The year 2017 AD is upon us; therefore, it seems good that we take advantage of the time to look at something that has taken place, which has largely gone unnoticed by the majority of us. If you have not noticed, you should notice that a change has taken place without much “fanfare,” but it identifies a major change in the way the world is thinking! The change of which I write is at the heart of time and the way it is identified! Here is what the “Wise GEEK” – clear answers for common questions”– says about this subject:
“The term BC is short for “Before Christ.” Historical dates before the birth of Christ become smaller as they approach the theoretical but non-existent Year Zero. Historical dates after the birth of Christ are classified as AD, short for the Latin phrase Anno Domini, or “in the year of our Lord.” Contrary to popular belief, AD does not stand for “After Death.” The BC/AD system for identifying historical dates has been in continuous use ever since the earliest part of the Middle Ages, at least.” (The Middle Ages or medieval period lasted from the 5th to the 15th century.)
Then, this important information is given to aid our understanding as it relates to the subject:
“Several centuries after the AD/BC identification of historical dates became popular, a new movement developed among scientists, historians and some religious leaders. The time following the birth of Christ was now referred to as the “Vulgar Era” in some circles. The meaning of the word vulgar actually meant ‘common’ at that time, not distasteful or obscene. Eventually many areas of the Western world adopted the less Christ-centered term “Common Era.” Historical dates occurring before the year 1 CE would be considered BCE, short for “Before Common Era.”
So, what is the point? The point is that the change from “BC” and “AD” to the modern terms “BCE” and “CE” is an effort to remove the birth of Jesus as the turning point in time! Once more a quote from “Wise GEEK” will help our understanding:
“The relatively new BCE/CE reference for historical dates has had its share of supporters and critics. Critics view the new system as an attempt to remove the religious significance inherent in the BC/AD system. The BCE/CE method of assigning historical dates also fails to fix the BC/AD system’s lack of a practical Year Zero. Modern scholars believe the actual birth of Christ would fall around 7 to 4 BC, which renders the actual year of 1 AD relatively meaningless historically.”
“Supporters of the BCE/CE method of identifying historical dates say the removal of Christian references works as a bridge between different religions and cultures. The BC/AD system appears to endorse Jesus Christ as the superior world religious figure, which could be viewed as disrespectful of other religions and belief structures. Although the birth of Christ is still used as a reference in the BCE/CE system, the Christian influence is not as apparent.”
This is given for your consideration, to help you understand how the world we live in is changing before our eyes, and many of us have failed to notice it!
The “world” will not miss any opportunity, nor will it miss any area, to remove Christ from the minds of the peoples of the world. One such effort is to change the terms by which time is identified! The funny thing here, is that those who are promoting this effort, are still recognizing the same “point” in time, “the birth of Jesus,” as the point time changed! The BC and the AD was before the birth of Jesus and the after the birth of Jesus. The modern terms, BCE and CE still use the birth of Jesus at the point that time changed! From the birth of Jesus, the arrow points backwards and the years get larger the more one moves away from it; while on the other hand, the arrow points forward and the years get larger the more one moves away from the birth of Jesus.
It is a change without change, but nevertheless, it is an effort to change the thinking of the peoples of the world! It is an effort to remove Jesus from the center, the point at which time changes! The use of CE in Jewish scholarship was historically motivated by the desire to avoid the implicit “Our Lord” in the abbreviation AD. “Our Lord,” of course, refers to Jesus, the Christ. A point which is not hard to understand as the Jews deny that Jesus of Nazareth is “Jehovah’s” Lord (Psa. 110:1)!
Frank R. Williams
(Editor’s note: We will return to the subject: “THE MYSTERY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT” in the first or second article of 2017, the Lord willing.)