Common Era
Introduction
The Common Era (CE) is one of the notation systems for the world's most widely used calendar era. BCE (Before the Common Era) and CE are used in the notation of years in the Gregorian and Julian calendars, the two most commonly used calendars worldwide today. The Common Era is also known as the Christian Era and the Current Era.
Origin and History
The term "Common Era" can be traced back to its Latin origins: "Vulgar Era". In Latin, vulgaris aerae meant "Common Era". The use of the CE abbreviation was introduced by Jewish academics in the mid-19th century. It is comparable to the use of the "Anno Domini" (AD) and "Before Christ" (BC) designations in the Gregorian and Julian calendars.
The Common Era system of year notation was first proposed by the Christian monk Dionysius Exiguus in the year 525 CE. Dionysius proposed the system as a replacement for the Diocletian system, named for the 51st emperor of Rome, who ruled from 284 CE.
Usage
The Common Era notation system is used by the ISO 8601 standard, and also by the majority of the world's national and international institutions. The United Nations, for instance, has adopted the Common Era notation for all its official documents.
The use of BCE and CE has been growing in recent years, especially in academic and scientific publications, and more generally in publications that wish to emphasize secularism or sensitivity to non-Christians. Because the BC/AD notation is based on the Christian belief that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and the Messiah, people of other religions may not wish to imply this religious belief when they use a calendar notation.
Criticisms and Controversy
The use of the Common Era notation has been criticized. It is argued that it is less clear than BC/AD, that it offends Christians by denying the historical and theological significance of Jesus Christ, and that it is an arbitrary secularization imposed by a multicultural minority. Others argue that using the term "Common Era" merely respects the diversity of culture and religion in the world today.
Conclusion
The Common Era is the most widely used system for numbering years in the world today. Its usage is growing in academia and is being adopted by an increasing number of national and international institutions. Despite some criticisms, it is seen as a neutral, inclusive term that respects the diversity of culture and religion in the world today.