www.conservapedia.com

[bluesdave]

Originally Posted by wolf

If you're using B.C.E. and C.E., (Before Common Era and Common Era), those both come after the date.

As usual, Wikipedia has more complete poop.

Exactly why we scientists view Wikipedia with some measure of distrust. Apart from being a scientist, I have also had a life-long love of history. I am a member of The Australian Centre for Egyptology, and BCE means before Christ (ie. up to and including 1 BC), and CE means after Christ (ie. from 1 AD on). There is no year zero - that is why 2000 was the last year of the 20th century, and 2001, the first of the 21st. The "common erra" terms came into affect due to "religious sensibilities" - that is, not wanting to offend non Christians. The fact that the date of Christ's birth was calculated (as it has turned out, incorrectly), several centuries after the fact, does not mean that the Common Erra starts from the date of calculation - it replaces AD.

From the Oxford dictionary:

BCE

• abbreviation before the Common Era (indicating dates before the Christian era, used especially by non-Christians).

CE

• abbreviation 1 Church of England. 2 Common Era.