When Constantine pressed his pagan hordes into the church they were observing the day of the sun for their adoration of the sun god. It was their special holy day. In order to make it more convenient for them to make the change to the new religion, Constantine accepted their day of worship, Sunday, instead of the Christian Sabbath which had been observed by Jesus and His disciples.
Remember that the way had been prepared for this already by the increasing anti-Jewish feelings against those who were accused of putting Jesus to death. Those feelings would naturally condition many Christians to swing away from something which was held religiously by the Jews. It is therefore easier to understand how the change was imposed on Christianity through a strong civil law issued by Constantine as the Emperor of Rome.
The very wording of that law, by the way, can be found in any reliable encyclopedia. Those early Christians, feeling that the Jews should not be followed any more than necessary, were ready to swing away from the Sabbath which was kept by the Jews. I have before me a multitude of authorities to verify what has been said.
Here are historians, Catholics and Protestants , speaking in harmony about what actually took place in the fourth century. After Constantine made the initial pronouncement and legal decree about the change, the Catholic Church reinforced that act in one church council after another.
For this reason, many, many official statements from Catholic sources are made, claiming that the church made the change from Saturday to Sunday.
But before I read those statements I shall refer to one from the Encyclopedia Britannica under the article, Sunday. Here is a statement from Dr. Gilbert Murray, M. The Roman Emperor seemed to be clearly indicated as the true king. In sharp contrast to Christianity, Mithraism recognized Caesar as the bearer of divine grace. Looking a bit further into historical statements, Dr.
Now in order to reach the people in this new field, it seems but natural as well as necessary to make Sunday the rest day of the church. To change the Gentiles day would have been an offense and stumbling block to them.
The church could naturally reach them better by keeping their day. Frederick as to how this change happened. Another statement very parallel to this one is found in the North British Review. From the beginning to end of Scripture there is not a single passage that warrants the transfer of weekly public worship from the last day of the week to the first.
Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day. Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday? Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her; she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day; a change for which there is no Scriptural authority. Is it not strange that those who make the Bible their only teacher should inconsistently follow in this matter the tradition of the Catholic Church?
Yes, of course, it is inconsistency but this change was made about fifteen centuries before Protestantism was born, and by that time the custom was universally observed. They have continued the custom even though it rests upon the authority of the Catholic Church and not upon an explicit text from the Bible. That observance remains as a reminder of the Mother Church from which the non-Catholic sects broke away like a boy running away from home but still carrying in his pocket a picture of his mother or a lock of her hair.
And it is a very true statement. There is some inconsistency somewhere along the line, because we have examined the statements of history, and you can check them for yourself in any library.
Although we have seen the claims made by the Catholic Church in their publications, we are not reading them to cast any reflection upon anyone, by any means.
We are simply bringing you a recital of what has been written and what claims have been made. Related Articles. The Sabbath Through History. The Sabbath and Legalism. There were no Jews at creation or when the Ten Commandments were given, and God is not a God of confusion that mixes temporary laws with eternal laws.
The Ten Commandments are love and for everyone. This should be obvious to anyone who truly loves God with all their heart! The Ten Commandments or Sabbath were not nailed to the cross according to Colossians Paul speaks of the ordinances ceremonial law which had yearly ceremonial sabbaths that were nailed to the cross.
Galatians does not say that we can observe any day or that the Sabbath was bondage. Paul refers to the ceremonial law here also that he called bondage, which it was, and this law did include Days, Times, Months and Years. We cannot decide to keep or not keep the Sabbath based on Romans , which is about Jews and Gentiles judging one another and was over the yearly feast days of the ceremonial law.
Note the following Commentary on Romans and how it associates all three of these passages and with the ceremonial law.
See also confusion between the Ten Commandments and the ceremonial law. People's New Testament by B. One man esteemeth one day above another. A second difference of opinion is now cited. Some, Jewish converts or Gentiles who did not understand that the old covenant was ended, believed that the Jewish [ceremonial] Sabbaths and new moons should be kept sacred.
Compare Col , and Gal While comparing these two passages, note that the ceremonial law Mosaic Law, Ordinances, Law of Moses etc had meat and drink offerings, Holy feast days , new moons months and sabbaths yearly that were only for the Jews and ended at the cross. When it comes to the fourth Commandment, there seems to be three basic groups of people. Group 1 know the truth and keep all Ten Commandments and state that the fourth Commandment is a blessing and their favourite day of the week.
Isaiah Group 2, which is comprised of most Churches have one of a different excuses. Satan really has this one all wrapped up and claps his hands with glee with the victory he has achieved over this one very special Commandment that is not just about resting but defines who we worship.
Note: Satan has always had a long term plan in attacking the law of God, which should be blatantly obvious to us, and is desperate to keep Christians from discovering the real truth on the fourth Commandment. As a result you will find that he has had no trouble in finding those that he can bring against the truth.
The deceived however are fairly easy to spot as they claim the early Church worshipped habitually on the first day of the week based on those few scriptures that we covered and have proven to be nothing but deliberate attempts at proving a lie. They also often attack the issue of sun worship, Constantine and the Catholic Church saying that people quoting the truth cannot make up their mind who changed the Sabbath to Sunday or they even claim that none were involved and deny all the historical quotes while giving some of their own quotes from those who did yield to temptation and began keeping Sunday in honour of the resurrection against God's will.
The truth that they usually avoid is that all three played a part in the Sabbath to Sunday change. Also typically quoted are Colossians , Galatians and Romans These as you have seen are also quoted in ignorance and if you understand these passages you will be able to easily identify those deceived by those quoting them which thereby demonstrates they have no idea what the truth is.
See Colossians for very detailed information on this passage as well as Galatians and Romans See also Galatians and the law for truth on a very abused and misunderstood book.
We now know that the change of the Sabbath to Sunday did not occur in the Bible and the real truth will permanently seal the death of this fallacy. Leading historians say the Sabbath was kept by the majority until at approximately A. The first areas where Sunday keeping began was Rome and Alexandria but the exact year is not known. While some of the facts may be somewhat sketchy, there are plenty of solid facts that make it perfectly clear how the day was changed.
What is also abundantly clear is that Judaism had become much hated and why some Christians had changed to Sunday in fear of persecution and their lives. Constantine also knew this and with sun worship now being so popular throughout the Roman Empire realized he would not get much opposition to a Sunday change.
So here is a brief exegesis on how the Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday. See the origin of Babylon and Sun worship first for a much better understanding of this topic and the real origin of the change.
When the Romans made war again with the Jews from A. Just like today, these people chose tradition and their own ideas rather then the Commandment of God. Mark Before the Temple was destroyed in 70 A. This transition especially took place during the time of the Emperor Constantine in the 4th century who favoured the Roman Catholic Church above all other Churches. In A. As a shrewd political genius, his scheme was to unite Christianity and paganism in an effort to strengthen his disintegrating empire.
So Constantine developed a plan to unite both groups on the common platform of Sunday keeping. On March 7, A. In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or for vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.
Given the 7th day of March, Crispus and Constantine being consuls each of them for the second time [A. Now a professed Christian, Constantine nevertheless remained a devout sun worshipper. Stanley, History of the Eastern Church , lect. Thus even in the 5th century, Sabbath keeping was universally prevalent except in Rome and Alexandria , along with Sunday keeping. Many Christians kept both days.
But as the centuries wore on, Sunday keeping grew in prominence and especially within Roman Catholic territories. As the Papal Church grew in power, it opposed Sabbath observance in favour of Sunday sacredness and outlawed resting on the Sabbath in the Council of Laodicea A. Constantine's change was accepted by the Papal Church and the Sabbath to Sunday change was well under way. Some correctly teach that Constantine only instituted the first Sunday law, but they very conveniently fail to acknowledge the remainder of the story.
See also did Constantine change the Sabbath. In the Council of Laodicea around the year A. Did the Catholic Church outlaw Seventh day Sabbath keeping? There can be no doubt and even they make no attempt to hide it. Note that this law also reveals the hatred for Judaism. The Jews of course have always kept the Seventh day Sabbath very strictly and some to the point of making it a burden rather than a blessing and this explains a lot. The Pharisees were guilty of doing this and we find Jesus correcting them many times.
Canon law number 29 is as follows:. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ. Sadly, there is no shortage of professed Christians teaching against the fourth Commandment but thankfully some lose credibility straight away and prove their ignorance by calling it a Jewish Sabbath.
This as we saw previously is not only unbiblical but also impossible. Most of the proponents quote only want they want you to see to support their fallacy and so are not likely to quote Canon law XXIX unless done dishonestly. I especially doubt that you will ever find any of the proponents giving the quotes from the Catholic Church shown below as they know their attack on God's law would suddenly lose all credibility.
This of course is not true. Below are a few quotes on what the Papal Church have to say about the Ten Commandments and being able to change the law of God. The Catholic Church may be wrong on a lot of things but everything about these quotes below is true. When they say they changed the Sabbath to Sunday they are not delusional and they speak truth. See also who changed the Sabbath to Sunday or the History of Sun-Day Worship for more detailed and enlightening information on how Sunday worship actually began years before Christ and for the origin of the number of the beast.
The Pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man, but of God, and he acts as vicegerent of God upon earth Migne, edition. Even those responsible for the final change of the Sabbath to Sunday know that those two first day of the week scriptures are not a new day of worship. Note also that they know that 1 Corinthians was laying aside goods for charity that would not be done on Sabbath but the first day after. Luke speaks of the disciples meeting together to break bread on the first day of the week.
Acts And St. Paul 1 Cor orders that on the first day of the week the Corinthians should lay in store what they designated to bestow in charity on the faithful in Judea: but neither the one or the other tells us that this first day of the week was to be henceforth a day of worship, and the Christian Sabbath; so that truly the best authority we have for this ancient custom is the testimony of the church.
And therefore those who pretend to be such religious observers of Sunday, whilst they take no notice of other festivals ordained by the same church authority, show that they act more by humor, than by religion; since Sundays and holidays all stand upon the same foundation, namely the ordinance of the Roman Catholic church.
Therefore the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the Catholic church. There is no such law in the Bible. It is a law of the holy Catholic Church alone. By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week.
The entire civilized world bows down in a reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic Church. Enright, C. Hover here for a document clip or select for the full original image. Who Made Sunday Holy? The holy day, the Sabbath, was changed from Saturday to Sunday. Does the Bible support the change to Sunday? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties?
But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify. We have the commandment of God given to Moses to keep holy the Sabbath day, that is the 7th day of the week, Saturday. Today most Christians keep Sunday because it has been revealed to us by the [Roman Catholic] church outside the Bible. Whose Day of Worship is Sunday?
Sunday is an institution of the Roman Catholic Church, and those who observe the day observe a commandment of the Catholic Church. Because the Catholic Church tells them to do so.
They have no other reason…The observance of Sunday thus comes to be an ecclesiastical law entirely distinct from the divine law of Sabbath observance…The author of the Sunday law…is the Catholic Church. Why do we find the Catholic Church making fun of Sunday keeping Protestants in the above quotes?
Because the Catholic Church through murder and persecution became the only Church in existence for hundreds of years known as the dark ages. As Martin Luther and others found out that the Papal Church was the first beast of Revelation 13, the Protestant reformation got under way. But the problem was that the fourth Commandment was nearly completely lost by the time this happened. As these Protestants discovered that antichrist was the Roman Catholic Church, they began all these new Protestant Churches but after so many centuries of persecution, they continued keeping the pagan day Sunday for worship in ignorance.
If the Catholic Church had not changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, we would all be worshipping on Saturday today. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill.
Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. Every single person will be judged by the mighty moral code of the Ten Commandments.
To break just one is to be guilty of sin. The Bible demonstrates that the Ten Commandments are like a chain of ten links. When one link is broken, the whole chain is broken. Those who stand in the judgment will have to meet the acid test of the Ten Commandments.
If a practicing thief should seek entrance into the kingdom, he would be rejected. This is why Paul says thieves will not inherit the heavenly city. Furthermore, the Bible specifically declares that idolaters, adulterers, liars and covetous men will not be in the kingdom. Because the Ten Commandments forbid those things and men will be judged finally by this law.
We find a good example of this in Exodus Just like today, these non- Jews thought that God did not mean what He said when He said the Seventh day. Sunday —the first day of a new week- is also the 8 th day since the start of the previous week. They both represent new beginnings, and so does the Resurrection.
In the New Testament, Resurrection Sunday is the fulfillment of these new beginnings. The believer is cleansed and made alive by the resurrection just as circumcision was the removal of dirty flesh. Are you interested in another Old Testament shadow of a New Testament reality?
Likewise, the believer is saved as the 8 souls in the ark were saved. After the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, believers began assembling on the first day of the week. On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul began to speak to the people, and because he intended to leave the next day, he extended his message until midnight.
The Sabbath always began on Friday at sundown and ended on Saturday at sundown, and it still does. Do you want to dig deeper in understanding the Sabbath and why most Christians attend church on Sunday? Constantine did indeed change the official Roman day of rest to Sunday, but he was only recognizing something after the fact that had already been going on for almost three centuries.
No, he did these things because the church had already grown very large. But here are the words of some of the early church fathers on the keeping of the Law and the Sabbath in only the 2 nd and 3 rd centuries, many decades before Constantine:.
Do you see that the elements are not idle, and keep no Sabbaths? Remain as you were born. For if there was no need of circumcision before Abraham , or of the observance of Sabbaths , of feasts and sacrifices, before Moses; no more need is there of them now, after that, according to the will of God, Jesus Christ the Son of God has been born without sin, of a virgin sprung from the stock of Abraham. For when Abraham himself was in uncircumcision, he was justified and blessed by reason of the faith which he reposed in God, as the Scripture tells.
Moreover, the Scriptures and the facts themselves compel us to admit that He received circumcision for a sign, and not for righteousness.
Justin Martyr is telling us approximately AD that there is no more need of Sabbath keeping among the Christian than there was in the time of Abraham before the Sabbath law was given. This is strong evidence that Christians were already worshiping on Sunday at this time rather than the Sabbath.
Because they —like Abraham- believed the Lord and it is counted to them for righteousness. Romans For what does the Scripture say? Therefore, since God originated Adam uncircumcised and unobservant of the Sabbath, consequently his offspring also, Abel, offering him sacrifices, uncircumcised and unobservant of the Sabbath, was by him [God] commended [ Gen.
Noah also, uncircumcised—yes, and unobservant of the Sabbath—God freed from the deluge. Tertullian is telling us that God declared these Genesis believers righteous before the Law was given. The Sabbath is still the Sabbath. And they began worshiping on Sunday hundreds of years before the first Pope, so the Pope did not change the Sabbath.
Was it in some faraway location? Or some secondary place where some homespun sect might have started their own thing? But the law —including the Sabbath observance- did not come until hundreds of years later during the time of Moses. And this applied not only to Abraham, but to all his descendants —Isaac, Jacob, their wives, the 12 tribes and the multitude of people who crossed the Red Sea into the Sinai after leaving Egypt.
If God credited righteousness to Abraham, how did he become righteous without the law? And how did all those millions of other people who became enslaved in Egypt also get right with God? The answer is now clear. The righteous are justified through faith, not of works lest any man boast. We do not need to place our faith in a day or an observance, because Jesus is our Sabbath and our faith is in him. One Sabbath, Jesus was going through the grain fields, and as his disciples walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain.
In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat.
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