Until quite recently the members of the Syriac churches used the era of the Seleucids (of Alexander the Great; East and West Syrians) as the era of the creation of Adam (Melkites). From the 11th century the Christian era (Anno Domini) is also sometimes in use. This article collects the oldest attributions of dates according to the Christian era from Syriac colophons and other sources. The use of the Christian era became more common from the 16th century, due to the closer contacts between the Oriental and the Latin churches. After that time it is often the only dating scheme used. The Christian era in the Syriac and Arabic sources does not always correspond with the western calculations. In many cases the difference between the era of the Seleucids and the Christian era is 311 years, because the Syriac Christian era starts in October 311 B.C. A difference of 309 years is also very common. This is the result of the fact that some oriental authors place the birth of Christ in the year 309 of the Seleucid era. In the last chapter some sources for the dating of the ascension which was used by the East Syrians since the second half of the 16th century are collected.

Hubert Kaufhold, born in 1943, studied law and christian-oriental studies, has been a public prosecutor and judge in Munich, 1973-2008. As honorary professor he teaches history of Ancient Law, especially the Law of the Christian Orient, at the university of Munich. He has published books and articles about the law and the history of the oriental churches and is editor of the journal Oriens Christianus.