CE Full Form

CE full form is a common era and is a denotation used to signify the years after the death of Jesus Christ; it's similar to AD or Anno Domini. In the Gregorian calendar, the time has been determined by referring to Christ's birth; however, it raised religious controversy that led people to start using BCE/CE in place of BC/AD.

What is the Full Form of CE?

The full form of CE is a common era and represents the years following Christ's death. The term is somewhat secular, unlike BC or AD. Its first official use can be traced back to 1615 when it appeared in Johannes Kepler’s book in the Latin language i.e annus aerae nostrae vulgaris (year of our common era) and subsequently made its mark in English during 1615 as the "Vulgar Era".This term gained popularity in the 19th century owing to the rampant usage by Jewish scholars in religious texts. In the later half of the 20th century, the common era started finding its place in various scientific as well as academic books. One of the principal reasons for its immense popularity relates to its non-religious connotation that was prevalent in the usage of BC (Before Christ).

Vulgar Era and Usage of CE

As already mentioned, the use of the common era became rampant during the Vulgar Era; the word vulgar denoted ordinary folks and was not used in any derogatory manner. Kepler, the German astronomer, adopted CE when mentioning the table of ephemerides. If we try tracing the vulgar era and CE in English, we may discover it in the 1716 book by Dean Humprehy Prideaux. 

Since 1708 Christian era and the vulgar era have been used interchangeably by various authors. The first synonymous analogy was established between the vulgar era and the common era in a 1770 German translated work. Well, the Encyclopedia Britannica had mentioned CE, the full form of which is a common era in the 1797 edition whereby both the terms were treated as synonyms.

During the 20th century, some followers of Aleister Crowley, an English philosopher, made a remarkable update to the Latin usage of the common era by altering “annus aerae nostrae vulgaris” with “Era Vulgaris”. 

Understanding the Terms BC/AD and BCE/CE

The dating system in the Gregorian calendar was first introduced by monk Dionysius Exigus in 525 as he wanted to replace the Era of Martyrs system that brought back the memory of tyrants who persecuted Christians. Dionysus took Christ's birth as a reference point for the events in the system of numbering years. As the usage of BC and AD became popular, it brought some disagreement from secular people who then replaced it with BCE/CE. 

Well, the terms BC/AD and BCE/CE denote a timeline of events and enable people to measure time in terms of years. In history and theology, these abbreviations play a vital role in signifying an event that occurred in the past. These terms make it easier to establish a chronology of historical, geological or astronomical occurrences. 

Well, as the world shifts to a more diversified and secular culture, abbreviations like BCE and CE might prove suitable as it helps reach common ground when dating events without hurting religious sentiments. 

Highlighting Contemporary Uses of CE

The calendar system we follow in the present day is inspired by the Gregorian calendar which adopted a dating system based on the Jesus Christ life cycle. The era that existed before his birth came to be denoted as BC or BCE while the century preceding him got the abbreviation AD or CE. Many non-christian folks treated the use of BC and AD as non-secular which hurt their sentiments therefore replacement terms that sounded secular that religion came to the fore. Looking at the non-religious aspect of CE, a lot of institutes devoted to archaeology, theology and education started denoting years with CE and BCE.

In 2002, a panel of eminent educationists advised on the usage of CE (Common Era full form) for religious syllabi in the UK. Well, a collision and disagreement were registered when the National Trust denied usage of BCE/CE and wished to continue denoting years with BC/AD. 

As per reports, it was discovered that though the British Broadcasting Corporation accepted CE however their entries reveal the use of BC and AD. During 2011, conflicts sparked over BCE and CE in Australia as some political parties and religious leaders disagreed with its use however the situation was controlled after the Australian reporting authority CE and BE were treated as optional. 

Since the terms BC/AD and BCE/CE came into existence, sects of Christian scholars and non-christina folks were at loggerheads. New designations CE and BCE were delightfully embraced by the secularists while the religionists portrayed a strong opposition.

Significance of Adopting CE/BCE in Dating System

The numbering of years and denoting them with BCE or CE holds a paramount significance in standardizing the timeline. Without the usage of BCE, BC, BCE and CE, a lot of ambiguity and confusion will lead to a loss of time sense. Be it determining the time of historical or geological occurrences, the dating system adopted by the Gregorian calendar is key. This demarcation of centuries or years that happen before or after Christ's birth has been recognised accurately based on some evidence we found in human history that is related to religion, history and geological changes. 

Well, marking years with CE or BCE might seem like a unified approach to dates, however, with the evolutions being undertaken in the area of the dating system, new approaches can surprise us at a certain point in time. In countries like Japan, a new form of calendar is adopted whereby the emperor's reign is taken as a reference point in dating historical events. 

Well, it can be concluded that the world needs a unified and accurate system of dating periods so that disagreement concerning religious connotations can be eliminated.