The Epistles of Barnabas urged Yahosheans of his days that Sabbath was unacceptable rather the first day that he identified as “the eighteth day”.
Justin Martyr of 2nd century admonished the Yahosheans of his days not to observe Sabbath of Hebrew method because it was a law handed to the Hebrew as a tribe and because of the sins of Hebrew people, it is no longer required to be observed after Yahoshea came without sin.
Many other patristic writers favour Sunday rest as they identified it as the Lord’s Day and such gradually gave rise to Sunday rest day. Sunday worship became the standing order of the movement during 4th century through Emperor Constantine’s Edict that transfer the religious practices that were done of 7th day Sabbath to the Lord’s Day (Sunday) in 321 Ad.
This development was followed by many creeds from ecumenical councils that formulated the orthodoxy. From fourth century and above, the name of the fold has assumed as Christianity driven from Christoi” of Greek and subsequent Creeds as the council of Laodicea required the fold to separate from Yahudean laws and traditions. The creed stated that Christians should not Judaize by resting on Sabbath, but must work on that day and to rest on the Lord’s Day.
The Creed decleared that Judaizers were anathema from Christ. The patristic writers explained Sabbath rest law as eschatological rather than observation of a literal day. The spiritualization of the law became the position of academic scholars thereby disregarding true Sabbath observation that was one of the central observations of the primitive Yahosheans.
The protestant reform era witnessed a rigorous observance of Sunday worship among Christianity. Reformers as Marthin Luther and John Calvin viewed Sabbath day rest as 7th day as a binding ordinance; upon believers but did not enforce such in their movements.
For example, John Wesley who was the founder of “Methodism” observed as thus, “this handwriting of ordinances our Lord did blot out, take away, and nail to his cross. But the moral law contained in the Ten Commandments, and enforced by the prophets. He did not take away… The moral law stands on an entirely different foundation from the ceremonial or ritual law. Every part of this law must remain in force upon all mankind and in all ages”.
What Wesley meant was that “Ritual laws” which Sabbath is inclusive are unnecessary to believers because they have been nailed at the cross.
Sunday worship became permanent ordinance among Continental and English Protestants during the 16th century and above. The Puritans of England and Scothland took Sunday Sabbaterianism as custom.
This group in Christendom hold that what matters to a believer is his or her adherence to the word of God which binds the consciences of men without regard to how or when to break from work.
The Puritan’s view over Sunday Sabbaterianism influenced many protestant reformed churches and they enshrined it into their operational creeds. For example, the Calvanist tradition based on the “Westminster Confession of Faith” (1646) chapter 21, of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day, sections 7 and 8 read “(7). As it is the law of nature that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God, so in his word, by a positive, moral and perpetual commencement binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept Holy unto him, which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which in scripture, is called the Lord’s day, and is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath” 8). “This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand does only observe a holy rest all the day, from their own works, words, and thought about their worldly employments and recreations, but also are taken up, the whole time, in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy”.
The Continental Sabbath observers follow the continental reformed confessions such a the Heidlberg Catechism which prescribed for Sunday Sabbath that do not forbid recreational activities. The puritan Sabbath was influenced on the 19th century by the evangelical awakening.
The Catholic Church in its catechism (2174) hold that Sunday is the day of rest. Lord’s Day is considered both the first day and the eighteth day of the seven-day-week which symbolizes with first creation and new creation. Catechism (2075) hold that Catholic count the prohibition of servile work as transferred from seventh-day Sabbath to Sunday, (2076) holds that it do not hinder participation in ordinary and innocent occupations. (2077) hold that Sunday is kept in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ, and celebrated with the Eucharist and (2198) hold that Roman Catholic view the first day as a day for assembly for worship.
Modern scholars and Theologians are conclusive that Sunday rest or worship is an ordinance of Roman Catholic Church but without outstanding scriptural authority. The Catholic Fathers on their submission have often claim that Sunday worship was of their own making.
Example of such claimant is carried in the work of Cardinal Gibbons – “Faith of Our Fathers” P & 2 as “Now, the scriptures alone do not contain all the truths which a Christian is bound to believe nor do they explicitly enjoin all the duties which he is obliged to practice. Not to mention other examples, is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday and to abstain on that day from unnecessary servile work? Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties? But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturdays, a day which we never sanctify”.
Meshiyach Yahzitere Yahmarabhi
(+234) 7066195260
Email: okohmeshiyach@yahoo.com
