Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: rvp@softserver.canberra.edu.au (Rey Paulo) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Sabbath change and History (was a question for those in love ...) Message-ID: Date: 3 Jun 91 07:00:42 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of Canberra Lines: 119 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article James.Quilty@comp.vuw.ac.nz (James William Quilty) writes: > > Rev 1:10 "I was in the spirit on the Lord's Day" (written about A.D. 95, by >John. The expression "the Lord's Day" has been understood universally to refer >to the Sunday [via standard lexicons and commentators]. And then? Does this override GOD's 4th commandment? > From the epistle of Ignatius "To the Magnesians", Section 9: >"If then those who had walked in ancient practices attained unto newnwess of >hope, no longer observing sabbaths, but fashioning their lives after the >Lord's day, on which our life also arose through him..." >(written about A.D. 107. Text from J.B. Lightfoot's "The Apostolic Fathers", >p.71) > And again, does this override GOD's 4th commandment? > > From the "Didachee", or "Teaching of the Twelve Apostles", Section 14: >"And on the Lord's day gather yourselves together and break bread and give >thanks..." (written during the last part of the first century, or the beginning >of the second.) > And again, does this override GOD's 4th commandment? > From the "Epistle of Barnabas", Section 15: "Wherefore also we keep the >eighth day for rejoicing, in the which also Jesus rose from the dead, and >having been manifested ascended into the heavens" (written some time between >70 and 130 A.D. Text from Lightfoot, op. cit. p.152) > And again, does this override GOD's 4th commandment? > From Justin Martyr's First Apology, Chapter 67: "But Sunday is the day on >which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the day on which God, >having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus >Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead." (written about 155 A.D. And again, does this override GOD's 4th commandment? > >however; instead, Justin says: "Sunday is the day on which we all hold our >common assembly..." So if they held their assembly on Sunday, does this mean they were right? And again, did their assembly override GOD's 4th commandment? > > Further, in the "Dialogue with Trypho", written some time after the "First >Apology", Justin clearly affirms that the Gentile Christians of his day did >not observe the Sabbath: "But Gentiles, who have believed on Him [Christ] ... >they shall receive the inheritance ... even although they neither keep the >Sabbath, nor are circumcised, nor observe the feasts" (Chapter 26; text from >"The Ante-Nicene Fathers", I, p.207). According to Justin! But according to GOD, doubtful! GOD commanded the 4th commandment, didn't HE? > >not brought about by "the Papacy," as SDAism contends, but came about long >before the Papacy arose as a strong ecclesiastical institution. Is that institution consistent with the scriptures? What did GOD say in HIS 4th commandment? > >"The change in the day of worship was not made, as Adventists claim, centuries >after New Testament times by the Pope. It was already in the New Testament and >it was recognized by writers shortly thereafter. References to first-day >worship may be found in the writings of Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch A.D. 110; >Justin Martyr, A.D. 100-165; Barnabas, A.D. 200; Origen, A.D. 225; Cyprian, >A.D. 200-258; Peter of Alexandria, A.D. 300; and Eusebius, A.D. 315." > And so what? Do the writings of the above authors during 100th, 200th, etc., etc. centuries make void the 4th commandment of GOD? Tell me, who from among the mentioned authors has more authority than GOD? > > Jesus rested on the sabbath because he was bound to under the old laws, at Old law? You mean the Ten Commandments is now an obsolete piece of divine legislation? You mean idol-worhip, adultery, honoring our parents, thief, etc. in the Ten Commandments are now obsolete? >that time. As far as Paul is concerned, he went to Jewish synagogues on the >seventh- day because he wished to witness to Jews, whom he could find there on >that day. > Why don't you say instead that Paul went to the Jewish synagogue to observe the Sabbath which is more likely considering that Paul was a Jew himself rather than postulating that Paul went there so that he could meet fellow Jews? Such a postulate doesn't quite make sense. Does it? The truth of the matter is that there is no one on earth (not even one of the apostles or saints or what have you) whatever authority he may have religious or otherwise is authorized to make void any of GOD's commandments? This is plain and simple. If you believe otherwise, that's another story. And one more. There is no problem with the fact that christians assemble on Sunday fo worship. It certainly brings glory to the LORD. The problem is when Sunday assembly is made substitute for the real Sabbath as is often the case with most christians. Sunday-keeping is perfectly alright. However, Sunday-keeping-as-replacement-of-the-Sabbath is the problem. I believed if early christians did assemble on Sunday, they did it as celebration of Jesus's resurrection. Because keeping Saturday and Sunday for secular purposes is, I think, humanly too-much and probably due to Jewish prejudice, tradition evolved into gradually ignoring the Sabbath and upholding Sunday as day of worship. Man did it anyway with his own free will and GOD is just there to see who can discern the real truth. -- Rey V. Paulo | Internet: rvp@csc.canberra.edu.au University of Canberra | I am not bound to please thee with my answer. AUSTRALIA | -Shylock, in "The Merchant of Venice" ------------------------------+----------------------------------------------