Why do we count the year BC and AC?

Question

What does it mean really? I thought it was before christ and after christ? am I right? If I am what about the 33 years he was here on earth?

Answer 1

Actually it's BC and AD.

AD stands for the Latin "anno Domino" -- "in the year of the Lord."

The years we call 1 AD and 1 BC were established somewhat arbitrarily -- it was more or less a "best guess" by The a monk named Dionysius Exiguus (a Scythian) in Rome in 525, as an outcome of his work on calculating the date of Easter.

Based on the descriptions in the gospels, modern historians generally think that Jesus was probably born somewhere between 3 and 6 BC.

Answer 2

BC certainly goes for Before Christ while for the later years the common expression is AD - Anno Domini, the year of our lord. However, AC is also used for the same with the meaning of After Christ as you've mentioned. The calendar was not invented strictly on these lines when Christ was alive, or even immediate after his death. At some point to time a cut off measure was required and this became a standard for counting of the years, centuries and millennia.

Answer 3

It's BC, before Christ and AD, anno domini (Latin = year of our Lord).

This is the year 2006AD, 1AD (1st year of our Lord) being the first year according to the Gregorian Calendar that Christ was humbled as a man which is between 2 and 7 years ahead of the exact date of the Nativity of our Lord. 1 BC was the last year before Jesus was a man.

AC is usually written A/C it stands for air conditioner. In 1902 the first modern electrical air conditioning was invented by Willis Haviland Carrier. That would mean this is the year 105AC if 1902 is 1 AC (1st year of the Air Conditioner).

Answer 4

Most of the people here are right. BC =before Christ and AD= Anno Domini, which is Latin for "in the year of our Lord". It is a Christian way of recording time.

In the study of world religions we use the term BCE and CE.

This means that all religions are now living in the Common Era and before Christ there was no common era so that is Before Common Era.

Answer 5

The way I have always heard it is BC and AD, where AD stands for ano domini, or year of our Lord, and so it means the year Christ was born.

I have never heard of AC until just a few days ago when I encountered it in a book I'm reading. It is British. Is this perhaps a British usage or something? I've wondered the same thing, but I'm just assuming that AC must mean after the advent of Christ.

Answer 6

B.C. means before Christ and A.D. means Anno Domini...Latin for "the year of our Lord...meaning the years after the birth of Christ. So 400B.C. was 400 years before the birth of Jesus, 300B.C. was 300 years before Christ, etc. 2006 is 2006 years since the birth of Christ. These dates are not exact because of changes made to the calender in 1550s to correct previous errors...about 4 yrs. off.

Answer 7

Before Christ and After Christ

Answer 8

BC=Before Christ.
AD=Anno Domini=In the year of our Lord

Before Christ refers to before Jesus was born.
Annon Domini means 'in the year of our Lord' and means 'in the years since Jesus was born'.

Some people are now using BCE (before common era)
and CE (common era).This is so years can be written in a 'non-religious' way.

Answer 9

I've got a better question: How come they label the time Before Christ as BC but then they switch to the Latin Annuus Domini, "In the Year of Our Lord", for the modern age?

Answer 10

BC is Before Christ and AD is Anno Domini meaning "In the year of our Lord"