1. B.C. and A. D.
What do they mean?

2. What does B.C. mean?
B. C. Is commonly used to count years in time before the birth of Jesus Christ. This is a starting point to count the years before He was born.

3. The actual date of His birth is not known, but from events that took place around that time, historians have established a starting point. They look at events that either happened before His birth or after His birth.

4. What does A. D. mean?
A.D. is commonly used to refer to the years after the birth of Jesus Christ. It is Latin for anno Domini which means “in the year of our Lord.” This is used as a starting point to date the events that took place since the birth of Jesus Christ.

5. Why this person?
No one argues that Jesus was born. No one argues that He had a great impact on history. Some believe He was a great prophet, but not a supreme being. For many years people have accepted this event as the best way to date history.

6. Dionysius Exiguus
He was a monk who invented the BC/AD method during the Middle Ages, early in the sixth century. He was commissioned by the pope to determine the correct date for Easter. His counting method determined Christ’s birth to be the year A. D. 1.

7. Why is B.C.E. and C. E. used?
B.C. and A.D. are not always used today. Some chronologists, geologists, and anthropologists object to time being anchored to any kind of Christian or religious benchmark.

8. Instead of using the term A. D
Instead of using the term A.D. they prefer to use the phrase “Common Era,” abbreviated “C.E.” Likewise, in place of B.C., which refers to the time “Before Christ,” they favor labeling that era “B.C. E.,” meaning “Before the Common Era.” thus, C. E. is generally equivalent to A.D. and B.C.E. is generally equivalent to B. C.