I hope I don't regret this...

General » Religion

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - I hope I don't regret this...

Posted: 8/1/2005 5:15:03 PM EDT

but I'm going to ask anyway. I noticed in a recent post by scuba_ed that he used the phrase B.C.E. in it. I've also heard it used in several T.V. shows over the past year or two.

Is this something that was thought up for those who don't believe that Jesus existed, and wanted a more universally excepted dating system?

Who was it that started this trend?

Posted: 8/1/2005 5:22:51 PM EDT

[#1]

i can't remember the exact group which began using it, but it was one of those "separation of church and state" groups.

for those who don't know what he's talking about: before common era instead of B.C.

eta:
for those who don't know what he's talking about: before ~~common~~ Christian era instead of B.C.

fixed

Posted: 8/2/2005 1:23:11 PM EDT

[#2]

Probably me!!!!

As a Jewish dude, with a Jews living in a predominately Christian world it was early-on realized as problematic to refer to dates in the secular (often understood as Christian) calender.

The term "B.C.E" has been around for centuries, and refers to "Before the Common Era" (as opposed to "Before Christ). Similarly so with "C.E." or "Common Era" (as opposed to after Christ).

Jewish Ed

Posted: 8/2/2005 1:27:14 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
but I'm going to ask anyway. I noticed in a recent post by scuba_ed that he used the phrase B.C.E. in it. I've also heard it used in several T.V. shows over the past year or two.

Is this something that was thought up for those who don't believe that Jesus existed, and wanted a more universally excepted dating system?

Who was it that started this trend?

Before Christian Era or Before Common Era?

Both are actual historical terms used interchangably by many historians.

Posted: 8/2/2005 2:42:10 PM EDT

[#4]

Before Christian Era or Before Common Era?

Both are actual historical terms used interchangably by many historians.

______________________________________________________________________

Oh, oh John.

Anyway, B.C.E. stands for Beyond the Common Era (at least amongst posting Jews and Jewish hisorians.)

Anyway, thank you for your input.

Jewish Ed

Posted: 8/2/2005 3:52:08 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
Before Christian Era or Before Common Era?

Both are actual historical terms used interchangably by many historians.

______________________________________________________________________

Oh, oh John.

Anyway, B.C.E. stands for Beyond the Common Era (at least amongst posting Jews and Jewish hisorians.)

Anyway, thank you for your input.

Jewish Ed

I suppose I could try to detail every single history lecture in which I have heard BCE used exactly as I explained it, but I am sure I would still miss a great deal of them.

Jews, you know, are not the only ones who use the terms.

Posted: 8/2/2005 4:31:51 PM EDT

[#6]

wow, i had researched this a little some time ago; I had no idea it was a phrase used for so long.

learn something new everyday on arfcom.

Posted: 8/2/2005 4:58:22 PM EDT

[#7]

I didn't realize it had been around for that long either. I had only heard or seen it written within the past few years.

Posted: 8/2/2005 5:20:59 PM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:
I didn't realize it had been around for that long either. I had only heard or seen it written within the past few years.

Some of my more ardently atheist professors insisted on using non-christian terminology, as they found BC and AD to be objectionable.

Posted: 8/2/2005 6:39:56 PM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Quoted:
I didn't realize it had been around for that long either. I had only heard or seen it written within the past few years.

Some of my more ardently atheist professors insisted on using non-christian terminology, as they found BC and AD to be objectionable.

Those poor babies...

I had a few like that too. Let's hope they're not at seminary!

About the B.C.E. thing -- yeah... Hello ambiguity!

Posted: 8/2/2005 6:43:54 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:
I didn't realize it had been around for that long either. I had only heard or seen it written within the past few years.

Yeah, it's doesn't quite roll off your tongue like "B.C.". If it's been around that long, it obviously didn't, and probably won't catch on.

Posted: 8/3/2005 4:11:46 AM EDT

[#11]

Just an attempt to avoid the One that the terms B.C. and A.D. refer to.

However they wish, it won't make Him go away!

Posted: 8/3/2005 7:38:36 AM EDT

[#12]

Nasty technical discussion:

Anno Domini (Latin: "In The Year Of The Lord"), or more completely Anno Domini Nostri Iesu Christi ("In The Year Of Our Lord Jesus Christ"), commonly abbreviated AD or A.D., is the designation used to number years in the dominant Christian Era in the world today. This is the conventional designation now used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It defines an epoch based on the traditionally reckoned year of the birth of Jesus. Years before the epoch were denoted a.C.n. (for Ante Christum Natum, Latin for "before the birth of Christ"), although BC (Before Christ) is now usually used in English. The Christian Era is the only system in everyday use in the Western World, and the main system for commercial and scientific use in the rest of the world. In academic historical and archaeological circles, particularly in the United States, the same epoch is sometimes referred to as the Common Era (CE) and the BC period as Before the Common Era (BCE).

While it is increasingly common to place AD after a date, by analogy to the use of BC, formal English usage adheres to the traditional practice of placing the abbreviation before the year, as in Latin (e.g., 100 BC, but AD 100).

Posted: 8/3/2005 11:23:20 AM EDT

[#13]

Thank you TexasSIG!!

And regarding the quite depthful reply of Brohawk that "...Just an attempt to avoid the One that the terms B.C. and A.D. refer to.

However they wish, it won't make Him go away! "

What? Is there something you've missed in this forum that the best effort you're able to produce is an attack upon other faith communities beliefs and references? Golly, there's a whole bunch of people posting that while interesting, at least had more to add than your nearly mono-syllabic response with a smiley face.

Jewish Ed

Posted: 8/3/2005 11:36:12 AM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
I didn't realize it had been around for that long either. I had only heard or seen it written within the past few years.

This thread is my first exposure to the "Common Era" terminology.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - I hope I don't regret this...

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