Whats the difference between BC and BCE?

There are two major dating schemes in use in the West today, BC/AD and BCE/CE. AD stands for Anno Domini (in the Year Of Our Lord) and CE stands for Common Era. Whereas BC is Before Christ, and BCE is Before Common Era. Historian Tom Holland recently tweeted about his dislike of the Common Era dating scheme, suggesting that it is somehow dishonest. So this is a good opportunity to talk about the different dating systems and why most scholars prefer Common Era over Anno Domini.

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This channel is now known as Tablets and Temples, unpacking ancient history and religion. Formerly known as Bible Unboxed.

Sources:

Academic books/papers
- Georges Declercq , Anno Domini: the Origins of the Christian Era, 2000
- Lynn Hunt, Measuring Time, Making History, 2008

Some more accessible laymen articles:

Some info on the council of Nicea and the Easter date:
- Cambridge Companion to the Council of Nicaea (2021)
- The Council of Nicea,” in The Church of the Ancient Councils: The Disciplinary Work of the First Four Ecumenical Councils (1996).

BC/AD, B.C., A.D., Anno Domini, Before Christ, Common Era, Before Common Era, BCE/CE, B.C.E, C.E., Tom Holland Historian, Dionysius exiguus, dating system, christian era, tom holland christianity, anno domini 919, anno domino

[TabletsAndTemples]

Just a little note on something I left out of the video for time. The BC "Before Christ" part wasn't invented in 525. Bede may have been the first to use a similar phrase, but it wasn't until the 1700s that "before Christ" and "before the common era" were in regular use.

[Andrew]

It's the Christian calendar so it will always be BC and AD for me. I'm not even Christian.

[TabletsAndTemples]

This was reupload this to fix a mistake pointed out by a viewer. Thanks guys!

[InquisitiveBible]

One other quirk about the BC/AD system (besides the weird mixing of English and Latin) is that the numeral is supposed to go before BC but after AD.

[jeremygilbert]

One common error repeated here on the calculation of Easter - the part about the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. No, it's the first Sunday after the first full moon (according to tables) after the fixed date of March 21. It was this fixed date that forced the Gregorian calendar change in 1582, and is the reason the Eastern churches, which use the old calendar in their Easter calculations, and hence the March 21 on that calendar (=April 3 I think on the new calendar) often celebrate Easter on a different date.

[drsamkfelix]

I use BC/AD and CE/BCE interchangeably. I usually reserve BC/AD for religious and pastoral reasons, and CE/BCE(era system) for nonreligious and academic reasons.

[kittikorn]

BCE "before christ's era"
CE "christ's era"

[davidplowman]

Yeah, they’re still dating everything from the Birth of Christ. They’re still admitting that event had a profound effect on history in the West and, since the West had a profound effect on the world for the last few hundred years, on the world itself.

Christianity has had a indelible effect on our current history and it is logical to date history from the birth of Christ for the western world but also, for the last 500 years, on the rest of the world.

[Happyland]

Not to mention Jesus would have actually been born before 4 BC, so the calendar isn't even marking the birth of Jesus.

[wannabe_scholar]

Is this a re-upload?
Great video btw!!! I switch between both as I'm so used to the BC AD dating but I prefer the CE BCE dating more, also the whole jesus being born 6 BC (Before Christ) wouldn't make sense as Jesus can't be born before himself.
Edit: From what I've seen most scholars place his birth between 6 and 4 BCE I could be mistaken on that tho

[Matt_The_Hugenot]

Dionysius almost certainly used traditional Roman consul lists however he didn't know there were gaps that had been inaccurately filled in the past.

[yurineri]

Great video

but yeah I agree with tom holland, he is absolutely right, BCE/CE is pretty pointless, everyone knows BC/AD dating is ingrained in the Christian context, and it's pointless to try to pretend that historical context didn't exist, this calendar had the explicit purpose to try to make a dating site that was more friendly to Christians

I also don't see any problem in using names that originate from other belief systems, I mean, I am Cristian, and half of the name of the week comes from the names of pagan gods, and I still use them all the time

[moethe]

To understand the issue is not too difficult. You use BCE (Before Common Era) if you're Jewish, or identify as secular or non-theistic—whether atheists, agnostics, or individuals from other religious traditions. Or you use BC (Before Christ) if you are a Christian and believe that some day Christ will return to rule the earth.

Therefore, some prefer BCE and use the excuse that it’s a “more inclusive and culturally neutral” not realizing that it’s attempt to appropriate this establish timeline and offend all Christians.

[gideonroos]

I use BC/AD, though I'd prefer AC/AD, because it's nomenclature is superior to BCE/CE for clarity of communication. Whenever I read BCE/CE, it just says Before Christian Era, and Christian Era to me, anyway, so I'm not offended by them in principle. They're just an inferior nomenclature, which is why I avoid them.

[RipRoaringGarage]

First of all. It is offensive. To use modern rules, it is cultural appropriation. Make up your own calendar then. So its not 2024 for non Christians. The modern resurgence of CE is from a KGB operation with infiltrators in Western science journals, along with other operatives from the USSR. This was a big issue communists had, that they still were using a Christian calendar.

Its making a resurgence now as part of cancel culture. As a former mathematician, and canceled ie fired for no reason other than race and faith. I will never use this annotation, and for that matter, any other antitheistic annotation.

[angeladyson]

When it is said that "BCE and CE/VE are used to be more inclusive." It begs the question 'more inclusive to who?' Certainly not inclusive to Christians. It actually excludes Christians and therefore Christianity because when people use it they take away the foundational and historical dating system that marks our country, the UK, America and other countries that were once upon a time 'Christian countries'.

People have used 'BC' and 'AD' commonly for centuries. Why change something that has worked for billions of people for so long?! Unless people don't actually want to be reminded of the one who came to seek and saved the lost, the sinner. The one who needs Christ more than anything is the one who rejects Him because He makes the one with a comfortable life in his sin feel uncomfortable! He is blinded to His need of Christ Jesus and he will never see his need of Him until he acknowledges his own sin.

It is all too convenient for the atheist or non Christian to remove the use of 'BC' and 'AD' from our calendar, from school teaching systems, work places and registers etc. It is no wonder children are more confused about who they are than ever before, no wonder that men more than women on average are feeling like they do not have much of a place in society more than ever, no wonder that children are growing up to be more disobedient to their parents and less respectful as a whole, society as a whole has gone down hill compared to what it used to be and no wonder. It will continue to do so all the more in countries that utterly reject Jesus Christ!

I will always use 'BC' and 'AD' till I die and I will pass that on to other children I know as I'm sure every true Christian will. God will not have His name blotted out of all existence no matter how hard sinful mankind tries to blot it out!

We will all one day stand before Him and give an account of what we have done with His commandments, with the knowledge that creation declares His glory and that He, Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Repent and believe/trust in Him for salvation from the wrath of God upon sinful mankind! 🙏🏻

[Charismactivism]

If you would have created your own calendar you're free to name it whatever you want. But to take the Christian calendar and insist on still using the birth of Christ as the main event of history while refusing to acknowledge that this is exactly what you're talking about is dishonest at best and intolerant at worst. Religious tolerance isn't promoted by stealing a Christian calendar and refusing to acknowledge that it's Christian.

[adityavarma]

Any evidence of Jesus birth and death dates ??

[magjag]

The BCE and CE users need to come up with their own numbering system, then. They took an existing system based on Jesus's birth and mislabeled it. In a way, they have simply copied it. They are still using the B.C. and A.D. system, just changed the label. How disrespectful. What, they couldn't come up with their own numbering system? In addition, B.C. is not religious, it is historical because it is based on a historical event, not a religious event.

[samuelericci]

For once, I'm happy to be Italian. The dating system here is and will continue yo be AC (Avanti Cristo) and DC (Dopo Cristo), referring to the birth of Jesus Christ.

I personallt find it awful to say that the birth of Jesus, were it a real event or not, was not influeantial at all for people not of Christian Belief.

Christianity in all its forms was the basis for many cultures of the west for ages, and a belief that led by itself to a lot of events.

What is more, the current calendar is a Christian system.

I can see why they would prefer not to, but as someone else said: English days are based on nordic ancient religion, and since it is dead and not followed, it should be changed.

You see how that does not make sense?