I was reading an article the other day that mentioned a date as being CE. Having seen the initials previously, and not knowing exactly what they meant, I decided to investigate. It seems that BCE is the equivalent of BC and CE is the equivalent of AD. Now, a little of the history of these designations and the reason for the change.
In 525 AD, the monk Dionysius Exiguus used the designation Anno Domini (AD) to help calculate Easter. Anno Domini is Latin for ‘In the year of our Lord’ which used as a reference point the birth of Jesus. (Later it was determined that Exiguus was off by 4 years but I think that’s pretty close for a 6th century monk!). Eventually, the designation AD was used to date historical events. Later, the English monk, the Venerable Bede, began to use the term ‘Before Christ’ (BC) to date events before Christ was born. These have been the standard notations for expressing years for almost 1,500 years since.
Somewhere in the mid-19th century some Jewish scholars began to use the designations BCE (before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era). This was gradually adopted by other scholars. Since 1980 the use of these non-religious designations has dramatically increased and will one day, no doubt, be universally accepted.
The reason for the switch is that some people, attempting to separate the religious from the secular, want to be sensitive toward non-Christians, and not use a designation that refers to the birth of Jesus or to Him as ‘Lord’, either of which might be ‘offensive’. Really? I use the calendar all the time which refers to months that are pagan in origin and I’m not offended. For example, January refers to the Roman god Janus, the god of beginnings and endings; March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war; May comes from Maiesta, the Roman goddess of honor and reverence. They are nothing more than names of gods and goddesses that I don’t believe in so why should their use bother me? This is precisely the point.
If a person doesn’t believe in Jesus Christ what difference should it make to them to use BC and AD? In my opinion, none. However, apparently some non-Christians are bothered by Jesus and any reference or connection to Him whatsoever. This could be the result of any number of things - spiritual abuse, poor Christian examples, being brought up in an anti-Christian environment, etc. It also could the result of an uneasy conscience - a nagging feeling, deep down, that there may be some truth to Jesus’ claims after all. Rather than be reminded of this they have chosen the old adage, ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’
This is yet another indicator of our world’s move away from Christianity. In fact, there is even some thought currently about why time is measured from the birth of Jesus in the first place, since it is both an exclusively Western and a religious event? Based upon views such as this, I suspect that somewhere in the future a new numbering system for our calendar will be put into place worldwide. It will be inclusive and won’t offend anyone. Maybe this will be something that happens during the reign of the Antichrist?
For me, I’m sticking with using BC and AD. As a Christian, obviously I like the reference to Jesus Christ. I like the idea that the birth of Jesus divides history into ‘before’ and ‘after’. The fact is that the coming of Jesus into our world was long awaited and has been since celebrated. He changed the course of history. He changed me. He can change you.
Lord, help me to remember every time I write or mention the year, that it is a reference to You and Your entrance into this world. That entrance is the pivotal point of human history. May Your life, death and resurrection continue to impact our world. May it continue to impact my life as well. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
In 525 AD, the monk Dionysius Exiguus used the designation Anno Domini (AD) to help calculate Easter. Anno Domini is Latin for ‘In the year of our Lord’ which used as a reference point the birth of Jesus. (Later it was determined that Exiguus was off by 4 years but I think that’s pretty close for a 6th century monk!). Eventually, the designation AD was used to date historical events. Later, the English monk, the Venerable Bede, began to use the term ‘Before Christ’ (BC) to date events before Christ was born. These have been the standard notations for expressing years for almost 1,500 years since.
Somewhere in the mid-19th century some Jewish scholars began to use the designations BCE (before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era). This was gradually adopted by other scholars. Since 1980 the use of these non-religious designations has dramatically increased and will one day, no doubt, be universally accepted.
The reason for the switch is that some people, attempting to separate the religious from the secular, want to be sensitive toward non-Christians, and not use a designation that refers to the birth of Jesus or to Him as ‘Lord’, either of which might be ‘offensive’. Really? I use the calendar all the time which refers to months that are pagan in origin and I’m not offended. For example, January refers to the Roman god Janus, the god of beginnings and endings; March is named after Mars, the Roman god of war; May comes from Maiesta, the Roman goddess of honor and reverence. They are nothing more than names of gods and goddesses that I don’t believe in so why should their use bother me? This is precisely the point.
If a person doesn’t believe in Jesus Christ what difference should it make to them to use BC and AD? In my opinion, none. However, apparently some non-Christians are bothered by Jesus and any reference or connection to Him whatsoever. This could be the result of any number of things - spiritual abuse, poor Christian examples, being brought up in an anti-Christian environment, etc. It also could the result of an uneasy conscience - a nagging feeling, deep down, that there may be some truth to Jesus’ claims after all. Rather than be reminded of this they have chosen the old adage, ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’
This is yet another indicator of our world’s move away from Christianity. In fact, there is even some thought currently about why time is measured from the birth of Jesus in the first place, since it is both an exclusively Western and a religious event? Based upon views such as this, I suspect that somewhere in the future a new numbering system for our calendar will be put into place worldwide. It will be inclusive and won’t offend anyone. Maybe this will be something that happens during the reign of the Antichrist?
For me, I’m sticking with using BC and AD. As a Christian, obviously I like the reference to Jesus Christ. I like the idea that the birth of Jesus divides history into ‘before’ and ‘after’. The fact is that the coming of Jesus into our world was long awaited and has been since celebrated. He changed the course of history. He changed me. He can change you.
Lord, help me to remember every time I write or mention the year, that it is a reference to You and Your entrance into this world. That entrance is the pivotal point of human history. May Your life, death and resurrection continue to impact our world. May it continue to impact my life as well. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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