What is the meaning of BC and AD?

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B.C. stands for "Before Christ" and A.D. stands for "Anno Domini" — Latin for "In the year of our Lord." Together they form the dating system that divides all of history at the coming of Christ: years before His birth are counted backward (B.C.), and years after are counted forward (A.D.). It is remarkable that the entire world reckons time from the birth of Jesus Christ. Whether men acknowledge it or not, every date written is a testimony to Him. ## The Discrepancy in the Date It is well established, however, that the A.D. era does not precisely line up with the actual year of Christ's birth. Morrish's Bible Dictionary, in its chronological table of the New Testament, places the: Birth of Jesus (Four full years before A.D.) Presentation in the temple. — `dictionary/550_574.html` This means Jesus was actually born around 5 B.C. — several years before the era that bears His name begins. When the A.D. system was established centuries later, a miscalculation was made regarding the date of Christ's birth. The key evidence is the death of Herod the Great, who was alive when Christ was born (Matt. 2:1) and ordered the massacre of the infants in Bethlehem shortly before his death. Morrish writes: His anxieties were heightened by the visit of the Magi to Jerusalem, inquiring for the child who had been born KING OF THE JEWS. Herod cunningly sought to find out what child was to have this honour, that he might at once cut him off. Being thwarted by the Magi he ordered the massacre of all the infants in the district; but God had sent away *His Son* from his power. Matt. 2:1-22. Herod died B.C. 4. — `dictionary/345_371.html` Since Herod died in B.C. 4, Christ must have been born before that date — confirming the "four full years before A.D." ## No Year Zero There is no year zero between B.C. and A.D. — the year 1 B.C. is immediately followed by A.D. 1. Morrish draws attention to this when calculating Daniel's seventy weeks of prophecy: We start then from B.C. 455. 7 weeks are 49 years 62 weeks are 434 years = 483 Deduct 455 = 28 Add 1 year to adjust the eras B.C. and A.D. = 29 A.D. — `dictionary/706_730.html` This calculation reaches to A.D. 29, the approximate date of Christ's crucifixion — the very event that gives its deepest meaning to the phrase "Anno Domini." For it was not merely His birth, but His death and resurrection, that made Him "Lord" in the fullest sense. ## The Full Sweep of Biblical Chronology Morrish traces the whole of scripture history using these B.C. dates, from Adam to "the Era A.D.": B.C. 4004 Adam created. 2348 The Flood. 1921 Call of Abraham. 1491 The Exodus. The law given. 1015 Solomon, king. 975 Division of the kingdom. 606 Jerusalem taken: first captivity of Judah. 536 Cyrus reigns alone. The 70 years end. The Jews return. (753 Rome built: era of A.U.C. begins.) (776 Era of the Olympiads begins.) — `dictionary/158_186.html` Other ancient civilisations had their own dating systems — the "Era of the Olympiads" and Rome's "A.U.C." (from the founding of the city) — but it is Christ's birth that ultimately displaced them all. Andrew Miller, in his Church History, also dates events relative to Christ, noting that Herod the Great received his kingdom from Rome: about thirty-five years before the birth of Christ — `history/MILLER04.html` ## Synthesis B.C. and A.D. together testify that the coming of Christ into this world is the great turning point of all human history. Though the precise date was miscalculated by about four years when the system was first established, the principle stands: time itself is measured by the One who entered it. Every date on every document in the world is, whether consciously or not, a witness to the fact that "when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son" (Gal. 4:4).