Was the sabbath changed by Rome?

Answer 1

Catholic Answer:

The Christian Church has celebrated Mass on the First Day of the week since the earliest times of Christianity, because that was the Day the Lord Had Risen from the Dead. Acts chapter 20, verse 7, 1 Corinthians chapter 16, verse 2, Revelation chapter 1, verse 10.

From that time onward, Christianity has ALWAYS celebrated on the first day of the week, as opposed to the 7'Th. It continued right on through the Schism between the Eastern & Western Churches, as well as the Protestant Reformation. It wasn't until the Seventh Day Adventist Church was formed in the 19'Th Century, that some Christians started to worship on the Jewish Sabbath Day again.

No. Some think the Sabbath was changed by the early Christian Church, because Christ Rose on the First Day of the Week which many now call the Lord's Day. But it was man more than 200 years after the cross that they started calling it as such.

The Bible says that the day we call Saturday is the Lord's Day. What man does against the will of God does not change the truth or what the Bible says. The Bible never identifies Sunday as the Lord's Day but it does identify the Sabbath as being the Lord's Day. Sunday was never called the Lord's Day for an entire generation after the cross and then it was so called against the will of God and by the hand of Satan.

Note carefully the following historical quote that proves when it was so called. "In the year 325, Sylvester, Bishop of Rome (AD 314-337), officially changed the title of the first day, calling it the Lord's day." (Lucium, Historia Ecclesiastica, p. 739)

Constantine's Sunday law played a small role in the change coming about but it was the papal Church that actually did the final change. So there were several stages to the change and why there is so much confusion as to how the day was changed.

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.D. 363-364).

Canon XXIX: "Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord's Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ."

While resting on the Sabbath was outlawed in favour of resting on Sunday according to Constantine's Sunday Law, Cannon law 16 that was also issued by the Bishops in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 363-364) confirms very significantly that Christians were still worshipping on the Sabbath.

Canon XVI: "The Gospels are to be read on the Sabbath [i.e. Saturday], with the other Scriptures."

The fact that the council of Laodicea found it necessary to deal with this issue is indisputable evidence that more than 330 years after the cross that there were many who were still observing the Sabbath according to the Commandment.

Sunday was also not kept until at least 90 A.D. when some changed to Sunday in fear of persecution after the Jewish wars and the destruction of the temple. And then it was significantly ONLY in Rome and Alexandria where sun worship was prevalent. Other areas were still observing Saturday which also corroborates the part of pagan sun worship in changing the day.

If there was a switch to Sunday the Bible would inform us of it and there would be no shortage of scriptures of people worshipping in the Church (Synagogue) but there is not one single scripture. Everyone of them are all on the Sabbath.

Also, scripture actually proves the Sabbath belongs to the New Covenant and that Sunday cannot. Exodus 24:3-8; Hebrews 9:11-18 and Hebrews 12:24 reveal that the Old and New Covenants were sealed with blood. Hebrews 9:15-17 says that a Covenant requires the death of the testator and has no power while the testator lives. And Galatians 3:15 says a Covenant cannot be changed after the death of the testator. So the New Covenant was sealed by the blood of Jesus that afternoon when He died and it cannot be changed afterwards by anyone. When Luke was referring to the woman preparing spices and ointments for the body of Christ, He said, "…they rested the Sabbath day according to the Commandment." Luke 23:55-56. This was after the New Covenant was sealed by the blood of Christ and they were still keeping the Sabbath according to how the Commandment instructs. Luke wrote this half a lifetime after the cross and there was no way he would not have known if it was changed. Some also say it was changed to Sunday in honour of the resurrection but it is impossible for Sunday to belong to the New Covenant for the same reason being that it cannot be changed after it was sealed by the death of Christ.

We can worship God on any day of the week and we should do so but that does not change a commandment of God either. If the Bible does not say so then it is not so.

No one can change the Ten Commandment law of God. Not even the Apostles. No one can change God's law and He is the same yesterday, today and forever, He changes not. If God did change the Sabbath, scripture would be SCREAMING the change at us but we are in fact told the Law would NOT change. Luke 16:17 says, "It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail." And God's law does not change on assumptions and Jesus said tradition in place of His Commandments was unacceptable and called those who did so hypocrites.

As for the assumed Sunday worship. The three often quoted scriptures NEVER occurred in the Church. Acts 20:7 was after sunset and so was a Saturday meeting that ran late and breaking bread was also a fellowship meal and was done every day of the week. (Acts 2:46) 1 Corinthians 16:2 was laying goods away in storage for the poor which you would not do on the Sabbath but first opportunity after being Sunday. John 20:19 is not the Apostles celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. The verse says the apostles were hiding in fear of the Jews and did not believe Jesus was resurrected. Mark 16:11-14 shows Jesus rebuking them for their unbelief.

Note how the Good News Bible translates the breaking of bread to the "fellowship meal" and note also how this Bible translates "first day of the week" to "Saturday evening" to avoid confusion for the reader. It is good to see someone was observant and got this right.

Acts 20:7 KJV "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."

Acts 20:7 GNB "On Saturday evening we gathered together for the fellowship meal. Paul spoke to the people and kept on speaking until midnight, since he was going to leave the next day."

Acts 20:7 NEB "On the Saturday night, in our assembly for the breaking of bread, Paul, who was to leave next day, addressed them, and went on speaking until midnight."

Unlike those trying to prove a fallacy using verses that did not even occur in the Church like Acts 20:7 or 1 Corinthians 16:2, the following scriptures are not assumptions: Mark 1:21, Mark 6:2, Luke 4:16, Luke 6:6, Luke 13:10, Acts 13:14, Acts 13:27, Acts 13:42, 44, Acts 15:21, Acts 17:1-2 and Acts 18:4.

Revelation 1:10 does not specify a day. But the Bible does say the Lord has a day and all scripture says this day is the Seventh Day. Those claiming otherwise need to produce scripture proof and not opinions. If scripture does not say so, it is not so. And according to Luke 16:17, unless Jesus lied, the Sabbath could never have been changed to Sunday in the Bible which is backed up by the fact that it could not be changed after the death of Christ sealing the New Covenant and the Seventh day Sabbath with His blood.

Luke 16:17 says, "It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail."

So Sunday can never be the Lord's Day and history confirms this and Sunday can also never be part of the New Covenant as it cannot be changed after Christ sealed the New Covenant with His blood.

The change to Sunday began as a result of persecution a lifetime after the cross and the Papal church finished the change over 200 hundred years later.