What the abbreviations mean
CE and BCE are labels used to organize years around the same chronological reference point traditionally associated with the birth of Jesus. CE is placed after a year and BCE before it: for example, 250 BCE and 2026 CE. There is no year zero in the conventional sequence, so 1 BCE is followed by 1 CE.
AD and BC describe the same sequence. AD comes from the Latin phrase Anno Domini, meaning “in the year of the Lord,” while BC means “before Christ.” In modern historical and educational writing, CE/BCE and AD/BC are therefore usually numerical equivalents, not competing calendars.
Why some writers prefer CE and BCE
The central argument is one of audience and inclusion. Religious Tolerance discusses many traditions, non-theistic worldviews and freedom of conscience. Using CE and BCE avoids asking readers to use a dating label that explicitly names one religious figure when the subject may concern people from many backgrounds.
This does not require readers to share a particular view about history or theology. It is a style choice intended to keep the terminology broadly usable in classrooms, museums, reference works and comparative religious studies.
Arguments commonly offered
- The terms are religiously neutral in wording.
- They work across comparative and secular scholarship.
- They allow readers from different traditions to share one notation.
- They preserve the familiar numerical sequence.
Concerns sometimes raised
- AD and BC have a long history of established use.
- Some readers see the traditional labels as part of cultural or religious heritage.
- Changing terminology can create inconsistency in older sources.
- CE and BCE still use the same underlying chronological convention.
A question of convention, not arithmetic
Changing the abbreviation does not move an event forward or backward in time. A date such as 500 BCE identifies the same year whether a source uses BCE or BC. The difference is the wording used to describe the reference era.
Historical writing often retains the terminology of its source when exact wording matters. In a general educational summary, however, an editor may choose the notation that best fits the intended audience and the publication’s style guide.
Other dating conventions
Calendars and eras are not universal. The Gregorian calendar is widely used for international administration, while religious and cultural communities also maintain other calendars and systems for marking time. A neutral notation can make a text easier to share, but it does not erase those distinct traditions.
For clarity, this site uses an unambiguous day-month-year format when a full date is needed and uses CE/BCE in general discussion. Readers should always check the surrounding context, especially when comparing dates from different calendars.
Our editorial choice
Religious Tolerance uses CE and BCE because the site aims to explain religion and worldview across communities. The choice is meant as a courtesy to readers who do not identify with Christianity, not as a claim that the traditional terminology has no historical or cultural value. Both systems remain understandable, and older sources may naturally retain their original labels.
Reading with context
Dating conventions are editorial tools. When a historical claim matters, consult the source’s calendar, date system and stated assumptions rather than relying on an abbreviation alone.
Further reading in this collection
For related background, explore the basic information about religions, the glossary, potentially confusing terms, and the essay on comparing religions. The editorial principles explain how this site approaches contested subjects.