What Do BC, BCE, AD, and CE Mean in Dating?

TL;DR

BC and BCE denote the same years before Christ's birth, with BCE being less religious. AD stands for Anno Domini, meaning 'year of our Lord,' while CE refers to the Common Era, both representing years after Christ. Notably, there is no year 0 in this calendar system.

Transcript

This right here is a fresco by Raphael of Plato hanging out with his best student, Aristotle. And you may or may not know that these two fellows, along with Plato's teacher, Socrates, are considered the fathers of Western philosophy. But that's not what this video is about. This is actually just a small little video about different dates, or maybe ... Read More

Key Insights

• 🥳 BC and BCE refer to the same timeline, denoting the years before the birth of Christ or the Common Era.
• 🫠 AD and CE are interchangeable and represent the years since the birth of Christ or the Common Era.
• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 These dating mechanisms have different implications and religious connotations.
• 🫠 There is no year 0; the transition is from 1 BC/BCE to 1 AD/CE.
• ❓ The choice between BC/BCE and AD/CE is a matter of preference, but the conventional usage is well-established.
• 😥 The dating mechanisms provide a reference point and help measure the passage of time.
• 🥳 Historians estimate the birth of Christ around 7 to 2 BC/BCE and his death between 30 and 36 AD/CE.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the difference between BC and BCE?

BC stands for Before Christ, indicating the years before the birth of Christ. On the other hand, BCE stands for Before the Common Era, which is a more secular way of denoting the same timeframe.

Q: What does AD stand for?

AD stands for Anno Domini, which means the year of the Lord or the year of our Lord. It represents the years since the birth of Christ.

Q: Is BC the same as AD?

No, BC and AD represent different periods of time. BC refers to the years before the birth of Christ, while AD refers to the years since his birth.

Q: Why do some people prefer BCE and CE over BC and AD?

Some people prefer BCE (Before the Common Era) and CE (Common Era) because they find BC and AD too explicitly centered around Christ. BCE and CE aim to be more inclusive and secular.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Dates can be specified in different ways, such as 428 BC or 428 BCE, referring to the same year in history, but with different implications.

• BC stands for Before Christ, indicating the number of years before the birth of Christ, while BCE stands for Before the Common Era, aiming to be less religious.

• AD stands for Anno Domini, meaning the year of the Lord, representing the years since the birth of Christ, and CE stands for Common Era, used interchangeably with AD.

• There is no year 0 in these dating mechanisms.