ORIGIN OF SUNDAY OBSERVANCE.
By Editor
A CORRESPONDENT sends us a leaf of the Tacoma Baptist, of what date we know not, which refers to this paper, and requests us to answer it. It is hardly worth while. The article is but a general, bold denial of facts which the SIGNS has stated. The Baptist quotes this from the SIGNS:— The Sunday sabbath rests alone upon the authority of the tradition of the Catholic Church. Shall we keep the Sabbath of the Lord, or the Sabbath ordained by the great enemy of the church of God? Upon this the Tacoma Baptist sweetly remarks:— We believe that, by this time, the SIGNS OF THE TIMES knows full well that Constantine or the Catholic Church had nothing whatever to do with originating Sunday observance among Christians. I believe they know this, and yet they go on chewing their old chestnut. It is positively untrue that Constantine changed the Sabbath and originated Sunday observance among Christians. The early Christian fathers all speak of Sunday observance, long, long before Constantine or the Roman Catholic Church were born. Peter, bishop of Alexandria, A. D. 306; Anatolius, bishop of Laodicea, A. D. 270; the Apostolic Constitutions, A. D. 250; Cyprian, A. D. 250; Tertullian, A. D. 200; Clement of Alexandria, A. D. 194; Bardesanes, Edessa, Asia, A. D. 180; Justin Martyr, A. D. 140; Barnabas, A. D. 125; St. John, on Patmos, A. D. 96; Luke, Asia Minor, A. D. 60; all speak of the first day of the week as being the day kept by the early Christians (not however as the Sabbath, for the Sabbath belongs to Israel only) but as the day on which Christ rose from the dead. If all this is not known to the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, I pity it. It is not true at all that Constantine or the Catholic Church originated Sunday observance. We say to the Times, Never quote again that foolish claim of Romanists that their church changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. The TIMES knows as well as we do that that is not true. Now it is not a hard thing for a blind man to declare that the sun does not shine; but his denial does not alter the fact. In 1897 there were published in the SIGNS OF THE TIMES seventy-seven “Historical Facts and Incidents Relative to the Sabbath and the Sunday.” They are now published in tract form, “Apples of Gold Library, No. 45.” Price 1 cent. The historical facts are not mere statements, but the references to the histories from which they are taken, are given. Here are a few of these facts for our contemporary to consider:— 43. Says Neander, the greatest of church historians (“Church History,” translated by H. J. Rose, p. 186): “The festival of Sunday, like all other festivals, was always only a human ordinance, and it was far from the intentions of the apostles to establish a divine command in this respect; far from them, and from the early apostolic church, to transfer the laws of the Sabbath to Sunday. Perhaps at the end of the second century a false application of this kind had begun to take place; for men appear by that time to have considered laboring on Sunday as a sin.” Neander lived A. D. 1789 to 1850. Dr. Peter Heylyn, a member of the Church of England, who wrote in 1636, gives this testimony to the same effect: “Take which you will, either the ‘fathers’ or the moderns, and we shall find no Lord’s day instituted by any apostolic mandate; no sabbath set on foot by them upon the first day of the week, as some would have it.”—Hist. of the Sabbath, part 2, chap. 1, sec. 10. Says Sir William Domville: “Not any ecclesiastical writer of the first three centuries attributed the origin of Sunday observance either to Christ or to His apostles.”—Examination of the Six Texts Supplement, pp. 6, 7. 44. A. D. 140.—The earliest testimony among the “fathers” in behalf of Sunday observance that can lay claim to genuineness is by Justin Martyr, a half-converted heathen philosopher, and a portion of the time at least an inhabitant of Rome, the seat of the apostasy. Justin simply speaks of meeting together for worship, etc., “upon the day called Sunday.” He gives the day no other title. This testimony is found in “Justin Martyr’s First Apology,” translated by Wm. Reeves, chap. 67, p. 127, secs. 87, 88, 89. Justin wrote at about the above date. 45. A. D. 196.—The first effort made by Rome to rule the Christian church was an edict in behalf of Sunday. The Eastern churches celebrated the Passover (Easter) on the 14th day of the first Jewish month, without regard to the day of the week. Rome began keeping it on the Sunday following “Good Friday.” Victor, bishop of Rome, made a decree imposing the custom of Rome upon all the churches, that is, to observe the Passover on Sunday. “This bold attempt,” says Bower (“Hist. of the Popes,” vol. 1, pp. 18, 19), “we may call the first essay of papal usurpation.” See also Dowling’s “Hist. of Romanism,” book 1, chap. 2, sec. 9. In the heading of page 32, Dowling, a Methodist Episcopal, calls this attempt of Victor, in behalf of Sunday exaltation, “the earliest instance of Romish assumption.” 46. A. D. 200.—The first early “father” who without doubt applies the term “Lord’s day” to Sunday, is Tertullian. On that day he tells us that fasting or kneeling was unlawful. They traced on the forehead the sign of the cross, and made offerings for the dead in connection with Sunday observance.—De Corona, sec. 3. Concerning these observances Tertullian frankly says: “If for these and other such rules you insist upon having positive Scripture injunction, you will find none. Tradition will be held forth to you as the originator of them, custom as their strengthener.”—“On Prayer,” chap. 23; De Corona, secs. 3, 4. 47. A. D. 321.—The first law for Sunday as a weekly day of observance on record, human or divine, is by Constantine, at that time heathen emperor of Rome and sun-worshiper: “Let all the judges and townspeople, and the occupation of all trades, rest on the venerable day of the sun; but let those who are situated in the country, freely and at full liberty attend to the business of agriculture. . . . Given the seventh day of March; Crispus and Constantine being consuls, each of them for the second time.”—Corpus Juris Civilis Codicis, lib. iii, tit. 12, 3; also Schaff-Herzog Ency., art. Sunday Legislation. 48. A. D. 325.—Sylvester, bishop of Rome, authoritatively bestowed upon the Sunday the title of “Lord’s day.” This was needed to supplement Constantine’s heathen decree. See “Historia Ecclesiastica,” per M. Ludovicum Lucium, cent. 4, chap. 10, pp. 739, 740, ed. Basilea, 1624, library of Andover Theological Seminary. 49. About A. D. 325.—Of Constantine’s relation to Sunday Dr. Peter Heylyn (“Hist. of the Sabbath,” part 2, chap. 3, sec. 1) says: “So natural a power was it in a Christian prince to order things about religion, that he not only took upon him to command the day, but also to prescribe the service.” 50. A. D. 338.—Says Eusebius, the friend and flatterer of Constantine (“Commentary on the Psalms,” quoted in Cox “Sabbath Literature,” vol. 1, p. 361): “And all things whatsoever that it was duty to do on the Sabbath these we [Constantine, Eusebius, and other bishops] have transferred to the Lord’s day, as more appropriately belonging to it.” This is a fair example of apostasy’s assuming authority to alter what Christ or His apostles did not even presume to change in any way. Now what of this proof? Sunday observance in professed Christianity originated, not with Christ or His apostles, but in the apostate church, helped on by Constantine, a heathen emperor. It was brought into the church by half-converted heathens. Yes, some of “the early Christian fathers” do speak of Sunday observance; but what kind of observance, let the Tacoma Baptist tell. It was not regarded as a holy day till centuries had passed. Some of these “early Christian fathers” speak of sprinkling instead of immersion, and even those who immersed followed customs that we hardly think the editor of the Baptist would care to practise. The epistle of Barnabas referred to above, is spurious. John, on the isle of Patmos, never mentions the first day of the week. The Bible Lord’s day is the Sabbath. Ex. 20:10; Isa. 58:13; Mark 2:27. It is true that the Roman Catholic Church did not change the Sabbath. Nor did any other. It can not be changed. It is as immutable as God Himself. We made no claim; we do not believe that the Sabbath is changed; for it is unchangeable. Jesus said: “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass than one tittle of the law to fail.” And there are many more facts in the eternal verities of God. O for Bible Baptists! O for Bible Christians!