Important Dates in the History of Abrahamic Religions and Buddhism

You may have noticed that “A.D.” and “B.C.” have seemingly gone the way of the dodo bird and now “C.E” (Common Era) and “B.C.E” (Before Common Era) are used more prevalently.

Those of us who have so much gray hair that folks often think we just beheld a “Burning Bush”, (Umm…not George W. but the Charlton Heston kind) may recall that abbreviations used to be A.D. for "Anno Domini" (the year of our Lord), and B.C. for “Before Christ.”  Jesus is believed to have been born in A.D. 0 and as an example: You are currently reading this guide sometime after A.D. 2011.

The abbreviations were changed from A.D. and B.C. to C.E. and B.C.E. to make them more politically correct (as not everyone believes in Jesus). However, in my humble opinion, political correctness is often quite incorrect.

Note: A.D. appears before the numerical date as opposed to B.C. which appears after the date.


B.C.


c. 2000 ­­ –  Abraham, founder of Judaism, is alive.


c. 13th century  –  Moses, Hebrew lawgiver, is alive.


c. 563 - c. 483  –  Buddha, founder of Buddhism, is alive.


A.D.


A.D. 0  –  Jesus Christ is born.


33  –  The Crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ.


c. 70 - c. 100  –  First four books of the New Testament - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - are written.


325 – The Council of Nicea established and defined the Trinity across the early Christian church.


c. 570 - 632  –  Muhammad the prophet - whose teachings, recorded in the Qur’an, form the basis of Islam - is alive.


622  –  Muhammad flees persecution in Mecca and settles in Yathrib (later Medina); the first day of the lunar year in which this event, known as the Hegira, takes place marks the start of the Muslim era.


1054  –  Catholic Pope Leo IX condemns the patriarch of Constantinople, finalizing the split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church.


1309 - 77  –  The Roman Catholic papacy is seated in Avignon, France.


1483 - 1546  –  Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant Reformation in Germany and author of 95 Theses (1517) is alive.


1620  –  Plymouth Colony in North America is founded in December by 102 English Puritan separatists, known as Pilgrims.


1703 - 91  –  John Wesley, English founder of the Protestant movement that later became the Methodist Church, is alive.


1869 - 70  –  The first Roman Catholic Vatican Council, at which the dogma of papal infallibility is promulgated, is convened by Pope Pius IX.


1933 - 45  –  The systematic persecution and attempted extermination of European Jews, known as the Holocaust, by Adolf Hitler's Nazi party takes place.


1948  –  The independent Jewish state of Israel is declared.


2011 – President Obama supports the establishment of a separate Palestinian state and expects all parties to honor the original boundaries that were established.


(c) = circa/around


About the Author: James Hackley earned a B.S. degree in Physics from Longwood College and an M.S. degree in Engineering from the University of Virginia.  He's the founder of Omega Consulting Enterprises, chaplain of a local chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and faithfully attends Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International in Lansdowne, Va. His latest book, Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening can be purchased by visiting him at www.jameshackley.com , www.Amazon.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.