Sunday in the New Testament

SUNDAY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN SABBATHS. BY FREDERIC CLIFT, M. D., OF THE BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY. [In a note to Dr. Clift, dated San Francisco, January 16,1905, Elder Jos. E. Robinson, president of the California Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, says: "I have read your article on Sunday in the New Testament which you submitted to me, with great satisfaction and interest, and think it will be of much worth to the missionaries, especially those who come in contact frequently with the 'Adventists,' who as you know, have challenged the 'world' to show any authority for the observance of the Sunday as a holy day, save the action and dictation of the Catholic church. In common with all protestants, they charge us, the Latter-day Saint?, with following the Pope of Rome in this matter, ignoring, of course, the revelation to the Prophet Joseph on this subject. I think your argument a sufficient proof to the contrary, and a clear exposition of the fact that Sunday was the early Christian day of worship."—Editors.] Although in the Book of Revelation, 1: 10, it is written, "I was in the spirit on the Lord's day," yet it is denied by some that the Bible recognizes Sunday as a Sabbath. The Lord, however, does not leave those who seek him in spirit and in truth without ample witness to the facts which are necessary for their spiritual advancement: provided they endeavor to exercise their faculties,

402 IMPRO VEMENT ERA. and search after truth and for the evidences which God provides in both ancient and modern revelation. In a previous article* it was shown that the authorized, or King James, translation of 1611, was the outcome of compromise; and that it oftentimes gives inaccurate renderings of the Greek text. In it, reference was made to the fact that in Matthew 28:1, the Greek word Sabbatone, meaning "Sabbath," is used twice, being correctly translated as "sabbath" in the first part of the verse, but incorrectly translated as "week" in the subsequent part of the same verse. This is the first direct intimation we have in the New Testament of the establishment of a new Sabbath for Christians,but the fact is lost sight of because, in the words of the King James translators, "we have not tied ourselves to an uniformity of phrasing or an identity of words." This studied avoidance of uniformity in the rendering of the same words, even when occurring in the same context, is one of the chief blemishes of this version. We admit that this variety of rendering conduced to its happy terms of expression and musical cadences, but submit that it is inconsistent with the requirements of faithful translation. So, in this verse referred to, the euphonized term, "First day of the week," rightly understood, represents the exact time of the Apostolic Sabbath, but does not represent its Sabbatic character, and this, because of the translators studied avoidance of "uniformity of phrasing" and "identity of words." Before proceeding further, it may be helpful to state the following propositions: 1. Jesus rose from the dead on the morning of the first day of the week, which corresponds with our Sunday. 2. The event is described by all four Evangelists. 3. All four Evangelists call the day of Christ's resurrection, "Sabbaton." 4. The Church of Christ has always kept the first day of the week as the Christian Sabbath. 5. The earliest records state that such was the case. 6. There is no record stating that they did not so keep it. 7. The records show ;hat on several occasions Christ's followers met together on the first day of the week. Improvement Era, July, 1904.

SUNDAY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. 403 8. There is no record that they ever gathered together on the Jewish Sabbath. 9. There are numerous instances in which the Lord's day, or first day of the week, is said to be a Sabbath. 10. The Christian Sabbath, the Lord's day, began "very early in the morning." 11. That although the Galileean fishermen and other writers of the Bible were inspired of God, yet there is no evidence that the King James translators were so inspired; on the contrary, they represented different and opposing religious sects. The question arises, what name was given by the Jews to the last day of the week, their seventh day Sabbath? The copy of the Old Testament used and quoted from by our Lord and his apostles was known as the Greek Septuagint in which Exodus, 20: 8, reads: Mneestheeti teen heemeran tone Sabbatone hagiazein auteen, "Remember the day of the Sabbaths to hallow it." The Jews, therefore, knew their Sabbath as "the day of the Sabbaths," and when they became Christians, and the day of the resurrection and every recurring eighth day became their Sabbath, they gave it a distinctive name, "The one of the Sabbaths,'' Mian Sabbatone. Mia is the Greek form of the cardinal number "one," and is so translated some sixty-nine times in the New Testament. Here we have two distinct Sabbaths, the Jewish, which was just ending, the Christian, which was just dawning. The Maries had probably left their homes before light, to avoid attracting attention, and reached the sepulchre just as the sun was risen. Luke contrasts the two Sabbatical dispensations by using the two Greek conjunctions, men—de, thus marking a clear antithesis, saying: The women rested on the men Sabbatone, but tee de mia tone Sabbatone, "on the one of the Sabbaths," very early in the morning they came unto the sepulchre, -bringing the spices, etc., Luke 23: 56, and 24: 1. If these two days were not both Sabbaths, there could be no ground for Luke's antithesis, and if the two Sabbaths were alike in every respect, then neither the acts of the women nor the days could be set- in contrast. Luke has made men and Sabbatone inseparable; therefore, he spoke of two distinct

404 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Sabbaths. On the one, the Jewish, or ante-resurrection Sabbath, rest was the one and only duty, and the women rested as commanded. It began with the setting sun. The other, the Christian or post-resurrection, "the one of Sabbaths" was a day of activity for doing good. It began with the rising sun. They came very early, to bring the spices they had prepared. It was a day for worship, seeing Christ they worship him. The phrase, Mian Sabbatone, "one of Sabbaths," became crystallized, and we find Paul, in I Cor. 16: 2, using the same words as the writers of the four gospels. Let us follow Paul to Antioch, Acts 13: 13-44. As his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and the rulers, those in charge of the meeting, invited him to speak to the people. The Jews were not much impressed by his talk, but the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the "Next Sabbath," Metaxu Sabbatone. Taming to the marginal reference in King James translation, verse 42, we find an alternative reading for these two words, "In the Sabbath between." This is a correct and exact translation of the two Greek words. So, then, the Gentiles were aware that there was another Sabbath coming in between that day and the following Sabbath of the Jews. Not only does the word metaxu, "between," prove this, but verse 44 agrees with the same idea, "And the next Sabbath day." The word translated "next" in this verse, is not metaxu, as in verse 42, but erchomeno, which properly means "coming," and well expresses the idea that the subsequent assembly was held on the day following the Jewish Sabbath; viz., the coming Lord's day, when almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. This meeting was probably held out of doors in some large, open place, for the synagogue would not have been large enough to contain almost the whole city. Consider, the Gentiles had no respect for the Jews or their Sabbath, and had no control over their synagogue. Why should they ask Paul to preach to them in a building over which neither they nor Paul had any authority? Why should they wait a week? Paul was far too much in earnest to stand by, speechless, during seven whole davs, while the Gentiles were crying out for the bread of life. Accordingly, it must be admitted that it was a meeting controlled by Christians, held by them on

SUNDAY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. 405 the first day of the week, the following day, the "between Sabbath," and that Paul then and there preached to "almost the whole city." In order that there may be no misunderstanding, let us examine other passages in the New Testament in which this word metaxu occurs. They are nine in number; in six it is translated ''between:" Matt. 18: 15; 23: 35; Luke 11: 51; 16: 26; Acts 12: 6; 15: 9. Twice it is translated "meanwhile:" John 4: 31, and Romans 2: 15; but notice that in this last instance, it is rendered correctly in the margin as "between." Once, viz., in the text under consideration, it is translated "next," but with the marginal correction, "between." The Latins used the word "inter" when translating "metaxu." This word "inter" is used to express "two points of time between which anything occurs." To the candid mind, the original Greek, when thus examined, allows of no alternative, there could be no room for such language, if there had not been another Sabbath day coming in between two Jewish Sabbaths. Another recorded occasion upon which the disciples came together on the "one of the Sabbaths" was during Paul's stay at Troas, Acts 20: 6. It contains both positive and negative evidence. Paul, in company with seven other brethren, abode seven days at Troas. There is no record of any meeting being held on the last day of the week—the Jewish Sabbath—but we have the positive evidence that Paul allowed his ship to go ahead, indicating that he had some urgent reason for staying behind, and beyond the day of the Jewish Sabbath. It was to break bread, to partake of the Lord's Supper with his followers, upon the "one of the Sabbaths," when the disciples came together. These words proclaim that it was a matter of course for them to assemble or come together on that day to break bread. There is no statement or record in the New Testament of any similar Christian meeting being held on a Saturday. On the contrary, Paul, on this occasion, allowed his ship to sail and deliberately waited until after the Jewish Sabbath in order to meet with the Saints on the first day of the week, and he departed early on the Monday morning to overtake his ship. If Acts 16: 13, Tee te heemera tone Sabbatone, translated incorrectly "and on the Sabbath" instead of "and on the day of the Sabbaths," is quoted against this view, it will be remembered that

406 IMPROVEMENT ERA. the apostolic mission was to the Jews first, and a reference to 17: 2, shows that Paul's manner or habit was to visit the synagogues on every Jewish Sabbath day to reason with the Jews out of the scriptures. Common sense would lead him to go where he could address large bodies of Jews, who otherwise would not trouble themselves to come together to hear him preach the gospel. On this particular "day of the Sabbaths,"—Sunday—he went out of the city by the riverside where prayer was wont to be made. The Jewish Sabbath was the day for argument in the synagogues; the Christian Sabbath, the day for prayer, praise and baptism. Lydia, the seller of purple, was probably baptized in the river on this very Sabbath day. It being usual to baptize converts immediately on their believing, as instanced in the case of Phillip and the Eunuch. To those who have listened to arguments advocating Saturday the seventh day, and that day only, as the acceptable Sabbath of the Lord, it may be a surprise to be* told that Sunday, or the first day of the week, is called a Sabbath eight times in the New Testament; and to those who look upon the King James Bible as an inspired translation, it may come as a shock to find that eight mistakes have been made in this one subject alone. Other scholars just as competent as those selected by King James have been blessed with as good, if not better, facilities for translating the vari »us books of the Bible, and have not hesitated to correct or amend it. The New Testament was written in Greek, Latin being the chief contemporaneous language, and although the common use of both languages died out in the early Christian centuries, we have Latin copies of the Greek Testament which are extremely useful in proving the correctness of the meaning of disputed passages. Thus, the Greek word baptizo is translated by the Latin word immergo, showing conclusively that immersion was the practice of the early Christians. In considering or rendering these eight passages giving the Sabbatic character to the first day of the week, let us compare the Greek text, in corresponding English characters, with Latin, German, Swedish and English translations, the latter being of both recent and early date. It will be noticed that the King James and its associate versions are practically the only ones that translate Sabbatone by the words Sabbath in one

SUNDAY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. 4U7 place and week in another, and we may well stop and ask the question, why should the King James translators be looked upon as infallible? Taking these eight mistranslations in order, we find: (i) Matt: 28: 1. Green text: Opse de "Sabbatone" tee epiphoskousee eis mian "Sabbatone." Literal translation: Late but of "Sabbaths" the dawning into one of "Sabbaths." Latin translation: Vespere autem "Sabbatorum" lucescenti in unam "Sabbatorum." Tyndale's translation: (1530 A. D.) The "Sabboth" daye at even which dawneth the morrow after the "Sabbath." Cranmer's translation: (1539 A. D.) Upon an evening of the "Sabbathes" which dawneth the fyrst daye of the "Sabbathes." German translation: Am abend aber des "Sabbaths" welcher aubright am morgen des ersten feiertages der "Sabbathen" King James' translation: (1611. A. D.) In the end of the "Sabbath" as it began to dawn toward the first day of the "week." But in the evening of the "Sabbath" which approached the morning of the first holy day of the Sabbaths." Swedish translation: Om "Sabbats" aftonen i gryningen pa forsta "Sabbaten." Danish translation: Men der "Ugen" var ude, da det lyste op til den f0rste [dag] i "Ugen." Icelandic translation: (1803 A. D.) At kvollde "Sabbaths dagsins" sa er hefst hinn fyrste heilagur dagur i "Sabbaths dagum." The reader will note the similarity in each language of the quoted words, the only exception being in that of the King James. (2) Mark 16: 1. Greek text: Kai diagenomenou tou "Sabbatou." Latin translation: Et peracto Sabbatho. Tyndale's translation: When the Sabbath was past. King James' translation: And when the Sabbath was past. Swedish translation: Och di Sabbaten framgnngen var. The use of this Greek word, diagenomenou distinctly shows

403 IMPROVEMENT ERA. that che Jewish Sabbath had passed over or away. Dr. Young, in his Commentary, claims that this word indicates the passing away of the covenant and its Sabbath. Mark 16: 2. Greek text: Kai lian proi tees mias Sabbatone erchontai. Latin translation: Et valde mane una Sabbatorum veniunt. German translation: Und sei kamen zum grabe an Einem Sabbather. Tyndale's translation: And early in the morning, the first day of the Sabbaths, they came. King James' translation: And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came. Swedish translation: Och pa den ena Sabbaten. (3) Mark 16: 9. Greek text: Anastas de proi protee Sabbatone. Latin translation: Resurgens autem Jesus mane prima Sabbati. German translation: Jesus aber da er auferstanden war fruhe am Ersten tage der Sabbather. King James' translation: Now, when Jesus was risen early the firat day of the week. Literal translation: Now when Jesus was risen early the very first of the Sabbaths. Swedish translation: Men nar Jesus uppst^nden var om morgonen, pa forsta Sabbatsdagen. The meaning of the Greek word protee is "first in dignity or importance," with a superlative meaning of "very first." Mark 12: 29. The scribe having asked—Which is the protee commandment of all? Jesus answered, The protee is, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God; this is the protee commandment. Was it accident that inspired Mark to use this word protee and to call the first day of the week the protee Sabbath? (4) Luke 24: 1. Greek text: Tee de mia tone Sabbatone. Literal translation: Bat in the one of the Sabbaths.

SEND AY IX THE MAY TESTAMENT. 409 Latin translation: At una Sabbatorum. King James' translation: Now upon the first day of the week. German translation: Aber an der Sabbather einem sehr furhe. Swedish translation: Pa den ena Sabbaten. We have already considered the antithesis which Luke suggests by his use of the Greek words, men, in the preceding verse, and de in this verse. (5) John 20: 1. Greek text: Tee de mia tone Sabbatone. Latin translation: At una Sabbatorum. German translation: An der Sabbather einen kommt. Tyndale's translation: The first day of the Sabbaths. King James' translation: The first day of the week. Swedish translation: P* den ena Sabbaten. (6) John 20: 19. Greek text: Ousees oun opsias tee hemera ekeinee tee mia tone Sabbatone. Tyndale's translation: The same day at night which was the first day of the Sabbaths. Latin translation: Existente ergo vespere die illo una Sabbatorum. King James' Translation: Then the same day at evening being the first day of the week. German translation: Am abend aber desselbigen Sabbaths. Literal translation: In evening of the same Sabbath. Swedish translation: Men om aftonen p£ den samma Sabbaten. These two verse? are useful as proving that the events of the evening in question took place on the resurrection day, for John states it was the "same Sabbath." (7) Acts 20: 7. Greek text: En de tee mia tone Sabbatone. Latin translation: In autem una Sabbatorum. King James' translation: And upon the first day of the week. Emphatic Diaglott translation: In the first of the Sabbaths.

410 IMPROVEMENT ERA. German translation: Auf einem Sabbath. "Upon the one of Sabbaths." Swedish translation: P& en Sabbat. (8) I. Cor. 16: 2. Greek text: Kata mian Sabbatone. Latin translation: Per unam Sabbatorum. King James' translation: Upon the first day of the week. German translation:- Auf einem jeglichen Sabbather. Literal translation: Upon each one of the Sabbaths. (This shows a continuing habit of meeting on the Lord's day.) Swedish translation: Pa den ena Sabbaten.* In all these passages, except Mark 16: 9, Sabbaton is in its plural form. Now, either the singular or plural form would apply to the Lord's day Sabbath, but the plural form cannot be construed as meaning the first of the week. To say that they came to the sepulchre early the first of the weeks is to make nonsense. The word of the Lord is right, and it is but following an old rut of error, adopted by the King James from a contemporary Presbyterian version" known as the Genevan, 1557 A. D., when we render the same word Sabbatone, as a Sabbath of one day, in one part of a verse, and as a week of seven days, in another part of the same verse. * The Bible societies of England and America have translated the King James' version, with all its errors and imperfections, into most of the foreign languages of the world. Our missionaries are therefore cautioned to insist on translations from the original Bibles of the country. Thus the Swedish Bible, from which the above extracts are taken, was published at Goteborg, in 1794, A. D., by Samuel Norberg. It is a copy of the original Swedish Bible, and not a translation from the King James' version, which, it may be added, are sold at almost nominal prices, and are therefore becoming generally used in foreign countries. Without multiplying references from other versions, it may be added that the old Danish Bible, printed by order of King Frederick, 1749, although it translates Sabbaton by the word Ugen, meaning "week," yet it is consistent, inasmuch as in Matt. 28: 1, it translates both Sabbatons as "week," thereby doing away with the Sabbatical character of both the Jewish last day of the week, and the Christian first day of the week.—F. C.

SUNDAY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. 411 There is another instance in which Sabbaton is mistranslated by the same translators. In Luke 18: 12, the Pharisee makes his boast and says: "I fast twice in the week." There was nothing to boast of in this; the Greek, however, states that he fasted twice each Sabbaton, which accords with the condition, for three meals a day was customary. It may be noted here that Calvin in his translation of the New Testament rejects the phrase, "The first day of the week," and renders it "One of the Sabbaths." Dr. Sutherland, in his testimony before the Senate Rest Bill Committee, in 1889, said, "The day on which he arose is called a Sabbath or one of the Sabbaths," and that the phrase, "the first day of the week," which we find in our English version, ought never to have been there. If any man will examine the original Greek text, he will see that there is nothing in the word about the first day of the week. (Senate Documents, page 53). The evidence is, therefore, conclusive that five of the New Testament writers refer to the first day of the week as a Sabbath, and John, in addition to his statements in his gospel, calls it the Lord's day. These writers were not only inspired, but were well able to express their thoughts in Greek, and knew that hebdomas was the proper word in which to express the idea of "week." That there is no mystery about the use of this word is proved from the fact that we get the hebdomadal division of time into seven days from this word hebdomas, "a week." The word Sabbiton is found some sixty-seven times in different forms, but in every instance the context proves that the word is used to mean a sacred day and nothing else. That this was the understanding of the early Christian fathers, from Ignatius, (who by tradition is said to have been the child that Jesus blessed) to Hilary, 360 A. D., is proved from their writings. Dr. Hessey, in his Bampton lectures, 1860, says: "The writers of the first two centuries from the death of Jonn treat the Lord's day as part and parcel of apostolic and scriptural Christianity. It was never defended, for it was never impugned, never confounded with the "(Jewish) Sabbath, but carefully distinguished from it, not of severe sabbatical character, but of joy and cheerfulness, a day of solemn feasting for the Eucharist, united prayer,

412 IMPROVEMENT ERA. instruction and alms-giving." He further says: "It was only after the third century, and even then only gradually, that the Christian and Jewish institutions were confused, and that tendencies toward Sabbatarianism began." The apostolic writers were regarded as unlearned and ignorant men, (Acts 4: 3) and we find Paul in II Cor. 10: 10, refers to his speech being described as "contemptible." As sectarians of today attack the literary ability of the Latter-day Saints, and endeavor to throw ridicule upon the Book of Mormon, and the revelations of Joseph Smith, Wilford Woodruff, and others, so we find carping critics misrepresenting and mistranslating the writings of the associates of our Blessed Lord. As early as A. D. 294, we find that Arnobius, in his defense of the writings of the early Christians, says: "This is a stronger reason for believing that they have not been adulterated by any false statements, but were put forth by men of simple mind, who knew not how to trick out their tales with ornaments. Truth never seeks deceitful polish, is not diminished if error is made in number, or case, preposition, participle or conjunction. We see you (Gentiles) using masculine as feminine, and those you call neuters, in this way and in that, without distinction; therefore, it is vain for you to say our works are disfigured with monstrous solecisms; you are involved in similar errors." (Adv. Gentis, B. I., sec. 58.) ' This, if it had been written subsequent to the publication of the King James translation, would have formed a strong indictment of those who, for the sake of peace, bartered away many precious truths when revising the work of Tyndale.the translator and publisher of the first English Bible from the original Greek. For, as already stated, the King James' version was the outcome of controversy between the Episcopalean and Presbyterian church systems. During the preceding reign of Elizabeth, Dr. Nicholas Bound, about 1595, took an active part in the discussion of the seventh day Sabbath'question in which both the Episcopaleans and Puritans joined. Some ten years later, the revision of the Bible was ordered by King James; and although, as we have seen, Tyndale's translation of 1530, as also the great Bible of Henry VIII, and several of the subsequent revisions, had rendered mia tone Sabbatone as the "first day of the Sabbaths," yet James, having appointed men from both

SUNDAY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. 413 religious parties, allowed them a free hand in settling their difficulties and in making such changes as would promote unity among his subjects, and conduce to the political welfare of his kingdom. The compromise, as facts suggest, did not hurt the Episcopaleans, because they relied, not so much on what the Bible said, as upon tradition t'nd custom as handed down to them by the Catholic church, —much as the Latter-day Saints of today rely on the revelation given to Joseph Smith, Sunday, August 7, 1831, in which the Sunday question is settled once for all, so far as his followers are concerned, (Doctrine and Covenants, sec. 59:9-12). On the other hand, the reading as found in King James was acceptable to the Puritans, or Presbyterians, inasmuch as it did not prevent those so disposed from arguing along the lines at that time, and now again, taken by latter-day sectarians. Consequently, both were content with a translation which, although fixing for those whose minds were rightly disposed, the time of the Christian Sabbath as the first day of the week, yet deprived that day of its Sabbatical character. For the purpose of argument, let it be admitted that the learned revisors of the New Testament were entitled to call the Christian Sabbath the first day of the week, just as it would be correct to call the Jewish Sabbath the last day of the week. This does not get rid of the fact that the resurrection day is in all Greek Testaments called "Sabbath." Why call the Jewish Sabbath, a Sabbath, and not call the resurrection day a Sabbath, when the same identical Greek word Sabbaton is applied to both, and used in the very same case and number? (Matt. 28: 1). Provo, Utah.