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The Sabbath or Not, A. D. 45?

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The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 16, 1866

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 27, No. 7.

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The Sabbath or Not, A. D. 45?

By Dudley Marvin Canright

If we should ask Sunday-keepers whether or not the seventh day on which the Jews worshiped, was the Sabbath-day in A. D. 45, they would all unhesitatingly answer, No. But there is a higher authority which has said that it was the Sabbath-day at that time. We refer to Luke's language in Acts xiii, 14, 15. *But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath-day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, "Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on."]
Here it will be seen that Luke positively, and unqualifiedly says that it was the Sabbath day. That this was the seventh day is manifest from the fact that the Jews were assembled to read the Scriptures as was their custom to do on that day. Verse 27.
It will avail nothing to object that the apostle came to preach to the Jews that day because they were assembled in the synagogue. It matters not to us whether this be so or not. The point is that Luke says positively that it was "on the Sabbath day" when the apostles went into the synagogue. Whatever their object might be in going there does not alter his statement that it was on the Sabbath-day. This circumstance occurred fourteen years after the resurrection of Jesus, and was recorded by Luke thirty years after that event. Luke was a Christian writing to Christians in the Christian dispensation; hence he used Christian terms. Therefore we have it stated in the most positive language by the very best authority that the seventh-day was the Christian Sabbath A. D. 45. If it was the Sabbath day in A. D. 45, it is in A. D. 1866.
Remember that Luke does not say that it was on the Jew's Sabbath, or the abolished Sabbath. No; but he says that it was "on the Sabbath day." Sunday-keepers say that it was not on the Sabbath day. Here then is a dispute between Luke and Sunday-keepers. One says that it was the Sabbath day and the other says that it was not! Whom shall we believe? Judge ye.
D. M. CANRIGHT.
East Saginaw, Mich.