Common Era

The Common Era is a designation for the period of time from AD 1 onwards, abbreviated as CE. Any year AD is the same year CE, thus AD 500 = 500 CE. The term permits the use of the Julian and Gregorian calendar without referring to the Christian God. The usage of the designation Common Era (and the associated Before the Common Era or BCE) is particularly popular in academic circles and non-Christian historical writings, however it has not entered into general use by the public.

Both CE and BCE are placed after the date like BC, in contrast to the use of AD in formal English (therefore AD 711 is 711 CE).

Background

Though there are many calendars, the Gregorian calendar has achieved prominence in practical use worldwide. The days, months, and leap years of its direct predecessor, the Julian calendar, were devised by Romans in the pre-Christian era. Virtually all Romans identified each year by naming the two consuls who held office that year until the sixth century — the years were almost never numbered. On the other hand, Christian histories usually numbered the years from Creation. In 525, the Anno Domini system was invented, which counted the years of the Julian calendar from the Incarnation of Jesus (apparently incorrectly). This system was not popular until Bede used it in 731. The transition by the Christian church to the Gregorian calendar, which was promulgated in 1582, corrected seasonal errors due to an incorrect leap year system; but this correction left the numbering of the years unchanged.

The spread of the Gregorian calendar is documented in the Gregorian calendar article. At present it is by far the most widely used calendar in the world, and is used universally in scientific affairs. With the spread of the Gregorian calendar, the Anno Domini system of year numbering was also adopted.

History

The term "Common Era" has been in use since the late 19th century. Indeed, in its article on "Chronology," the 1908 Catholic Encyclopedia uses the sentence: "Foremost among these [dating eras] is that which is now adopted by all civilized peoples and known as the Christian, Vulgar, or Common Era, in the twentieth century of which we are now living."

Adoption

The adoption of the Common Era designation is partial, mainly focused in academic circles. Historians of non-Christian cultures in particular prefer the new designation when dating events that occurred beyond the influence of Christian cultures. The designation has also been adopted by those who do not believe in the divinity of Christ, because using Anno Domini implies a belief that the Christian god exists. The Chinese equivalent of "Common Era" is universally adopted, whether in academic circles or among the general public, religious or secular.

Reasons to prefer the Common Era designation include:

• a lowering of ethnocentric bias,
• inappropriateness to date events with a Christian statement of faith,
• Jehovah's Witnesses belief that Christ was born on a different date than 1 BC, prophesied in the Book of Daniel.

Opposition

Although Common Era dating is widespread amongst historians and some other academics, it has not gained acceptance outside those groups, with few knowing what the designation means.

Apart from the argument that the term should not be used outside certain academic circles because it is not generally understood, other arguments in opposition include the following:

• Some Christian groups oppose the use of the Common Era designation because it goes against their belief in the divinity of Christ.
• Some Christians, and others, see it as a move by nonbelievers to make Christianity less visible.
• The names for the months in most European languages commemorate Roman deities (e.g. January, Janvier, Ιανουάριος, Janeiro etc), while the names for the days of the week commemorate Norse deities (e.g. Wednesday); some people believe that dating years according to yet a third religious tradition should not therefore be an issue of concern.
• Some people believe that CE dating is an example of political correctness.
• Some people would prefer to number years from a neutral, non-religious origin.

Connection to secularism

Because of this debate, the choice of whether to use AD or CE dating may be construed as a political statement against or in favor of secularism. There are also secular opponents to this terminology who argue that it simply serves to cloak the bias that remains. It is little better, goes the argument, to simply change the name of the dating system when the system is still fundamentally linked to the (arbitrarily chosen) birth of Jesus.