I just started reading Treasure Island by RL Stevenson. The very first sentence says: "...I take up my pen in the year of grace 17__ and...".
I had never encountered "grace" used in such fashion and failed to figure out what it is doing there.
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Sign up to join this communityI just started reading Treasure Island by RL Stevenson. The very first sentence says: "...I take up my pen in the year of grace 17__ and...".
I had never encountered "grace" used in such fashion and failed to figure out what it is doing there.
The 'year of grace' means the 'liturgical year number counting from the birth of Christ'. Each Christian liturgical year begins on the first Sunday of Advent, so that the 'year of grace 2020' began on December 1st, 2019. Advent can fall on any date between (and including) November 27 and December 3. The word 'grace' can mean 'gift of God', the 'gift' being, in this case, the sending by God of his son, Jesus. This usage is a little old-fashioned, and is at the present time mainly used in in religious circles: