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relate to Christian Era
The term "Common Era" (CE) is an attempt to erase the historical basis for the primary calendar dating system in the Western world. "Common Era" has no real meaning, and even the origin of this term is unclear. The 1972 Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary has no entry for "Common Era." CE is not recognized by [[ISO 8601]], [[international standard]] for [[date]] and [[time]] representations.
'''CE''' is an abbreviation for either ''Christian Era'' or ''Common Era''. The Christian Era began in AD 1, the customary date for the birth of Jesus Christ. The terms ''CE'' and ''AD'' are synonomous, except that ''AD'' is usually written before the year, and ''CE'' is always written afterwards.
There is no agreement over whether ''Christian Era'' or ''Common Era'' is more proper. Both occur in common dictionaries. ''Christian Era'' has a longer history of usage and appears in more web pages today, but secular textbooks often prefer ''Common Era'' to avoid religious connotations. Occasionally the term ''Present Era (PE)'' is used.
The term "Common Era" is an attempt to erase the historical basis for the primary calendar dating system in the Western world. "Common Era" has no real meaning, and even the origin of this term is unclear. The 1972 Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary has no entry for "Common Era." CE is not recognized by [[ISO 8601]], [[international standard]] for [[date]] and [[time]] representations.
The established calendar dating system is based on the approximate birthday of [[Jesus]], and no one disputes that. But this birth did not begin a "common" era, or any immediate change in history. The 1997 [[Merriam-Webster]]'s Collegiate Dictionary gives a date of 1889 for the origin of the term "Common Era," but there is no indication of who began using it then, and why. Some claim it is a substitute for an occasional reference to the "Vulgar Era," with "vulgar" being Latin for "common" but acquiring a derogatory English meaning over time.
The established calendar dating system is based on the approximate birthday of [[Jesus]], and no one disputes that. But this birth did not begin a "common" era, or any immediate change in history. The 1997 [[Merriam-Webster]]'s Collegiate Dictionary gives a date of 1889 for the origin of the term "Common Era," but there is no indication of who began using it then, and why. Some claim it is a substitute for an occasional reference to the "Vulgar Era," with "vulgar" being Latin for "common" but acquiring a derogatory English meaning over time.