Anno domini

Anno Domini (AD) or A.D. is a term used to label or number years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The term Anno Domini is Medieval Latin, translated as In the year of the Lord, and is used to refer to the years after the birth of Jesus Christ. AD is also a shortening for Christian Era or Common Era.

Origin

The Anno Domini dating system was devised in 525 by Dionysius Exiguus, who used it to compute the date of Easter. The system's inclusion was implicit in the 16th-century introduction of the Gregorian calendar, and it later would become an international standard in 1988 when the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) adopted it.

Usage

In the Anno Domini system, the years are counted from the birth of Jesus Christ. For example, the year AD 2022 means 2022 years after Christ's birth. This system is used in many parts of the world and is the most widely used calendar system today.

Criticism and Alternatives

Despite its widespread use, the Anno Domini system has faced criticism. Some argue that it is based on a flawed calculation of Jesus Christ's birth year. Others argue that it is inherently Christian and thus not suitable for use in a multi-cultural, multi-religious society.

Alternatives to the Anno Domini system include the Common Era (CE) and Before Common Era (BCE), which are identical to AD and BC but do not reference Christ. These terms are increasingly used in academic, scientific, and other secular contexts.

See Also

• Julian calendar
• Gregorian calendar
• Common Era
• Before Common Era