Did the early Church move the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday? (Ecumenical)

Catholic.com ^ | Peggy Frye

[narses]

Full Question

Until recently, I always thought Catholics worshiped on the Sabbath, and that the early Church moved the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Is this true? Answer

This is a common misunderstanding. Catholics do not worship on the Sabbath, which according to Jewish law is the last day of the week (Saturday), when God rested from all the work he had done in creation (Gen. 2:2-3). Catholics worship on the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week (Sunday, the eighth day); the day when God said "Let there be light" (Gen. 1:3); the day when Christ rose from the dead; the day when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles (Day of Pentecost). The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: "The Church celebrates the day of Christ’s Resurrection on the ‘eighth day,’ Sunday, which is rightly called the Lord’s Day" (CCC 2191).

The early Church did not move the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. Instead "The Sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday, which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ" (CCC 2190). Sunday is the day Catholics are bound to keep, not Saturday.

We see evidence of this in Scripture:

On the first day of the week when we gathered to break bread, Paul spoke to them because he was going to leave on the next day, and he kept on speaking until midnight (Acts 20:7). On the first day of the week each of you should set aside and save whatever one can afford, so that collections will not be going on when I come (1 Cor. 16:2). Let no one, then, pass judgment on you in matters of food and drink or with regard to a festival or new moon or Sabbath (Col. 2:16). The Catechism also says:

By a tradition handed down from the apostles which took its origin from the very day of Christ’s Resurrection, the Church celebrates the Paschal mystery every seventh day, which day is appropriately called the Lord’s Day or Sunday. The day of Christ’s Resurrection is both the first day of the week, the memorial of the first day of creation, and the "eighth day," on which Christ after his "rest" on the great Sabbath inaugurates the "day that the Lord has made," the "day that knows no evening." (CCC 1166)

Other CCC references to the Lord’s Day: 349, 2174, 2175, 2191

Answered by: Peggy Frye

[patlin]

Gen 2:3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

Exo 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
Exo 20:10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.
Exo 20:11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

Exo 31:13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
Exo 31:14 You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.
Exo 31:15 Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
Exo 31:16 Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.
Exo 31:17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.’ “

Eze 20:12 Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.
Eze 20:23 Also I raised My hand in an oath to those in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the Gentiles and disperse them throughout the countries,
Eze 20:24 because they had not executed My judgments, but had despised My statutes, profaned My Sabbaths, and their eyes were fixed on their fathers’ idols.
Eze 20:25 “Therefore I also gave them up to statutes that were not good, and judgments by which they could not live;

Eze 22:26 Her priests have violated My law and profaned My holy things; they have not distinguished between the holy and unholy, nor have they made known the difference between the unclean and the clean; and they have hidden their eyes from My Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them.

Isa 56:2 Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it; Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
Isa 56:3 Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the LORD Speak, saying, “The LORD has utterly separated me from His people” ...
Isa 56:6 “Also the sons of the foreigner Who join themselves to the LORD, to serve Him, And to love the name of the LORD, to be His servants— Everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And holds fast My covenant—
Isa 56:7 Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices Will be accepted on My altar; For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations.”
Isa 56:8 The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, says, “Yet I will gather to him Others besides those who are gathered to him.”

[daniel1212]

It can get complicated: http://www.toledocog7.org/life_resources/indepth_series/Sabbaton.pdf

Also of interest: http://www.biblicalperspectives.com/books/crucifixion/3.html

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Your “real translators” are surely not qualified!****

Here are the translators you say are “NOT QUALIFIED”?

KING JAMES VERSION TRANSLATORS

I. The First Westminister Company—translated the historical books, beginning with Genesis and ending with the Second Book of Kings.

Dr. Lancelot Andrews
Dr. John Overall
Dr. Hadrian Saravia
Dr. Richard Clarke, Dr. John Laifield, Dr. Robert Tighe, Francis Burleigh, Geoffry King, Richard Thompson
Dr. William Bedwell

II. The Cambridge Company—translated Chronicles to the end of the Song of Songs.

Edward Lively, Dr. John Richardson, Dr. Lawrence Chaderton
Francis Dillingham, Dr. Roger Andrews, Thomas Harrison, Dr. Robert Spaulding, Dr. Andrew Bing

III. The Oxford Company—translated beginning of Isaiah to the end of the Old Testament.

Dr. John Harding, Dr. John Reynolds
Dr. Thomas Holland, Dr. Richard Kilby
Dr. Miles Smith, Dr. Richard Brett, Daniel Fairclough

IV. The Second Oxford Company—translated the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Revelation of St. John the Divine.

Dr. Thomas Ravis, Dr. George Abbot
Dr. Richard Eedes, Dr. Giles Tomson, Sir Henry Savile
Dr. John Peryn, Dr. Ralph Ravens, Dr. John Harmar

V. The Fifth Company of Translators at Westminster—translated all of the Epistles of the New Testament

Dr. William Barlow, Dr. John Spencer, Dr. Roger Fenton, Dr. Ralph Hutchinson, William Dakins, Michael Rabbet, [Thomas(?)] Sanderson

VI. The Sixth Company of Translators at Cambridge translated the apocryphal books.

Dr. John Duport, Dr. William Brainthwaite, Dr. Jeremiah Radcliffe
Dr. Samuel Ward
Dr. Andrew Downes, John Bois
Dr. John Ward, Dr. John Aglionby, Dr. Leonard Hutten
Dr. Thomas Bilson, Dr. Richard Bancroft

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Your “Real Translators” are biased members of the Catholic/Protestant Cabal!****

Oh come now! If the Catholics had translated “day of the week” wrong do you really believe that the Protestants would have done the same just because Catholics did it?
They would have been thrilled to “make it right”, BUT THEY DID NOT! They translated it the same.

You might want to read this from the original KJV bibles.

THE TRANSLATORS TO THE READER..

http://avbtab.org/av/avPre.htm

[editor-surveyor]

None of them are qualified to address the question that tripped you up.

Not one of them is a Hebrew scholar.

There is not one single english language Bible that got any cultural Hebrew or Torah issue correct. The gospels are a mess, and they couldn’t discern the difference between Tabernacles and Passover, causing a huge chronological error regarding the length of Yeshua’s ministery, stretching it to almost an extra year.

[Diamond]

Amo 8:9 “And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord GOD, “That I will make the sun go down at noon, And I will darken the earth in broad daylight;

This passage was understood by the early church to refer to the darkness covering the land for three hours during Christ's passion.

Mat 24:20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.

If the Sabbath was done away with, why would Messiah be expecting them to be keeping it at His 2nd coming?

It does not refer to His second coming, but to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. In Luke 21 Jesus gave instructions to Christians in Jerusalem to FLEE THE CITY before the Roman armies surrounding the city destroyed it. The reason he instructed them to pray that their flight not be on a Sabbath day is that the Jews who controlled the city up until 70 AD always CLOSED THE GATES OF THE CITY ON THE SABBATH (Nehemiah 13:15-22) in which case the Christians could not get out.

The other two hindrances he mentions are pregnant or nursing mothers, for obvious reasons, and winter, because of exposure to cold temperatures and possibly snow.

Cordially,

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***What would you expect them to say.....but things that prop up their unholy traditions? ***

Well lets see about this! DID CHRIST ARISE ON THE SABBATH?

Luk 24:1 Now upon the first [day] of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain [others] with them.

Luk 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

Luk 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem [about] threescore furlongs.

Luk 24:21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the THIRD DAY since these things were done.

NOW, If Jesus arose on the Sabbath then these men were violating the Sabbath by traveling to another city.

Jesus arose that morning and they saw him in the afternoon on the road.

On that same day these same men hotfooted it back to Jerusalem. It could NOT have been the Sabbath day but the day after which we call SUNDAY.

Get used to it!

[Diamond]

Ok, in these passages that you list, what Hebrew words are specifically used that support your use of the word "eternally", as meaning never ending?

Cordially,

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

****None of them are qualified to address the question that tripped you up.

Not one of them is a Hebrew scholar.****

Let’s take the FIRST name on the list.

LANCELOT ANDREWS.

“But we are chiefly concerned to know what were his qualifications as a Translator of the Bible. He ever bore the character of “a right godly man,” and “a prodigious student.”

One competent judge speaks of him as “that great gulf of learning!” It was also said, that “the world wanted learning to know how learned this man was.” And a brave old chronicler remarks, that, such was his skill in all languages, especially the Oriental, that, had he been present at the confusion of tongues at Babel, he might have served as Interpreter-General!

0In his funeral sermon by Dr. Buckeridge, Bishop of Rochester, it is said that Dr. Andrews was conversant with fifteen languages.

HADRIAN SARAVIA

He is said, by Anthony Wood, to have been “educated in all kinds of literature in his younger days, especially in several languages.” It was his fortune to find friends and patrons among the great. Archbishop Whitgift, that stern suppressor of Puritanism, held him in high esteem, and made great use of his aid in conducting his share in the controversies of the time.

In particular the arch-prelate relied much on Br. Saravia’s “Hebrew learning” in his contests with Hugh Broughton, that stiff Puritan, whom Light-foot styles, “the great Albionean divine, renowned in many nations for rare skill in Salem’s and Athen’s tongues, and familiar acquaintance with all Rabbinical learning.” Thus the Prebendary of Westminster was accustomed to cross swords with no mean adversaries; and was, no doubt, thoroughly furnished with the knowledge necessary for a Bible translator.

Thomas Holland

One of his intimate associates and fellow translators; Dr. Kilby, preached his funeral sermon. In this sermon it is said of him, “that he had a wonderful knowledge of all the learned languages, and of all arts and sciences, both human and divine.

He was mighty in the Scriptures; and so familiarly acquainted with the Fathers, as if he himself had been one of them; and so versed in the Schoolmen, as if he were the Seraphic Doctor. He was, therefore, most worthy of the divinity-chair, which he filled about twenty years, with distinguished approbation and applause.

Miles Smith

He went through the Greek and Latin fathers, making his annotations on them all. He was well acquainted with the Rabbinical glosses and comments.

So expert was he in the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic, that were almost as familiar as his native tongue. “Hebrew he had at his fingers’ ends.” He was also much versed in history and general literature, and was fitly characterized by a brother bishop as “a very walking library.” All his books were written in his own hand, and in most elegant penmanship.

You can look up the others yourself and see what kind of scholars and translators they were.

[Elsie]

Interesting question coming from a supposed believer.

Are you avoiding saying that you HAVE no evidence?

[editor-surveyor]

No evidence that failing to achieve the kingdom leaves one the sulphurious lake?

[editor-surveyor]

As I said, totally unqualified to address matters of the Hebrew worship and culture. Consumed in the matters of Mystery Babylon.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***As I said, totally unqualified to address matters of the Hebrew worship and culture.****

Yet the Gospels, which were being discussed, were written in Kione GREEK.
I’ll stick with the tried and true translations by REAL SCHOLARS, not some fringe Johny-come-lately.

“Pertness and ignorance may ask a question in three lines, that will cost learning and ingenuity thirty pages to answer. And when this is done, the same question shall be triumphantly asked again next year, as if nothing had ever been written on the subject.-—Bishop Horne (1834)

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Just for you.

http://www.jewfaq.org/calendar.htm

Days of the Jewish Week

Other than Shabbat, the name of the seventh day of the week, the Jewish calendar doesn’t have names for the days of the week. The days of the week are simply known as first day, second day, third day, etc.

Sometimes they are referred to more fully as First Day of the Sabbath, etc. Below is a list for those who are interested.
Hebrew Transliteration English
Yom Rishon (Hebrew) Yom Rishon First Day (Sunday)
Yom Sheini (Hebrew) Yom Sheini Second Day (Monday)
Yom Shlishi (Hebrew) Yom Shlishi Third Day (Tuesday)
Yom R’vi’i (Hebrew) Yom R’vi’i Fourth Day (Wednesday)
Yom Chamishi (Hebrew) Yom Chamishi Fifth Day (Thursday)
Yom Shishi (Hebrew) Yom Shishi Sixth Day (Friday)
Yom Shabbat (Hebrew) Yom Shabbat Sabbath Day (Saturday)

[Elsie]

No evidence that failing to achieve the kingdom leaves one the sulphurious lake?

HAve you PURPOSELY wandered away from the topic being discussed: EVIDENCE of a 'contract' with GENTILES?

[Diego1618]

Luk 24:1 Now upon the first [day] of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain [others] with them.

Let's see....when did they prepare these spices?

[Luke 23:56] And they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

So far....so good? They rested on the Sabbath after preparing these spices......right?

[Mark 16:1]1And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.

Now....here's a problem with your 36 hour fantasy. They bought spices after a Sabbath! Which one? It could not have been the one they rested on in [Luke 23:56] because they had already prepared them. The day they were preparing them could not have been a Sabbath because they were not allowed to do any work on those days. So........the legitimate answer to the question is simple. The Sabbath of [Mark 16:1] is the same Sabbath of [Mark 15:42] & [John 19:31]...the first Sabbath of Unleavened Bread.....with a non Sabbath day afterwards in which to prepare the spices that were purchased after the High Sabbath.

Now....lest you say that the King James shows that they had already bought them.....before hand...let's look at the Literal from Young's:

[Mark 16:1]1And the sabbath having past, Mary the Magdalene, and Mary of James, and Salome, bought spices, that having come, they may anoint him,

The Greek: Καὶ and/also διαγενομένου upon being-AFTER-ed (gen) τοῦ the (gen) σαββάτου sabbath (gen) , Μαρία Mary (nom|voc) ἡ the (nom) Μαγδαληνὴ Magdalene (nom|voc) καὶ and/also Μαρία Mary (nom|voc) { Ἰακώβου James (gen) ♦ ἡ the (nom) [ τοῦ the (gen) ] Ἰακώβου James (gen) } καὶ and/also Σαλώμη Salome (nom|voc) ἠγόρασαν they-BUY-ed ἀρώματα aromatics (nom|acc|voc) , ἵνα so that / in order to /because ἐλθοῦσαι upon COME-ing (nom|voc) ἀλείψωσιν they-should-SMEAR αὐτόν him/it/sam

So we have one more piece of biased translation....hoping to show the buying in the past tense. And you don't think those Catholic/Protestant translators had an agenda?

Luk 24:1 Now upon the first [day] of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain [others] with them.

Luk 24:2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

Luk 24:13 And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem [about] threescore furlongs.

Luk 24:21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the THIRD DAY since these things were done.

Right.....it tells you the exact day He resurrected....the third day. No one disputes that. He arose before the sunrise and they found the tomb empty. All the disciples were now terrified because they knew the Romans would be coming after them....thinking they stole the body. Their own lives were now in peril.

The Talmud had told them (first century Hebrews) it is proper to travel on the Sabbath if you feel your life is in jeopardy. After all....their Rabbi had been executed and his body was now missing.......and they were the prime suspects [Matthew 27:62-64]. Why wouldn't they skedaddle?

Let's take this passage a step further:

[Luke 24:33-36] 33And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 34Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 35And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.36And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

They immediately went back to town to tell everyone and found the disciples back in the upper room....and Yeshua again appeared. It's the same day! What day? Let's let John tell us:

Young's Literal: [John 20:19]19It being, therefore, evening, on that day, the first of the sabbaths, and the doors having been shut where the disciples were assembled, through fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and saith to them, ‘Peace to you;’

Evening..... to the Hebrews was anytime between noon and sunset. It was not the darkness of the 24 hour period.

The Greek says the same thing.....First of the Sabbaths (plural) between Passover and Pentecost.

The crucifixion took place on Wednesday (Passover the 14th) and the First Sabbath of Unleavened, the Feast was on Thursday (the 15th). They bought and prepared the spices on Friday (the 16th) and He arose from the tomb on Saturday (the 17th)....early before sunrise.

Here's the calendar for 30 A.D.

Resurrection week, Nisan 10 through 17

[roamer_1]

Your citation(s), please.

Probably a redundancy to show you - we both seem to know where they are.

No one here, including me, is suggesting that the Word of God has changed.

Oh, but some here DO believe exactly that - Had that argument just days ago (on a different topic).

I think you are postulating a false dichotomy here based on your own presuppositions about the meaning of the word "eternally" in relation to the Sabbath.

I have heard this argument before - But then, in order to use age, aeon, or the like, you will have to convince me that the prophets have been fulfilled too, lest your point be made moot - As I have already said, the prophets declare that the law will go forth from Jerusalem, and the Sabbaths of YHWH will be honored around the world (by everyone). That, I can assure you, has not happened as of this date... Or perhaps you'd care to suppose that these are different Sabbaths (which also cannot be true - three are precisely named)... But one way or another, the 'age' you might see would needfully be measured by the prophets, and it seems to me that measurement cannot have reached it's end.

And one would have to also negate the command to the Hebrews that the Sabbaths be observed perpetually (levitical law)- A commandment declared explicitly is not removed by way of an arcane and obscure interpretation of prophecy (literal sense, no offense meant). It is just bad form. That which was explicitly declared cannot be annulled by inference, lest any inference can be used likewise... What a can of worms that would open up! If the Sabbaths are to end, no doubt such a thing should be explicitly declared as well, wouldn't you think? Such a commandment (to end) would have to be extraordinarily delivered, as no Hebrew would believe it otherwise as such a messenger, whether a prophet or even an angel, would be considered false on the basis of clear law in the Torah.

[patlin]

I can reply to both of your responses in these 3 little simple but plain language passages. One doesn't need to go back to the Hebrew to understand that God and His Word are 'One', therefore all that God spoke is for all mankind, just as His word says it is. (Ecc 12:13-14)

Mat 12:8 For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." ... Mar 2:28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath." ... Luk 6:5 And He said to them, "The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath."

Now when connected to these passages and knowing that Christ is currently High Priest, then what day should those under Christ show up for duty?

1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Peter does not tell us we are a church, he tells us we are chosen priests and a holy nation that is special to Him. (See Ex 19:5-9)

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***and He arose from the tomb on Saturday (the 17th)....early before sunrise. ****

Luk 24:20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him.

Luk 24:21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done.

Because they were traveling from Jerusalem toward Emmaus, this had to be SUNDAY, and this WAS THE THIRD DAY.

I use this calender. As you can see, Nisan 14 fell on FRIDAY, not Wednesday. Further more, only AD 30 or 33 fits. You will have to wait till AD 34 to get a Wednesday crucifiction

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Young’s Literal: [John 20:19]19It being, therefore, evening, on that day, the first of the sabbaths***

Please look at my post #274.