What Do BC, AD, BCE, and CE Stand For and What is the Difference Between Them When Referring to Dates?

In 525 AD the Christian church introduced a calendar using the year of Christ’s birth, 1 AD, or “Anno Domini,” as the starting point.

Earlier events were BC, or “Before Christ.”

Uncomfortable with these references, non-Christians replaced BC with BCE for “Before the Common Era” and AD with CE, the “Common Era.”