What Do BC and AD Have to Do with Jesus?
Understanding BC and AD
The most popular calendar in use throughout the world today is known as the Gregorian or Western calendar established in 1582. It is based on the assumption that Jesus Christ was born on the year 1. (There is no year "zero" in the calendar, so it goes from 1 BC to 1 AD at the beginning of its reckoning.) Those years before the birth of Jesus are designated as BC and those years following his birth are designated AD.
Who Created the BC and AD System?
The idea of dividing history around the birth of Jesus Christ originated with a monk named Dionysius Exiguus around the year 525. His proposal took centuries to gain acceptance, but eventually, most Christian nations adopted it, and it became the foundation of the Gregorian calendar.
In English, BC refers to “Before Christ.” However, AD does not refer to “After Death,” as many assume. Rather, AD represents the Latin words, Anno Domini which mean “year of the Lord” or more properly “Anno Domini Nostri Jesu Christi” (the year of our Lord Jesus Christ), referring to the birth of Jesus Christ.
Examples of How BC and AD Work
To illustrate, the year 435 BC represents 435 years before Jesus Christ’s birth. Conversely, AD 1776 means “in the year of our Lord Jesus Christ 1776.”
Over time, especially in secular societies such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, people began omitting “AD” when noting modern dates. For example, “AD 2008” is now simply written as “2008.”
How Other Calendars Mark Time
Although the Western calendar is dominant in global business, politics, and travel, other cultures use systems tied to their religious or historical beliefs. For instance,
- The Jewish calendar begins in 3761 BC, believed to mark the year before Creation.
- The Muslim calendar starts from AD 622, the year of Muhammad’s journey from Mecca to Medina.
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The Chinese calendar determines traditional holidays such as the Lunar New Year.
These calendars remind us that timekeeping reflects culture and faith. Still, for coordination and communication worldwide, most societies rely on the Western or Gregorian calendar.
Why BCE and CE Are Used Today
As global interaction increased, some people sought a more religiously neutral system. This led to replacing BC with BCE (Before the Common Era) and AD with CE (Common Era). The dates remain the same—AD 2008 equals 2008 CE, and 689 BC equals 689 BCE—but the terminology avoids direct religious reference.
This change aims to create inclusivity while maintaining accuracy in historical dating.
Was Dionysius Wrong About Jesus’ Birth Year?
Interestingly, most scholars believe that Dionysius miscalculated the year of Jesus’ birth. Historical evidence suggests that Jesus was born between 4 and 6 BC. If this is true, the very system meant to honor His birth begins several years after the actual event.
Still, even with that mistake, the BC and AD system continues to mark the turning point of history—centered, intentionally or not, on Jesus Christ.
A Calendar Centered on Christ
Though the calculations may have been off, the meaning behind BC and AD remains profound. Every time we note a date, whether in AD or CE, we trace time back to the life of Jesus Christ, whose influence reshaped history itself.
In a world filled with different calendars and beliefs, the story of BC and AD and Jesus reminds us that even our modern sense of time carries echoes of faith, history, and the birth of the Savior.
