They have been in frequent use by Jewish academics for more than 100 years, but became more widespread in the later part of the 20th century, replacing BC/AD in a number of fields, notably science and academia. These abbreviations have a shorter history than BC and AD, although they still date from at least the early 1700s. BCE and CEĬE stands for “common (or current) era”, while BCE stands for “before the common (or current) era”. AD stands for Anno Domini, Latin for “in the year of the Lord”, while BC stands for “before Christ”. Standardized under the Julian and Gregorian calendars, the system spread throughout Europe and the Christian world during the centuries that followed. The idea to count years from the birth of Jesus Christ was first proposed in the year 525 by Dionysius Exiguus, a Christian monk. Subsequent years count up from this event and are accompanied by either AD or CE, while preceding years count down from it and are accompanied by either BC or BCE.īut what is the difference between AD and CE, or BC and BCE? Do they mean the same thing, and, if so, which should we use? This article provides an overview of these competing systems. Despite originating in the Western Christian tradition, its use has spread throughout the world and now transcends religious, cultural and linguistic boundaries.Īs most people are aware, the Gregorian calendar is based on the supposed birth date of Jesus Christ.

The Gregorian calendar is the global standard for the measurement of dates.

History time line 0 ad to 1100 ad