Week
the space of seven days; the space from one Sunday, Monday, etc., to anoth another; the most obvious and convenient division of the natural or lunar month. The division of time into weeks did not exist among the aborigines of America when the New World was discovered, nor did it exist among the Polynesians, the Japanese, or, it is now believed, the Chinese. It is nearly universal in India, and was found thoroughly rooted when the first Christians went to that country. So has it been from a period of high antiquity in Scandinavia, the names of the several days being connected with identically the same planets in the two regions; so that, if at noon on Sunday in Sweden one could be transported ported in a moment to India, he would find it Aditwar (Sunday) y) there, and so of any other day in the week. The Hebrews, and it is thought the other Semites, had the institution of weeks, the days apparently being simply numbered first, second, third, etc. During the early centuries of their history the Greeks and the Romans had not the institution of weeks, there having been ancient forgery in connection with Homer's oft-quoted passages on the subject. Dion Cassius, S names of the days had been introduced that the week with the planetary century after Christ, considinto Rome only recently, and from Egypt. The establishment of Christianity under Constantine confirmed the change, and thence the septenary division of time spread to the whole Christian world. The Mohammedans borrowed the week from the Jews, and like them number the days, as do also the Greeks, Sundays. plied to the week days as opposed to fourth part of a lunar month. Also ap- other school again regards the week as a divinely instituted at the Creation; anlike the Latins, Teutons, One school of theologians attributes the wide prevalence of septenary inican public official, born in Lancaster, N. WEEKS, JOHN WINGATE, an Amerdivinely instituted at the Creation; another school again regards the week as a fourth part of a lunar month. Also applied to the week days as opposed to Sundays.
Teutons, and Celts. ican public official, born in Lancaster, N.