U.S., and would likely occur despite Seward’s death; however, it is by no means certain.