Bible Question: what was the origine of sunday worship? |
Bible Answer: Paul said even in his day that devil was already at work trying to corrupt the church--witness the troubles he had just with the Judaizers! Others can show specific quotes from Justin Martyr, etc. on how they viewed the Sabbath issue--which is very relevant for it shows how iniquity was at work within the church at a very early time. It appears from all of the available evidence that 1) the Sabbath was kept by most Christians down till at least the 5th century, and 2) that Sunday keeping came in at least as early as 135 A.D. as a way of dstinguishing Christians from the Jews (see Justin, etc.) during one of the Jewish revolts. It was the practice generally of the Eastern Churches; and some churches of the West ... For in the Church of Millaine ; ... it seemes the Saturday was held in a farre esteeme ... Not that the Easterne Churches, or any of the rest which observed that day were inclined to Iudaisme ; but that they came together on the Sabbath day, to worship Iesus Christ the Lord of the Sabbath (Dr. Peter Heylyn History of the Sabbath, London 1636, Part 2, para. 5, pp. 73-74; original spelling retained). If you study the history of the Christian church in Ireland and Ethiopia you'll find that they kept the Sabbath (until the RCC found out about it). Sidonius says that under Theodoric the Goth in 454-526: It is a fact that it was formerly the custom in the East to keep the Sabbath in the same manner as the Lord's day and to hold sacred assemblies: while on the other hand, the people of the West, contending for the Lord's day have neglected the celebration of the Sabbath (Apollinaris Sidonii Epistolææ, lib. 1,2; Migne, 57). Reading canon 26 of the Council of Elvira (c. 305), it appears that the Church in Spain had kept the Sabbath. The Sabbath-keeping Churches in Persia underwent forty years of persecution under Shapur II, from 335-375 specifically, because they were Sabbath-keeping. They despise our sun-god. Did not Zoroaster, the sainted founder of our divine beliefs, institute Sunday one thousand years ago in honour of the sun and supplant the Sabbath of the Old Testament. Yet these Christians have divine services on Saturday (O'Leary The Syriac Church and Fathers, pp. 83-84, requoted Truth Triumphant p. 170). This persecution was mirrored in the west by the Council of Laodicea (c. 366). Hefele notes: Canon 16 - The Gospels along with other Scripture be read on the Sabbath (cf. also canons 49 and 51, Bacchiocchi, fn. 15, p. 217). Canon 29 - Christians must not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day honouring rather the Lord's day by resting, if possible, as Christians. However if any shall be found judaizing, let them be anathema for Christ (Mansi, II, pp. 569-570, see also Hefele Councils, Vol. 2, b. 6). Socrates the Historian (writing in the late 4th century (305-438)) says: Such is the difference in the churches on the subject of fasts. Nor is there less variation in regard to religious assemblies. For although almost all Churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this (Socrates, Ecclesiastical History, Bk 5, Ch. 22, p. 289). @ http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF2-02/TOC.htm and Salaminius Hermias Sozomen (died probably in 447 or 448): "Assemblies are not held in all churches on the same time or manner. The people of Constantinople, and almost everywhere, assemble together on the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week, which custom is never observed at Rome or at Alexandria." Ecclesiastical History, Book 7, chapter 19 @ http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF2-02/TOC.htm The Sabbath was observed into the fifth century by Christianity (Lyman Coleman Ancient Christianity Exemplified, Ch. 26, Sec. 2, p. 527). Certainly, as at the time of Jerome (420), the devoutest Christians did ordinary work on Sunday (Dr. White, bishop of Ely, Treatise of the Sabbath Day, p. 219). Augustine of Hippo, a devout Sunday keeper, attested that the Sabbath was observed in the greater part of the Christian world (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (NPNF), First Series, Vol. 1, pp. 353-354) and deplored the fact that in two neighbouring Churches in Africa, one observed the seventh day Sabbath, while another fasted on it (Peter Heylyn, op. cit., p. 416). The Churches generally held the Sabbath for some time. The ancient Christians were very careful in the observation of Saturday, or the seventh day ... It is plain that all the Oriental churches, and the greatest part of the world, observed the Sabbath as a festival ... Athanasius likewise tells us that they held religious assemblies on the Sabbath, not because they were infected with Judaism, but to worship Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath, Epiphanius says the same (Antiquities of the Christian Church, Vol. II, Bk. xx, Ch. 3, Sec 1, 66. 1137,1136). |