Catlover613: But if the “civil year” is based on an myth that is clearly avodah zarah, would we be allowed to use it. I suggest the best way to regard it is that the Christians decided that dating things from the regnal years of kings, or the founding of the City of Rome (also a myth) as the Romans did, was “awkward” so they picked an arbitrary date. We know it was arbitrary since according to the Christian myths, you know who was born during the reign of Herod (who considered himself “Great” -no one else did), and died in 4 B.C.E. Since it is an arbitrary choice of a base date, there is no reason to hold it is avodah zarah, and in fact Yidden have used it since the Christians switched in the middle ages.
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