What is the meaning of BC and AD (B.C. and A.D.)?

Answer

It is commonly believed that B.C. stands for “before Christ” and A.D. stands for “after death.” However, this is only partially accurate. How could the year 1 B.C. be “before Christ” and A.D. 1 be “after death”? B.C. does indeed stand for “before Christ.” A.D. actually represents the Latin phrase anno domini, which translates to “in the year of our Lord.” The B.C./A.D. dating system is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible. In fact, it was not fully established and embraced until several centuries after the death of Jesus.

It is noteworthy that the intention behind the B.C./A.D. dating system was to designate the birth of Jesus Christ as the pivotal point in world history. However, during the calculation of the B.C./A.D. system, an error occurred in determining the year of Jesus’ birth. Scholars later concluded that Jesus was born around 6–4 B.C., not A.D. 1. Nevertheless, the critical issue is not the specific year but rather the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ, which are the significant milestones in world history. It is therefore appropriate that Jesus Christ marks the division between the “old” and the “new.” B.C. symbolizes “before Christ,” and since His birth, we have been living “in the year of our Lord.” Recognizing our era as “the year of our Lord” is fitting because He is Lord. Philippians 2:10–11 states, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

In recent times, there has been a movement to substitute the B.C. and A.D. designations with B.C.E. and C.E., signifying “before common era” and “common era,” respectively. This alteration is primarily semantic—AD 100 is equivalent to 100 CE; only the terminology changes. Proponents of the sw

Many scholars advocate for the switch from BC/AD to BCE/CE, arguing that the latter terms are more inclusive and avoid religious bias, which could be offensive to those who do not recognize Jesus as “Lord.” Ironically, the defining factor between B.C.E and C.E. remains centered around the era of Jesus Christ.