What's In a Date?

BC/AD, BCE/CE, AC/DC

    For the 2026 A-Z Challenge, I've chosen to describe those figures in history which probably had little effect on our lives.  In other words, you won't learn about people like Caesar, Napoleon, or Mr. Bean.  But, who knows?  Maybe you will.  I really haven't started my research in earnest yet.

Or of Ernest.

      However, before we begin, I thought I'd repost something I wrote several years ago which purports to instruct us as to how things are dated.  This is pretty much, word-for-word, that original post.  But, most importantly, I outline my opinion about the "politically-correct" way of handling dates, especially when it comes to the ancient past. 

    So, before I get ahead of myself...what's in a date?

     NOTE:  Judaism uses a different method of dating for their holy days.  While they undeniably date things with the method others use, they also use dates based on the Torah.  Anything to drive us meshuggah.  Come to think of it, I think Muslims also do this.  With the added benefit of beheading. 

     Since...uh...a long time ago, we've dated civilization using a "BC/AD" convention.  It's worked well as far as long as I've been alive.

And since I've been alive since most of you, it should work for you, as well.

    On the other hand, if you've been alive longer than I, good luck with those Depends, catheter sample packs, and Matlock marathons.

"And not the Kathy Bates Matlocks, either.  No joke."

    "B.C." stands for "Before Christ."  Meaning "Before Christ Was Born" not "Before Christ Started Shaving."  Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that Jesus was born sometime around 4 B.C. (well, that's what the nuns told us), meaning Jesus was born four years before Jesus was born.  We all get it, Perfesser.

"It's a divine mystery.  Now, knuckles if ye please, cheeky boyo."

  

    "A.D." stands for "Anno Domini," which is Latin-not Greek-for "Year of Our Lord."  It does not mean "After Death."  If that's what it stood for, then, since Jesus was 33 years old when he was crucified, then there's something like 33 years (or 37, considering that 4 B.C. thing) unaccounted for.

    In the last years of the 20th Century, though, a new method of dating things has arisen: that of "B.C.E." or "Before the Common Era" and "C.E." or "Common Era."

    This was done to downplay the influence of Christianity and the Western World.  Don't try to tell me this isn't so.

    Now, okay, I guess I'm okay with diminishing a Christian-centric convention.  I mean, if I was not a Christian (even a good one), I'd probably have a problem with talking about something which happened in the "year of our Lord," anyway.  After all, Jesus isn't the Jews' Lord, an atheist has no Lord (unless you count the "God of Climate Change."), pagans worship sticks, Jehovah's Witnesses worsh...hell, I don't know what they do, and Satanists idolize...uh...Satan.

Muslims would get ticked off, I suppose, but they're too busy exploding

.

   NOTE:  I'm making outlandish generalizations for comedy purposes only.  Get over yourselves.

     The problem I have with this, though, is what exactly is "Common"?  Sure, Christianity and Judaism are common (Buddhism was also around, I think, but I'm trying to make a point here).  You can't exactly say Islam was common, because that religion didn't start raging around the Middle East and Mediterranean until 632 A.D.

    This means that, if you were going for a "common" vibe (using the "Big Three"), the year should actually be 1394 C.E., instead of 2026 A.D.  By the way, I know that "A.D." should go before the year, smart guy.  Shut up.

    No, what this is is a politically correct way of changing the name of something without actually changing anything.  The years are still the same.  In other words, Jesus was still born in the same year, except now it's 4 B.C.E.

    If the "C" stood for "Christian," it would at least be an accurate statement of fact.  Even though I'm not advocating that, you couldn't argue that Muhammed was born in 570 of the Christian Era.

    Once again, though, I understand the reticence towards "Christian-Centric" dating.

    NOTE:  I'd reword this, but I'm leaving it in.  Makes me laugh.

    So, if you want to go away from a Christian lens, why not date things from the founding of Rome?  The fall of the Western Roman Empire?  Norman Conquest?

"Or something else.  Wink...wink."

      I realize that won't happen because can you imagine the disruption that would cause to our sense of our place in the world, to say nothing of what it would do to Hallmark.

    So, with that being the case, I'll just go right on using "BC" and "AD."  I will not succumb to the silly "B.C.E." and "C.E." nonsense here.  If you're the type of person who is uncomfortable with those terms, rest assured that nothing is different.

    For example, the first case of syphilis was recorded in 1495 A.D., which is the same as 1495 C.E.

     There.  That's something you know now.