The Sabbath Day

The Sabbath Day BY GEORGE W. CROCKWELL

Which is the proper day to be observed as a day of worship, or Sabbath day, the first or the seventh day of the week? To the Latter-day Saint there is no uncertainty about it we ;

have the word of the Lord, through the Prophet Joseph Smith, that the first day of the week, called by John the beloved disciple, the Lord's day, is the proper day, and should settle the question — without further cavil, but with the world at large this is different. Our Seventh Day Advent friends contend vigorously for the seventh day, boldly asserting that Constantine, Emperor of Rome, changed the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week, by an edict in the fourth century. This is most certainly an error as the following excerpts from the writings of theological historians will prove

Mosheim's Church History, Book 1. Century 1, Part 2, Chap. 4:4: "The Christians of this century assembled for the worship of God and for their advancement, on the first day of the week, the day on which Christ reassumed his life; for that this day was set apart for religious worship by the apostles themselves ; and that after the example of the church at Jerusalem, it was generally observed, we have unex- ceptionable testimony." Epistle to the Magnesians, A. D., Chap. 9, Ignatius said: 101 "Those who were brought up the ancient order of things, have in come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sab- bath (Jewish or seventh day), but living in the observance of the Lord's day (first day) on which also our life was sprung by him and his death." Barderaven, A. D. 130: "On one day, the first day of the week, we assemble ourselves together." Apologies, 1:67, A. D. 140, Justin Martyr says: "And in the day called Sunday all who live in the cities or in the country gather to- gether in one place and the memoirs of the apostles, or the writings of the prophets, are read as long as time permits, etc. * * * Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it was the first day on which the Lord, having brought a change in the dark- ness and matter said, Let there be light, made the world, and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day arose from the dead." Clement of Alexandria, Book 7, Chap. 12, A. D. 193: "He, in fulfilment of the precept according to the gospel, keeps the Lord's day." Apologies, Sec. 21, A. D. 200: "We neither accord with the Jews in their peculiarities in regard to food nor in their sacred days." Origen, Book 3, Chap. 23, A. D. 201: "We ourselves are accus- tomed to observe certain days, as for example, the Lord's day." Mosheim's Church History, Book 2, Century 4, Part 1, Chap. 1:8:

340 IMPROVEMENT ERA "It is indeed true that Constantine's life was not such as the precepts of Christianity required; and it is also true that he remained a catechumen (unbaptized Christian) all his life, and was received to full membership in the Church, by baptism at Nicomedia, only a few days before his d&ath." Footnote 25: "Constantine, long before this time, A. D. 324, de- clared himself a Christian, and that he was acknowledged as such by the churches is certain. It is also true, he had for a long time per- formed the religious acts of an unbaptized Christian, that is, a cate- chumen; for he attended the public worship, fasted, prayed, observed the Christian Sabbath, and the anniversaries of the martyrs, and watched in the vigils of Easter."

From the foregoing excerpts, we learn that the first day of the week was observed as the Sabbath, Sunday, or the Lord's day, long before the birth of Emperor Constantine, even from the day of the resurrection of Christ and from New Testament scriptures, ;

it isvery clear that the first day was observed by the apostles, be- ginning with the day on which Jesus arose from the dead and if ;

a correct translation of the scriptures had been made, there would have been no occasion or opportunity for a dispute about the matter. New Testament references Math. 28:1 Mark 16 :2, 9 Luke : ; ;

24:1 John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7; I Corin. 16:2. ; In all of these passages (eight in number) we find these words, "First day of the week." We also find that the word "day" in each and every place is printed in italics. This indicates that the word "day" was not in the original text, but is an interpolation, and the word in the original Greek, which was translated "Sabbaton," (see Em- phatic Diaglott) meaning Sabbath, and when the translators translated this word week, they were forced to put in the word "day" to make sense. The following analysis of Math. 28 :1 will cover each of the eight references cited: "In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week." In the original Greek this sentence is written, "Opse de sabbaton, te epiphoskouse eis mian sabbaton." "Late but of the Sabbath, it beginning to dawn into the first of the week." By what manner of reasoning King James' "wise men" could translate "Sabbaton," Sabbath, in the first part of the sentence, and translate the same word, "week," at the end, is beyond the power of theological students to comprehend or successfully explain They all admit that the word, "Sabbaton," means Sabbath, and also that in the Tyndale Bible, and the Lutheran German Bible, the word "Sabbaton" is rendered Sabbath at both the be°-innin^ and end of the sentence. What could Matthew have meant other than this At the end :

of the old Jewish Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first of the Christian Sabbath.

THE SABBATH DAY 341

He no doubt understood that the Jewish or Mosaic Sabbath was at an end. Jesus had fulfilled the Law. "He had blotted out the handwriting contained in ordinances," "old things had passed away, all things had become new." From the brief record that is left in the New Testament there is no doubt that the first day was observed by the apostles and the

primitive Church, from the very day of the resurrection of the Savior and acknowledged by his own presence. John 20:19: "Then the same day (day of the resurrection) at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you." John 20 :26 : "And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you." There is a difference of opinion as to the meaning of this verse, some holding that instead of it meaning on the eighth day, or the first day of the week having come again, it means the ninth day, alleging as it does after eight days. In Matthew 27 :63 and Mark 8 :31, we find Jesus saying twice :

"After three days I will rise again." Did Jesus arise on the third day? There is no dispute about this, "after three days" means the third day including and counting from the first day. Therefore, by the same rule, after eight days, means the eighth day counting from and including the first or, on the first day of the following ;

week, the new or Christian Sabbath. The day of pentecost came in the first day of the week. See Lev. 23:15, 16:

"And we shall count unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete." "Even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days: and ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord."

Seven weeks from the Jewish Sabbath would be 49 days, and we have the Jewish Sabbath again. But it says, even unto the morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days. This would certainly identify it as the new or Christian Sabbath. There is another point here: See Acts 2:1-4. The God of heaven appears to have honored that day:

1. "And when the day of pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
   2. "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rush- ing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
   3. "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat on each of them.

342 IMPROVEMENT ERA 4. "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

Herein we find the promise that Jesus made (see Acts 1 :4) was fulfilled. Jesus, being assembled together with them, com- manded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which he saith ye heard of me. (See John 14:16-26, also 15:26.) In Acts 13 :42, we learn that the Christian Sabbath is recog- nized as a different day from the Jewish Sabbath. It reads, "And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles be- sought that these words might be preached to them the next Sab- bath." We find in this verse a marginal difference, which shows it should read the Sabbath between. This could only refer to the Christian Sabbath which followed, and therefore came between two Jewish Sabbaths. In Col. 2:16, we find Paul, writing to the Saints at Colossia: "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days." During Paul's ministry he was constantly annoyed by the Jews insisting that the converted Gentiles should obey the Laws of Moses with regard to circumcision, but at Colossia they ap- pear to have taken another tack and assailed the Christian Sab- bath, insisting that the seventh day be observed. Paul dismissed the question with the admonition, "Let no man judge you * * * in respect of the new moon, or of the Sabbath day." There is no reasonable way of subverting the fact, as shown by the light of history, that the first day was adopted, beginning on the day of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. There is a question which naturally arises : Why was the first day adopted ? Why was not the seventh continued ? To the "law and the testimony." The Bible answers this question.

THE SEVENTH DAY SABBATH ITS BEGINNING AND ITS END The first commandment that was given as to its observance is found in Exodus 20:8-11. This commandment was given to Moses about 2,500 years from the date of the creation. We do find in Genesis 2 :2-3 the following

2. "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
   3. "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested."

But here is no commandment given to man to observe it. Neither was Adam given one, nor Seth, Enos, Cainaan, Mahal- aleel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech nor Noah, all good men, upright and true, who feared God and loved righteousness. Noah,'

THE SABBATH DAY 343

in all his preaching, has no words to say about the seventh or any Sabbath day. After the flood we find Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to say nothing about Melchizedek, who was so great a high priest that the — Priesthood of the Son of God was named after him have nothing to say about the Sabbath day. Is it possible, if it was so important to worship God on the seventh day, that for 2,500 years he left the children of men without that Law ? In Deuteronomy, (the recapitulation of the Law) we learn more fully why God gave it. See Deut. 5 :2, 3, 12, 15.

2. "The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb."

3.    "The Lord made not his covenant with our fathers, but

with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day." 12. "Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee." (See Exo. 28:8-11). 15. "And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day." Hence, we learn to whom the Law was given, when, and the reason why. It was given to the children of Israel, 1,490 B. C., or 2,510 after the creation. They were commanded to keep it because God, "through a mighty hand and by a stretched out arm" had brought them out of the land of Egypt. This commandment to observe the Sabbath day was incorpor- ated in the Law of Moses as was also the Sabbatic year and the forty-ninth and the fiftieth year Sabbath. Paul, in speaking of this law, says, (Gal. 3 :24) "Wherefore :

the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ." So when Christ was come there was no need of the schoolmaster. Jesus himself said, (Matt. 5:17): "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets I am not come to destroy, ;

but to fulfil." "To fulfil," to complete. God made a covenant with Israel. Jesus came to fulfil it. The covenant was the law of Moses, in which was included the several Sabbatic periods aforementioned. This law or covenant Jesus fulfilled, completed, ended. Not a part of the law, but the whole law. Paul declared, (Eph. 2:15) "Having abolished in his flesh :

the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordi- nances.." (Also Col. 2:14) :"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross."

Thus was ended the law of Moses, the seventh day Sabbath, the seventh year Sabbath, the forty-ninth year Sabbath, and the year of Jubilee.