What does common era refer to?

Question

Andrew

Social Studies

17 January, 05:52

What does common era refer to?

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Answers (2)

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Arrow · Answer 1

The acronyms "CE" (Common Era) and "BCE" (Before the

Common Era) both refer to the same numbering of the years

that you're accustomed to.

But you call them "AD" and "BC", and that's a problem.

"AD" stands for "Anno Domini" ... "year of our lord", numbering

years from the time of Jesus.

"BC" stands for "Before Christ" ... numbering years before

the time of Jesus.

These labels are a problem for those who do not accept the

divinity or the centrality of Jesus in the affairs of people. So

a new set of labels was needed for these sets of years.

Jayleen Tran · Answer 2

The Common Era or CE refers to The Current Era or the Anno Domini (The Year of our Lord)

They are commonly interchangeable in usage since they have no difference in their system of numbering the years. The Common Era has been in use for more by mid-19th century and its usage spiked up at around the 1900s, particularly during 1980s where the usage of Common Era increased in number. Though when it comes to the official usage and as to which is which, it varies from place to place and by the scholars and laws that allow its usage.