Sir, – Ray Leonard (Letters, March 16th) writes that usage of BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini) is sectarian, referring only to Christianity, and that this nomenclature should be supplanted by the "more inclusive and non-discriminatory" BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era).
Unfortunately, from his point of view, that does little or nothing to remove the Christian connection because BCE/CE means exactly the same as BC/AD. The centre of the dating system in both cases remains the date of the birth of Jesus Christ in that 2022AD and 2022CE both mean the 2,022nd year after the birth of Christ. Both systems of nomenclature are generally acceptable, although BCE/CE is more commonly used in science.
The meaning of the word Common in Common Era is vague and so BCE and CE are not infrequently interpreted to mean Before Christian Era and Christian Era.
I don’t favour purging language as suggested by Leonard. The English language is peppered with names inherited from past ages, for example the days of the week and the months of the year are largely named after ancient Greek and Roman pagan gods. This inheritance adds richness and colour to the language and is valuable in teaching and understanding history.
Would Leonard rename the days of the week and the months of the year for fear that the current names might be offensive to the monotheistic religions Christianity, Islam and Judaism? – Yours, etc,
WILLIAM REVILLE,
Emeritus Professor,
University College Cork.
Sir, – In response to Ray Leonard (Letters, March 16th) can I point out that whether one uses BC, BCE, or XYZ, it is still the Christian calendar; still the Gregorian calendar, named after Pope Gregory XIII.
It seems rather bizarre to discuss history while simultaneously denying the historical fact of our dating system’s Christian origin. If one is offended by the Gregorian calendar, one can always use Before Present (BP) for dates before January 1st, 1950. – Yours etc,
BRIAN KELLY,
Lecarrow,
Co Roscommon.