Formatting is our friend. But it doesn’t always occur automatically:
One controversial translation issue is the phrase, “mia ton sabbaton.” This has traditionally been translated as “the first of the week.” Under pressure from 7th-day Adventists, however, some translations of the bible have taken to translate this “on one of the Sabbaths.”
But the Adventists’ translation is based on a faulty transliteration. In the Greek, “sabbaton” is spelled with either an omicron (“small ‘o’”) or an omega (“big ‘o’”). When spelled with an omega, “sabbaton” is the genitive plural. In other words, it means “Sabbaths’.”
The Adventists’ position is that “primus” means “first;” “mia” means closer to the number, one. This is ordinarily true, but “primus” means “first” not only in time, but priority. Hence, to call Sunday the “primus” day of the week would be to denigrate the Sabbath. Hence, a strange idiom meaning, roughly, “Sabbaths’s one” is used for the first day of the week.
The Adventists’ position would mean that for no reason, the bible uses a grammar which makes no sense: If the bible had meant “on one of the Sabbaths,” there’s no reason it would state, instead, “on one of the Sabbaths’.” An English speaker, fluent in Greek would ask, “on the Sabbaths’ one what?”
Other bible passages make clear that the Resurrection took place on a Sunday, which would mean the Adventists’ translation contradicts other scripture… or makes one have to create more strange translation.
A traditional reading of Luke 23:56-24:1 suggests Christ’s followers worked with all due diligence. Immediately after burying Christ, they prepared his burial ointments, then “On the Sabbath day, they rested according to the commandment. But on the first day of the week…”
The Adventists reading would have them resting on the Sabbath, according to the commandment, “but on one of the Sabbaths.” The Adventists’ position is that the Sabbath they rested on wasn’t a Saturday, but was a different kind of Sabbath, so that one Sabbath can immediately follow another. (Leviticus does call two other holy days Sabbaths.) While that might explain how “one of the Sabbaths” (if that were actually a valid translation) might make sense in general, it certainly doesn’t suggest that the author refers to a Sabbath on the very next day. Rather, one gets the sense that such events happened some undetermined number of weeks later.
One reason that Adventists gain some cache with such odd claims, however, is that the timeline of events in the gospels is somewhat difficult to understand. According to traditional interpretations of the bible, Jesus celebrates Passover with his disciples, is condemned, killed, and then buried… all before the Jews celebrate Passover. The Adventists correctly assert that the evening after the crucifixion is not actually Passover! But they get the meaning of that wrong.
The Essenes, who formed the core of Jesus’ disciples (Peter, John, Andrew, and others) celebrated Passover according to a different calculation than the Sanhedrin. That Jesus’ apostles are depicted as doing what the Sanhedrin would have regarded as women’s work in preparation for the Passover confirms that Jesus was celebrating the Passover according to the Essene tradition. The Essenes celebrated Passover from what would have been Thursday evening through Friday afternoon. Hence, Jesus offered himself as the sacrifice of the seder, and was killed the next day, all within the Passover. Then, the Sanherin began their Passover. Many Adventists suppose that the “day of Preparation” is only preparation for the Sabbath.
Luke 23:55-24:1 confirms the traditional timeline: They buried him on one day, rested for the Sabbath, then went back on the morning of the third day to anoint the body with spices, as Jewish custom dictated must be done in all appropriate haste. If we were dead for three days, as we count days, then the bible omits mention of one day, leaving the reader to wonder why they neglected his body that day. Even though he was dead for only about 40 hours, he was dead for three days by the way days were counted then: he was dead on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If three days meant he had to be dead for the largest part of each day, he would not have risen until the fourth day.
The observance of Sunday is a remembrance of the Resurrection. It is in honor of his resurrection, not as a substitute for a Saturday Sabbath, that Christians choose Sunday as a day of prayer. Some people suppose that when Christ healed on the Sabbath, he was excused because the work was so critical, yet Jesus and his disciples did such mundane work as harvesting food for their immediate consumption (Mt 12:1). Given Jesus’ fasts, certainly satisfying hunger was no such critical labor.
It is senseless to suppose that one is going to Hell because one fails to keep the Sabbath properly. As Paul preached, “Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day (Col 2:16).” The Sabbath was a day to renew our bodies and spirits. As Jesus stated, “The Sabbath was made for Man, not Man for the Sabbath (Mk 2:27)” Today, this purpose is fulfilled by keeping holy the day on which Christ rose from the dead.
Since today is the first day of the rest of our lives, the first day of the week is...today.
And to prove it...
One week form today will be the end of a one week span of time, therefore today is indeed the first day of the week.
Further evidence is found in 1 COR
“One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind....
...You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat...
...therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way....
...Do not allow what you consider good to be spoken of as evil. for the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men....
...Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification....
...So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the man who does not condemn himself by what he approves. but the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin....”
And Paul begins his letter with “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” Grace always comes before peace. It is grace that bring peace.
Legalism, on the other hand brings division and strife, pride and sin.
...just my thoughts.
Grace to you!
baaa
This is actually something I was motvated to write along time ago, but never posted. So this is a ping to people who have been active on past threads about Sabbath/Sunday.
Every day is the sabbath..
The article has so many warps in it that it is better to begin from scratch. The most ancient aramaic text, the Peshita says the “first of the Sabbaths”. The Latin Vulgate (400 AD) says the same. The Valera and the Reina say the same. The Greek says the same. It’s not” the first day of the week” or “one of the Sabbaths”. “First of the Sabbaths” means the first 7th day sabbath during the count of the Omer which begins on the 16th Nisan, the day after the “High Sabbath” of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (15th Nisan). (John 19:31). There are 3 High Days that are days of no labor or rest. The other two are Pentecost and Feast of Tabernacles.
Before I proceed any farther in clarifying all the errors in this article, I’ll pause for any feed-back.
Blessings in your search for TRUTH
Not understanding first century Hebrew culture is part of the problem here because if you were to ask Peter, John or Our Lord Himself, What is meant by the term "First....or one of the Sabbaths"? Their answer would be; 1. The first Sabbath (weekly) after Passover in the seven Sabbath count to Pentecost.....or 2. One of the seven Sabbaths in the seven Sabbath count from Passover to Pentecost (count of the Omer).
The Greeks did not have a word for Sabbath (not surprising) so a word was invented by the writers of the New Testament to describe the Sabbath of Resurrection (it was the first in the count) and the remaining six special Sabbaths between these two important Festivals of God ....Pesach and Shavuot.
In Leviticus we first see the word Shabbatot describing a special Sabbath and the word transliterated to the Greek is SABBATWN. In [Leviticus 23:15] the Hebrew is referring to the First Sabbath of Unleavened Bread which fell on a Wednesday evening/Thursday crucifixion week A.D. 30. It was considered a special Sabbath and was referred to in Hebrew as Shabbatot. If it were a regular weekly Sabbath the Hebrew would have said Shabbat. The word used in verse 16 is Ha-Shabbat and means weeks. Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath (week) shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the LORD.
The King James incorrectly translates this word, "Ha-Shabbat", as Sabbath...but it means weeks. The problem most English speaking people have here is not realizing that this word can mean a number of things; Day of rest; seventh day of the week; a week of seven days; a period of seven years....a week of years. The meaning depends on the context. Here, scripture is speaking of the time between Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot (Pentecost) or 49 days plus one (seven weeks) plus one day. That's why the Festival is called "The Feast of Weeks"!
Consequently, whenever you see anything in the New Testament speaking of resurrection Sabbath or one of the Sabbaths between Passover and Pentecost you will notice this spelling....SABBATWN. It is the Hebrew transliteration to the Greek of the Hebrew word Shabbatot.....which means a special Sabbath. Ordinary Sabbaths are not referred to as SABBATWN.....or Shabbatot.
I don't know much about the Seventh Day Adventists and if this is their belief or not. I notice that you had referred to them frequently. Maybe one of them is on thread and could clarify if this is what they believe?
The Chronology of the Crucifixion and Resurrection
Tuesday
Jesus Christ ate an evening Passover meal with His disciples and instituted the New Covenant symbols (Matthew 26:26-28). Jesus was then betrayed by Judas, arrested and during the night brought before the high priest.
Wednesday
Jesus died around 3 p.m. (Matthew 27:46-50). This was the preparation day for the annual, not weekly, Sabbath, which began at sunset (Mark 15:42; Luke 23:54; John 19:31). Jesus' body was placed in the tomb just before sunset (Matthew 27:57-60).
Thursday
This was the high-day Sabbath, the first day of Unleavened Bread (John 19:31; Leviticus 23:4-7). It is described as the day after the "Day of Preparation" (Matthew 27:62).
Friday
The high-day Sabbath now past, the women bought and prepared spices for anointing Jesus' body before resting on the weekly Sabbath day, which began at Friday sunset (Mark 16:1; Luke 23:56).
Saturday
The women rested on the weekly Sabbath, according to the Fourth Commandment (Luke 23:56; Exodus 20:8-11). Jesus rose near sunset, exactly three days and three nights after burial, fulfilling the sign of Jonah and authenticating the sign He gave of His messiahship.
Sunday
The women brought the spices early in the morning while it was still dark (Luke 24:1; John 20:1), finding that Jesus had already risen (Matthew 28:1-6; Mark 16:2-6; Luke 24:2-3; John 20:1). He did not rise on Sunday morning, but near sunset the day before.