Sunday Law

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In the early 2nd century, the Western Churches, centered on Rome, mainly consisted of Gentile believers.<ref>[https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780190654344.003.0002 'Jews, Gentiles, and Christians (200 bce–200 ce)'], The Abrahamic Religions: A Very Short Introduction, Very Short Introductions, Cohen, Charles L., January 23, 2020</ref> They intensely disliked the Jews because they [[Cross|crucified]] Jesus and constantly persecuted the Christians. After the two Jewish-Roman Wars broke out and the Roman Empire carried out policies of persecuting the Jews, the Western Churches came to think that they didn’t need to be persecuted anymore by the Roman Empire by keeping the Sabbath on the same day as Judaism. Furthermore, they thought that if they worshiped on Sunday, the holy day of the sun god that was the most popular in Rome at that time, it would ease the persecution by gaining the favor of the Romans and make it easier to convert the Romans to Christianity. The Church in Rome began to observe Sunday worship instead of the Sabbath in the early 2nd century.

The Western Churches have come up with various reasons to justify Sunday worship. Justinus, an apologist who converted to Christianity, wrote his ''First Apology'' to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (r. 138–161) to support Christianity around A.D.150. He explained that the day God began to create the world and the day Jesus Christ was [[Resurrection ~~of Jesus~~|resurrected]] was the first day of the week, the day of the sun, so Christians worshiped on this day.<ref>The First Apology of Justin Martyr, pg. 68, 1912</ref>

The Western Churches have come up with various reasons to justify Sunday worship. Justinus, an apologist who converted to Christianity, wrote his ''First Apology'' to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (r. 138–161) to support Christianity around A.D.150. He explained that the day God began to create the world and the day Jesus Christ was [[Jesus' Resurrection|resurrected]] was the first day of the week, the day of the sun, so Christians worshiped on this day.<ref>The First Apology of Justin Martyr, pg. 68, 1912</ref>

In this way, the Western Churches had left the [[New Covenant]] Sabbath and worshiped on Sunday, but the Eastern Churches, following the example of Jesus and the apostles, kept Saturday as the Sabbath until Sunday law was issued.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+4%3A16&OLWordSearchRange=beg&q2=~~&ss=0&t1=eng_n84&t2=eng_kjv&t3=eng_nas&ns=0&sr=1&ot=bhs&nt=wh&hv1=1&b=verse&d=3~~|title=Luke 4:16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+17%3A2-3&OLWordSearchRange=beg&~~q2=&ss=0&t1=eng_n84&t2=eng_kjv&t3=eng_nas&ns~~=~~0&sr=1&ot=bhs&nt=wh&hv1=1&b=verse&d=3~~|title=Acts 17:2–3}}</ref>{{quote|We always find in ancient writers frequent mention made of religious assemblies on the Saturday, or seventh day of the week, which was the Jewish Sabbath . . . For Athanasius, who is one of the first that mentions it, says, “'''they met on the Sabbath''', not that they were infected with Judaism, but '''to worship Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath.'''|Joseph Bingham, ''The Antiquities of the Christian Church'', Book 13, Chap. 9, Sect. 3}}

In this way, the Western Churches had left the [[New Covenant]] Sabbath and worshiped on Sunday, but the Eastern Churches, following the example of Jesus and the apostles, kept Saturday as the Sabbath until Sunday law was issued.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+4%3A16&OLWordSearchRange=beg&version=NIV|title=Luke 4:16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+17%3A2-3&OLWordSearchRange=beg&version=NIV|title=Acts 17:2–3}}</ref>{{quote|We always find in ancient writers frequent mention made of religious assemblies on the Saturday, or seventh day of the week, which was the Jewish Sabbath . . . For Athanasius, who is one of the first that mentions it, says, “'''they met on the Sabbath''', not that they were infected with Judaism, but '''to worship Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath.'''|Joseph Bingham, ''The Antiquities of the Christian Church'', Book 13, Chap. 9, Sect. 3}}

{{quote|. . . it has been supposed that their predecessors, the ancient sabbatarians, feeling themselves aggrieved by the edict of Constantine, which strictly enforced the observance of the first day of the week . . . '''it is certain that the practice of observing Saturday as a festival, was very common in the Eastern churches''', at the close of the fourth century . . .|Henry Bannerman, ''The Modern Sabbath Examined'', London: Whittaker, Treacher and Arnot, 2012, p. 274}}

However, as the Sunday law was issued by the authority of the emperor and everyone in the empire was forced to rest on Sunday, the Eastern Churches had no choice but to worship on Sunday.

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 In the early 2nd century, the Western Churches, centered on Rome, mainly consisted of Gentile believers.<ref>[https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780190654344.003.0002 'Jews, Gentiles, and Christians (200 bce–200 ce)'], The Abrahamic Religions: A Very Short Introduction, Very Short Introductions, Cohen, Charles L., January 23, 2020</ref> They intensely disliked the Jews because they [[Cross|crucified]] Jesus and constantly persecuted the Christians. After the two Jewish-Roman Wars broke out and the Roman Empire carried out policies of persecuting the Jews, the Western Churches came to think that they didn’t need to be persecuted anymore by the Roman Empire by keeping the Sabbath on the same day as Judaism. Furthermore, they thought that if they worshiped on Sunday, the holy day of the sun god that was the most popular in Rome at that time, it would ease the persecution by gaining the favor of the Romans and make it easier to convert the Romans to Christianity. The Church in Rome began to observe Sunday worship instead of the Sabbath in the early 2nd century.
-The Western Churches have come up with various reasons to justify Sunday worship. Justinus, an apologist who converted to Christianity, wrote his ''First Apology'' to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (r. 138–161) to support Christianity around A.D.150. He explained that the day God began to create the world and the day Jesus Christ was [[Resurrection of Jesus|resurrected]] was the first day of the week, the day of the sun, so Christians worshiped on this day.<ref>The First Apology of Justin Martyr, pg. 68, 1912</ref>
+The Western Churches have come up with various reasons to justify Sunday worship. Justinus, an apologist who converted to Christianity, wrote his ''First Apology'' to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius (r. 138–161) to support Christianity around A.D.150. He explained that the day God began to create the world and the day Jesus Christ was [[Jesus' Resurrection|resurrected]] was the first day of the week, the day of the sun, so Christians worshiped on this day.<ref>The First Apology of Justin Martyr, pg. 68, 1912</ref>
-In this way, the Western Churches had left the [[New Covenant]] Sabbath and worshiped on Sunday, but the Eastern Churches, following the example of Jesus and the apostles, kept Saturday as the Sabbath until Sunday law was issued.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+4%3A16&OLWordSearchRange=beg&q2=&ss=0&t1=eng_n84&t2=eng_kjv&t3=eng_nas&ns=0&sr=1&ot=bhs&nt=wh&hv1=1&b=verse&d=3|title=Luke 4:16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+17%3A2-3&OLWordSearchRange=beg&q2=&ss=0&t1=eng_n84&t2=eng_kjv&t3=eng_nas&ns=0&sr=1&ot=bhs&nt=wh&hv1=1&b=verse&d=3|title=Acts 17:2–3}}</ref>{{quote|We always find in ancient writers frequent mention made of religious assemblies on the Saturday, or seventh day of the week, which was the Jewish Sabbath . . . For Athanasius, who is one of the first that mentions it, says, “'''they met on the Sabbath''', not that they were infected with Judaism, but '''to worship Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath.'''|Joseph Bingham, ''The Antiquities of the Christian Church'', Book 13, Chap. 9, Sect. 3}}
+In this way, the Western Churches had left the [[New Covenant]] Sabbath and worshiped on Sunday, but the Eastern Churches, following the example of Jesus and the apostles, kept Saturday as the Sabbath until Sunday law was issued.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+4%3A16&OLWordSearchRange=beg&version=NIV|title=Luke 4:16}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+17%3A2-3&OLWordSearchRange=beg&version=NIV|title=Acts 17:2–3}}</ref>{{quote|We always find in ancient writers frequent mention made of religious assemblies on the Saturday, or seventh day of the week, which was the Jewish Sabbath . . . For Athanasius, who is one of the first that mentions it, says, “'''they met on the Sabbath''', not that they were infected with Judaism, but '''to worship Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath.'''|Joseph Bingham, ''The Antiquities of the Christian Church'', Book 13, Chap. 9, Sect. 3}}
 {{quote|. . . it has been supposed that their predecessors, the ancient sabbatarians, feeling themselves aggrieved by the edict of Constantine, which strictly enforced the observance of the first day of the week . . . '''it is certain that the practice of observing Saturday as a festival, was very common in the Eastern churches''', at the close of the fourth century . . .|Henry Bannerman, ''The Modern Sabbath Examined'', London: Whittaker, Treacher and Arnot, 2012, p. 274}}
 However, as the Sunday law was issued by the authority of the emperor and everyone in the empire was forced to rest on Sunday, the Eastern Churches had no choice but to worship on Sunday.

Sunday Law: Difference between revisions