The shift from BC/AD to BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era) is designed to create a more religiously neutral, inclusive, and globally accepted dating system. This change avoids specific, Christian-centric language ("Before Christ" and "Anno Domini" — in the year of our Lord) while keeping the same numerical dates.
An important reason for adopting BCE/CE is religious neutrality. Since the Gregorian calendar has superseded other calendars to become the international standard, members of non-Christian groups may object to the explicitly Christian origins of BC and AD.
Why did the early Christians call themselves ἡ ἐκκλησία?
Through the use of ἐκκλησία the Hellenists could express their continuity with the OT 'assembly' of the people of God and could also distinguish themselves from other Jewish communities, without making the claim that they alone were the heirs of that people.
Ok, based on your other comments, it sounds like what you are confused about is why AD/BC starts when it does, if Jesus was in fact born 4 BC or earlier. This is simply because Dionysius Exiguus who 'came up with' the AD system for numbering, miscalculated and considered 1AD the year of Jesus birth.
The style guide for The Guardian says, under the entry for CE/BCE: "some people prefer CE (common era, current era, or Christian era) and BCE (before common era, etc.) to AD and BC, which, however, remain our style".
In the Bible, "70 times 7" (or sometimes "seventy-seven times") in Matthew 18:22 signifies limitless, perpetual forgiveness, not a specific number (490), responding to Peter's question about forgiving someone up to seven times; Jesus used this hyperbole to emphasize that Christians should forgive continuously, reflecting God's own boundless mercy, making forgiveness an ongoing lifestyle, not a finite act.
Why are there 12 months in the year? Julius Caesar's astronomers explained the need for 12 months in a year and the addition of a leap year to synchronize with the seasons. At the time, there were only ten months in the calendar, while there are just over 12 lunar cycles in a year.
Also, the Greek word for “church” (ekklesia) appears only twice in the Gospels (Matt 16:18; Matt 18:17). while it occurs 62 times in Paul's writings, suggesting that Paul, rather than Jesus, developed the idea. Nevertheless, some observations indicate that Jesus did envision a continuing community.
During the Reformation, the term protestant was hardly used outside of German politics. People who were involved in the religious movement used the word evangelical (German: evangelisch). Gradually, protestant became a general term, meaning any adherent of the Reformation in the German-speaking area.
The Jewish people as a whole, initially called Hebrews (ʿIvrim), were known as Israelites (Yisreʾelim) from the time of their entrance into the Holy Land to the end of the Babylonian Exile (538 bce).
CE is “politically correct” or “revisionist.” To be fair, CE (which stands for Common Era) is new. It removes the religious undertones of AD ( Anno domini ), which means in the year of the Lord (Jesus Christ). I use CE because, one, it is being used more and more in academic circles.
When Christ forgives, you are forgiven. He isn't counting until you hit seven failures. He isn't even counting until you hit 490 failures. The number 490 implies perfect forgiveness.
What does it mean when Mary pondered in her heart?
Mary was making memories. She was collecting a sort of mental scrapbook. The other key word in this verse is the word, “pondered.” The Greek word means “to throw thoughts together; mull over, draw conclusions, consider, confer mentally.” Another definition for ponder is to wonder at a deep level.
Matthew 22:37 means that the greatest commandment is to love God with your entire being—your deepest emotions (heart), spiritual core (soul), and intellect (mind)—representing a total, prioritized devotion to God, which Jesus said summarizes all other laws and prophets, linking it directly to loving your neighbor as yourself.
During the Jubilee of Hope this year in Rome, many are already talking about the big Jubilee year of 2033 a.d, the year in which our calendar marks the 2000th anniversary of the passing and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
When the fallacious statement that Jesus suffered on the Cross for 3 hours, from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM, is replaced by a correct understanding of the timing of the Crucifixion, we discover that Jesus suffered on the Cross for 6 hours, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
"2025 AD" means the year 2025 "in the year of the Lord," from the Latin Anno Domini, marking 2025 years after the traditionally estimated birth of Jesus Christ, a dating system that counts years forward from that point, with modern alternatives like CE (Common Era) being used for secular purposes.
The first official mention of Dec. 25 as Jesus' birthday is found in a mid-fourth century Roman almanac, says the Biblical Archaeology Society. One belief of how Dec. 25 was chosen is that early Christian scholars determined the date of Jesus' birth by calculating the time from his death.
