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I teach high school English, and the first time I came across these terms was a few weeks ago when I was in the computer lab with my students while they were doing some research. They kept asking me, "What does THIS term mean?!"
Call it what you wish, the fact is that B.C. and A.D. or B.C.E and C.E all boil down to the period before and after Christ.
Hope this makes the atheists feel better.
Unlike "Before Christ", BCE does not define a Christ or even acknowledge one. Rather, it acknowledges the appearance of Christians. And, yes, that does make me feel better.
It's literally funny to me that Christians feel "attacked" by this.
BCE and CE have been used for centuries...they're hardly anything "new"
Can you give us some examples? I'd be curious, because until the last few years, all I'd ever heard was the B.C., and A.D., including history books, etc. It doesn't particularly bother me, as such, 'though I do find it odd. When I come across the newer terms, (at least for me), I just wind up translating it into the old terms anyway, (i.e. before Christ and after Christ, which merely gives me a timeframe to work with), so I'm not sure what the point is. I just wish "someone" would make up their minds as to which terms to use.
Can you give us some examples? I'd be curious, because until the last few years, all I'd ever heard was the B.C., and A.D., including history books, etc. It doesn't particularly bother me, as such, 'though I do find it odd. When I come across the newer terms, (at least for me), I just wind up translating it into the old terms anyway, (i.e. before Christ and after Christ, which merely gives me a timeframe to work with), so I'm not sure what the point is. I just wish "someone" would make up their minds as to which terms to use.
from Wikipedia
Quote:
Origins of usage of Common Era terminology The term "Common Era" is traced back in English to its appearance as "Vulgar Era" (from the Latin word vulgus, the common people, i.e. those who are not royalty) at a time when vulgar did not mean "crudely indecent". The first use of the Latin equivalent (vulgaris aerae) discovered so far was in a 1617 table of ephemerides.[7] A 1635 English edition of that book has the title page in English - so far, the earliest-found usage of Vulgar Era in English.[19] (A 1652 ephemeris is the first instance so far found for English usage of "Christian Era".[20]) A 1701 book edited by John LeClerc includes "Before Christ according to the Vulgar Æra, 6".[21] A 1716 book in English by Dean Humphrey Prideaux says, "before the beginning of the vulgar æra, by which we now compute the years from his incarnation."[22][23] A 1796 book uses the term "vulgar era of the nativity". [24]
The phrase "common era" appears at least as early as 1715 in a book on astronomy.[25]Common era and vulgar era are used as synonyms in 1770, in a translation of a book originally written in German.[26] The 1797 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica uses the terms vulgar era and common era synonymously.[27] In 1835, in his book Living Oracles, Alexander Campbell, wrote: "The vulgar Era, or Anno Domini; the fourth year of Jesus Christ, the first of which was but eight days",[28] and also refers to the common era as a synonym for vulgar era with "the fact that our Lord was born on the 4th year before the vulgar era, called Anno Domini, thus making (for example) the 42d year from his birth to correspond with the 38th of the common era..."[29] The Catholic Encyclopedia uses the sentence: "Foremost among these [various 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."[18] During the 19th century, "Vulgar Era" came to be contrasted with "Christian Era", and "vulgar" came to mean "crudely indecent", thus no longer a synonym for "common".
The phrase "common era", in lower case, also appeared in the 19th century in a generic sense, not necessarily to refer to the Christian Era, but to any system of dates in common use throughout a civilization. Thus, "the common era of the Jews",[30][31] "the common era of the Mahometans",[32] "common era of the world", [33] "the common era of the foundation of Rome".[34] When it did refer to the Christian Era, it was sometimes qualified, e.g., "common era of the Incarnation",[35] "common era of the Nativity",[36] or "common era of the birth of Christ".[37]
Some Jewish academics were already using the CE and BCE abbreviations by the mid-19th century, such as in 1856, when Rabbi and historian, Morris Jacob Raphall used the abbreviation in his book, Post-Biblical History of The Jews.[38]
Can you give us some examples? I'd be curious, because until the last few years, all I'd ever heard was the B.C., and A.D., including history books, etc. It doesn't particularly bother me, as such, 'though I do find it odd. When I come across the newer terms, (at least for me), I just wind up translating it into the old terms anyway, (i.e. before Christ and after Christ, which merely gives me a timeframe to work with), so I'm not sure what the point is. I just wish "someone" would make up their minds as to which terms to use.
"The term "Common Era" is traced back in English to its appearance as "Vulgar Era" (from the Latin word vulgus, the common people, i.e. those who are not royalty) at a time when vulgar did not mean "crudely indecent". The first use of the Latin equivalent (vulgaris aerae) discovered so far was in a 1617 table of ephemerides"
Its obvious to me that the left wing media started this back in the 1600's in preparation for the 2008 election by running shows on the Food network via subliminal placement.
Thank you, Via Chicago and BigThirsty! I didn't know that these seemingly new terms have actually been around so long. I've learned something new, today. Which is cool, because I believe in always trying to learn something new, every day, if possible.
Unlike "Before Christ", BCE does not define a Christ or even acknowledge one. Rather, it acknowledges the appearance of Christians. And, yes, that does make me feel better.
It's literally funny to me that Christians feel "attacked" by this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigthirsty
funny and sad.. ditto again to b.frank
Well, good. I'm glad you're getting a good laugh out of it. Some of us don't think it's that funny. Attacked? YES! Every single day I feel attacked for just being a Christian. Why shouldn't I, when things are removed from my life without so much as a "kiss my butt" from some studio jerk driving his 500SL all over Malibu with a Bluetooth strapped to his ear, hoping that more people will watch a show or see a movie or buy a book as a result--all signs of the dollar and no signs of anything else. Yes sir, I am attacked, and on all sides, with everything I do and everything I am. Just saying I am a Christian here, in these forums, yields an entirely new type of attack, an anonymous one, with stones hurled at glass houses by people who simply don't care because they don't have to.
So, please, feel free to yuk it up all you want. Obviously, it shows how stupid we all are and how smart you must be.
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), I just wind up translating it into the old terms anyway, (i.e. before Christ and after Christ, which merely gives me a timeframe to work with), so I'm not sure what the point is. I just wish "someone" would make up their minds as to which terms to use.
Which is cool, because I believe in always trying to learn something new, every day, if possible.
