What was the early Church’s connection to the Sabbath? (Before 300AD)
(What about the Lord’s Day in Revelation? What about Romans 14 and Colossians, no longer about specific days?)
DISCLAIMER:
This blog post is from an essay that I chose as the topic for my unit on ‘The Story of the Church’ within the Diploma in Ministry and Theology. My lecturer has a PhD in church history, and this assessment was based on the period from approximately 100 to 300AD. However, I sometimes refer to earlier first-century periods where there are fewer historical documents outside the Bible.
Updated and succinct version HERE
Introduction
In analysing the early church before 300AD, there were diverse interpretations of the Jewish Sabbath, Christian Sunday, and Lord’s Day, including how the transition from the seventh-day Sabbath to the first-day Sunday celebration originated.[1] I will present different views and briefly refer to the transition from the late first century. Evidence for three main discussions with some overlapping include – Firstly, from Sabbath to Sunday (Lord’s Day)S. Secondly, the seventh-day Sabbath (not Sunday) continues in the new covenant as commanded in the Decalogue.[2] Thirdly, the seventh-day sabbath (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset) and first-day (Sunday) celebration and worship were permissible and contextual but not obligatory, as under the new covenant, it does not matter whether one day is set apart or every day is. In conclusion, I will elaborate that it isn’t a salvation issue (despite some claims); Christians should respect other’s convictions on the seventh-day sabbath, the Lord’s Day gatherings, and the perpetual sabbath rest in Jesus daily, which some see as interchangeable. In contrast, others see this as distinctly separate.
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New Hope (Lord’s Day)
Surprisingly, there is no direct evidence on Sabbath or Lord’s Day from Clement of Rome’s 1 Clement (Who was connected to both the Apostle Peter and Paul), nor from Polycarp (Who was a disciple of the Apostle John). However, while Polycarp’s view of the Lord’s Day or Sabbath is unclear, he affirms Ignatius of Antioch, where followers of Jesus were first called Christians:
I am sending you Ignatius’ letters, as requested…., you will be able to derive a great deal of benefit from them, for they tell you all about faith, and perseverance, and all the ways of self-improvement that involve our Lord.[3]
Ignatius wrote:
… a new hope, no longer observing the [seventh-day] Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s Day…, after the observance of the Sabbath, let every friend of Christ keep the Lord’s Day as a festival, the resurrection-day…, chief of all days.[4]
Vaida explains Ignatius’s presentation of the “transition from letter to Spirit” as a shadow of the old Jewish law compared to the new Christian faith, a truth founded on everyday new life in Christ starting from the first day rather than the last day of the week.[5] Vaida refers to Justin the Martyr on the significance of the eighth day, the Lord’s Day Sunday being the first day of the new era:
The commandment of circumcision, which commanded the newborn to be circumcised on the eighth day, was a reference to true circumcision by which we were circumcised from wickedness through Jesus Christ our Lord, who rose from the dead on the first day…[6]
Furthermore, Clement of Alexandria later implies that true rest for Christians is the eighth day [resurrection Sunday] of the Lord, with prepared spiritual work abstaining from evil through the primordial true light of the first day of creation [the Word of God is that primordial light source].[7] Vaida says that for Christians of this time, spiritual rest was the work of virtues received through Christ’s resurrection power as essential to the Lord’s Day, not social rest. Cyprian alludes to eighth-day Jewish circumcision as a symbolic pretext for Sunday, the eighth day and first day after the Sabbath when the Lord arose from the dead, ultimately to raise believers up, giving them spiritual circumcision and new Sabbath rest in Him.[8]
Kevin O’Donnell notes the late first-century separation of Sunday church (celebrating Christ’s resurrection) and Sabbath synagogue worship (honoring creation) after years of Christians attending both. ‘Church’ involved early morning and late evening secret gatherings (agape love feasts) in private homes (especially during persecution) on Sunday (a working day at that time).[9] Pliny reports that they especially met on Sundays in the early second century and vowed to abstain from crime or evil [to honor Jesus].[10] The Didache and Justin the Martyr collectively present Sunday (Lord’s Day) worship, including the following – The Eucharist, confessions beforehand, prophets speaking exhortations and oracles; liturgy of the Word (occasional spontaneous prayer), psalms, praises, teaching, intercessions, peace kisses, thanksgiving, but only those baptized partook of the Eucharist; also with a charismatic dimension.[11] The Didascalia was against both idleness and the excuse of worldly business on the Lord’s Day (Sunday).[12]
Brattston wrote that in early Christian literature, the main Christian worship day was Sunday, not the seventh-day Sabbath.[13] Tertullian initially taught that the Sabbath is only for Jews under Mosaic Law, and any references to the Sabbath in Christian Scripture allude to eschatological rest, a common belief of early Christian writers.[14] The Didascalia shows Christ fulfilling the Sabbath; therefore, it is no longer obligatory and is only contextual for the Israelites.[15] All recognized leaders, from Jesus to Origen, omitted the Sabbath commandment when referring to the Decalogue; with the only exception being Tertullian, after he later joined a heretical sect. However, they were divided about whether it was permissible or not.[16]
After a thorough investigation of Greek for Revelation 1:10 “Lord’s Day” along with the Didache, Ignatius’,[17] and other early writings, Bauckham concludes that it most likely refers to the first day of the week ‘Sunday’, despite Seventh-Day Adventist Bacchiocci implying it as the eschatological Day of the Lord, or how other Seventh Day Sabbatarians believe it’s the seventh day Sabbath. However, Bauckham does not suggest obligatory Sunday observance; rather, when the emphasis of Sunday worship was practiced weekly, it was aligned with celebrating Resurrection Sunday. Bauckham states there were two groups of Ebionites; one kept the seventh day Sabbath and the Lord’s Day (first day), the other only the Sabbath. He commends Bacchiocchi for having the strongest evidence against Palestinian Sunday observance but still with limited validity and missing the point; it wasn’t originally about Sunday Sabbath rest replacing the seventh day Sabbath, but rather, Sunday worship complementing Jewish Sabbaths and enabling the Christian church to have another specific day separate to synagogue services for their main worship and fellowship time. Furthermore, transitioning into the second century, Bauckham suggests Christians adopted a Roman method of reckoning, limiting to Sunday morning and evening rather than Saturday evening following the Sabbath as the start of the Hebraic first day from sunset. Associating Sunday with Christ’s resurrection is evident in early second-century writers. Bauckham avers that the Lord’s Day in Rev 1:10 associates with Christ’s Resurrection Day, not relating to the fourth commandment, the Sabbath, but rather the main day Christians met to worship the Lord, and eschatologically orientated looking ahead to the new creation [new heaven’s and earth and no need for a sun for Jesus is the primordial light]. He continues that Christians might have worshipped together also on other or all days during the Apostle John’s writing of Rev 1:10, but the first day of the week was the most significant day of worship for the early church in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, the most significant event in all of history.[18] This is compelling considering that Jesus is our sabbath rest, and he inaugurated the new covenant by his death, resurrection, ascension, and the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
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Sabbatarians Strike Back
Lancaster [Director of Education at First Fruits of Zion, editor of Messiah Magazine, and author of the Torah Club commentaries, several books, study programs, and the pastor of Beth Immanuel Messianic Synagogue in Hudson, WI] states that Sunday celebration supplanting seventh-day Sabbath has a complex story involving persecution, war, social stigma, theological faults, and cultural movements. Lancaster believes that Ignatius sent epistles throughout Asia Minor condemning Sabbath observance and opposing Judaism and states this antisemitism still has an influence on Christians today. However, a problem with this line of thinking is that in John’s Gospel account, John refers to ‘the Jews’ in a negative way, and this could also be inaccurately interpreted as antisemitic, but it was aimed at unbelieving and legalistic Jews and not all Jews. Jesus rebukes those kinds of Jews also.
Lancaster refers to the Jewish believers ‘Nazarenes’ and ‘Ebionites’ who kept the seventh day Sabbath even in the third to fifth centuries for his arguments. He then quotes Josephus, showing widespread Gentile believers keeping the Sabbath.[19] Moreover, Lancaster claimed that the Epistle of Barnabas was a forgery, with someone finding it attractive to use a well-known apostle’s name while using antisemitic influence among Gentile Christians. He says the epistle deceptively uses Jewish eschatology of the Sabbath to abolish literal observance and with an emphasis on “the eighth day” as Sunday.[20] Most thought the epistle was authentic, so he suggests that the antisemitic agenda became part of what defined emerging Christianity.[21] Lancaster says Marcion influenced the Sabbath break when omitting Judaism, even though Marion was rejected as a heretic.[22] There seem to be many assumptions based on presuppositions with this line of thinking also.
Bacchiocchi believes there is convincing evidence that the Nazarene sect from primitive Jerusalem retained the Sabbath after AD70, which proves that no change to Sunday observance happened among early Jewish believers.[23] He concludes that the replacement of the Sabbath with Sunday did not occur in the primitive Church of Jerusalem with the authority of Christ or the Apostles but through Rome and various differing polemic argumentations of the second century. Furthermore, he states there was an appeal to Christian converts from paganism toward the day of the Sun.[24] Brattston responds by saying that Sunday observance was widespread so early that Rome could not have gradually pressed this “change.” He argues against Bacchiocchi and other Sabbatarians, whom he claims are cherry-picking, using incompatible inferences of what was not implied by the authors.[25]
The Didache refers to rules for non-Jewish Christians, The Two Ways, and some Decalogue commands, but never the seventh-day Sabbath (fourth commandment), which was common among early Christian leaders. Solberg admits it wasn’t a biblical directive for the Lord’s Day to be Sunday, yet all orthodox Christians from the Apostolic era up to now believe Christ-followers do not need to keep Mosaic Sabbath commands.[26] Solberg’s work is greatly expanded in another research essay on the biblical new covenant, which I submitted months after this essay. His book referenced below is an excellent resource about whether Christians are required to keep the law of Moses.
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Before the ‘Return of the Lord’ – Worship Every Day
Hippolytus mentioned Christian congregations holding services every morning, equipping for daily trials, and codifying the tendencies of Apostles.[27] Origen implied Christians can observe certain days, including Sundays and other customs, but mature Christians worship God daily, “always keeping the Lord’s day”.[28] For Irenaeus (a disciple of Polycarp who was a disciple of the Apostle John), according to Ezekiel and Exodus, the Sabbath was instituted as a “sign” of the covenant only between God and Israel; however, for Christians, Sabbaths teach perseverance in faith and daily devotion to God, abstaining from avarice, eventually partaking at God’s table; the common patristic “perpetual Sabbath” interpretation of the fourth commandment in the new covenant.[29] Ignatius juxtaposes “keeping the Sabbath” with “living according to the Lord’s Day”; however, Sunday observance did not replace Sabbath but brought in a new mode of existence for Christians to live every day according to the new life of grace and hope through the Lord’s death and resurrection, anticipating Justin’s “perpetual Sabbath” rather than seventh-day sabbath keeping.[30] [this could be linked to Romans 12:1-2, 14:5f, Gal 4:9-11, Col 2:16].
Alikin stated that the development of Sunday worship was contextual, not obligatory, due to different Graeco-Roman pagan and Jewish traditions such as Hellenistic banquets, Jewish meals, Jewish synagogue services, and other customs. For centuries, many Jewish Christians and some Gentile Christians kept the seventh-day Sabbath observance even though it was no longer obligatory in the New Covenant; it was merely a choice.[31]
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CONCLUSION
While I believe this isn’t a salvation issue (despite some Sabbatarian claims), it is an important topic to discuss as Christians respectfully, and it helps if people understand early church views. This essay shows nuances and variations of the seventh day Sabbath, perpetual Sabbath (every day), the Lord’s Day (whether Sabbath, Sunday, or the eschaton), the first and the eighth-day symbolism, and what is or isn’t obligatory for new covenant Christians. There are some solid arguments among the three main discussion points with some overlap: Sabbath to Sunday and the Lord’s Day issues; Sabbatarians pointing to the fourth commandment Sabbath apparently still binding even on Gentile Christians; Sabbath and Sunday worship were contextual and permissive (or not), but neither obligatory, one person esteems one day as special, others worship every day as the Lord’s day (Rom 12:1-2; Ps. 118:24) and waiting upon the Lord’s return. With some brief acknowledgment of the latter first-century transition and surveying the early church writings of 100-300AD along with scholarly interpretations, this essay has shown much diversity within Christendom on this complex topic.
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Further reflections (21/8/24)
Lastly, I believe Christians within these three views, following their convictions before the Lord, should not condemn others for having alternative views and convictions. Instead, keep unity in diversity, knowing we are saved and justified righteous through genuine faith in Jesus, which produces good works prepared by God in advance, and abiding fruitfulness in life by the Spirit. Salvation is not about observing the seventh day, or the first day as the “Lord’s Day.” Ultimately, salvation through faith by God’s grace leads to our sanctification as we offer our bodies (whole lives) every day as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1-2) and one united body in Christ (Rom 12, 1 Cor 12), considering God’s mercy through the atonement and finished work of Jesus on the cross, and the power of his resurrection on the first day of the week leading to the new creation in Him as the primordial light and eternal life giver.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alikin, Valeriy A. The Earliest History of the Christian Gathering: Origin, Development and Content of the Christian Gathering in the First to Third Centuries. Brill Academic Publishers, 2017.
Bacchiocchi, Samuele. From Sabbath To Sunday. 2002nd ed. Vol. 1 of Biblical Perspectives 1. Pontificia Universitas Gregoriana, 1977.
Brattston, David W. T. Sabbath and Sunday among the Earliest Christians: When Was the Day of Public Worship? Eugene, Oregon: Resource Publications, 2014.
Buitenwerf, Rieuwerd, Harm W. Hollander, and Johannes Tromp. Jesus, Paul, and early Christianity: studies in honour of Henk Jan de Jonge. Supplements to Novum Testamentum volume 130. Leiden: Brill, 2008.
Carson, D. A., ed. From Sabbath to Lord’s Day: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Investigation. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1982.
Lancaster, D. Thomas. From Sabbath to Sabbath – Returning the Holy Sabbath to the Disciples of Jesus. First Fruits of Zion, Inc, 2016.
O’Donnell, Kevin. A Pocket Guide to Christian History. Pocket Guide. Oxford, England Chicago, Il, USA: Lion Book, an imprint of Lion Hudson plc ; Trafalgar Square Publishing, 2009.
Solberg, R.L. Torahism: Are Christians Required to Keep the Law of Moses? Kindle. Williamson College Press; 2 edition, 2022.
Vaida, Cristian. “Sabbath and Sunday: The Meaning of the Day of Rest in the Ancient Church – A Hope for the Future?” HTS Teol. Stud. Theol. Stud. Vol 79, No 1 (2023): 7. https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v79i1.8263.
Vall, Gregory. Ecclesial Exegesis: A Synthesis of Ancient and Modern Approaches to Scripture. Verbum Domini 3. Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2022.
Various. “Ante-Nicene Fathers The Writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325 Volume I. The Apostolic Fathers: Clement of Rome, Mathetes, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus.,” n.d. https://ccel.org/ccel/s/schaff/anf01/cache/anf01.pdf.
[1] Cristian Vaida, “Sabbath and Sunday: The Meaning of the Day of Rest in the Ancient Church – A Hope for the Future?,” HTS Teol. Stud. Theol. Stud. Vol 79, No 1 (2023): 7, https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v79i1.8263.
[2] Seventh Day Sabbatarian; Samuele Bacchiocchi, From Sabbath To Sunday, 2002nd ed., vol. 1 of Biblical Perspectives 1 (Pontificia Universitas Gregoriana, 1977).
[3] Various, “Ante-Nicene Fathers The Writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325 Volume I. The Apostolic Fathers: Clement of Rome, Mathetes, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus.,” n.d., 104, https://ccel.org/ccel/s/schaff/anf01/cache/anf01.pdf.
[4] Various, “Ante-Nicene Fathers The Writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325 Volume I. The Apostolic Fathers: Clement of Rome, Mathetes, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus.,” 174.
[5] citing Ignatius’ Epistle: Mag 9,1-2; Vaida, “Sabbath and Sunday: The Meaning of the Day of Rest in the Ancient Church – A Hope for the Future?,” 6.
[6] citing Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with the Jew Trypho 41:4; Vaida, “Sabbath and Sunday: The Meaning of the Day of Rest in the Ancient Church – A Hope for the Future?,” 6.
[7] citing Clement of Alexandria – Stromata VI, 16, 138, 1–2; ed. Stählin 1906:52; Vaida, “Sabbath and Sunday: The Meaning of the Day of Rest in the Ancient Church – A Hope for the Future?,” 6.
[8] citing Cyprian of Carthage – Cyprianus, Epistula 64, 4; ed. Hartel 1871:89; Vaida, “Sabbath and Sunday: The Meaning of the Day of Rest in the Ancient Church – A Hope for the Future?,” 6.
[9] Kevin O’Donnell, A Pocket Guide to Christian History, Pocket Guide (Oxford, England Chicago, Il, USA: Lion Book, an imprint of Lion Hudson plc ; Trafalgar Square Publishing, 2009), 18–19.
[10] citing Pliny the Younger; O’Donnell, A Pocket Guide to Christian History, 18–19.
[11] citing the Didache and Justin Martyr O’Donnell, A Pocket Guide to Christian History, 21–23.
[12] citing The Didascalia; David W. T. Brattston, Sabbath and Sunday among the Earliest Christians: When Was the Day of Public Worship? (Eugene, Oregon: Resource Publications, 2014), 22.
[13] Brattston, Sabbath and Sunday among the Earliest Christians, 1–2.
[14] citing Tertullian’s Answer to the Jews 2.10; 4.1; Brattston, Sabbath and Sunday among the Earliest Christians, 10.
[15] citing Didascalia 26 Brattston, Sabbath and Sunday among the Earliest Christians, 10.
[16] citing Tertullian’s On Modesty 5; Brattston, Sabbath and Sunday among the Earliest Christians, 16–17.
[17] R.J. Bauckham citing Didache 14:1, Ignatius’ Magnesians 9:1; Carson, From Sabbath to Lord’s Day, 222–45.
[18] R.J Bauckham Carson, From Sabbath to Lord’s Day, 222–45.
[19] citing Josephus’ Against Apion 2:282; D. Thomas Lancaster, From Sabbath to Sabbath – Returning the Holy Sabbath to the Disciples of Jesus (First Fruits of Zion, Inc, 2016), 265.
[20] citing Epistle of Barnabas; Lancaster, From Sabbath to Sabbath, 265.
[21] Lancaster, From Sabbath to Sabbath, 251–65.
[22] Lancaster, From Sabbath to Sabbath, 265–69.
[23] Bacchiocchi, From Sabbath To Sunday, 304–5.
[24] Bacchiocchi, From Sabbath To Sunday, 304–16.
[25] Brattston, Sabbath and Sunday among the Earliest Christians, 33.
[26] R.L. Solberg, Torahism: Are Christians Required to Keep the Law of Moses?, Kindle. (Williamson College Press; 2 edition, 2022), 206–7.
[27] citing Hippolytus’ The Apostolic Tradition 35.1f; Brattston, Sabbath and Sunday among the Earliest Christians, 24.
[28] citing Origen’s “Against Celsus” Brattston, Sabbath and Sunday among the Earliest Christians, 14–15.
[29] citing Irenaeus; Gregory Vall, Ecclesial Exegesis: A Synthesis of Ancient and Modern Approaches to Scripture, Verbum Domini 3 (Washington, DC: The Catholic University of America Press, 2022), chap. 4.
[30] citing Ignatius Vall, Ecclesial Exegesis, chap. 4.
[31] Alikin, The Earliest History of the Christian Gathering, 288–89.