You want me to use BCE and CE instead of BC and AD because its too 'religious'

But what event triggers this "common era"?

:lea-smug: :very-smart:

  • BowlingForDeez [he/him]
    ·
    1 year ago

    A professor at Uni once said that in the first century of Christianity, deathbed conversions were very popular among the wealthy elite because a conversion cleansed you of past sins. I thought it was a fun fact at the time, but it's such an elitist mindset to think you can cheat your taxes to get into heaven.

    • TreadOnMe [none/use name]
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      I also had a professor mention that, but he couched it as, it was very popular among early Christians to claim that 'so-and-so' converted on their death bed, but we don't find evidence of conversion (i.e. christian ornaments in graves) among the elites until much later.

      It's very much a history as opposed to archaeology matter.

      • BowlingForDeez [he/him]
        ·
        1 year ago

        Yeah that makes a lot of sense. Luckily archaeology is becoming more and more necessary for modern historians to acknowledge.

        • TreadOnMe [none/use name]
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          They try their hardest not to. That being said, it is likely that Constantine was baptized on his deathbed, but we also don't know for sure, but it is clear from what writings we have that he had that elite understanding of sin that you were talking about, so it could have been popularized by that point.

          Hard to say.