Untitled article by C. P. B.

Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · March 10, 1892

FromThe American Sentinel, Vol. 7, No. 10

Is It the Sabbath?

By C. P. B.

(Concluded.)*

THE advocates of Sunday sacredness claim no positive command or instruction as their warrant for keeping the day, but seek to make it appear from certain texts in the New Testament that Sunday was by the apostles and their immediate successors regarded as the Sabbath. It is proper, therefore, that we examine briefly the several texts in the Bible that speak of Sunday, or rather the first day of the week, for Sunday is a name unknown to holy writ.

The first day of the week is mentioned in the Scriptures only eight times. In not one instance is it called the Sabbath or even a Sabbath; and twice is it plainly distinguished from the Sabbath. The first of these texts is Matt. 28:1: “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.” The other text which makes this clear distinction between the Sabbath and the first day of week is Luke 23:56; 24:1: “And they returned and prepared spices and ointments; and rested the Sabbath day according to the commandment. Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.”

The distinction made in these texts is very significant, especially in view of the fact that both Matthew and Luke, recorded, not their own words, but the words of the Spirit of God; and wrote some thirty-one to thirty-three years after the resurrection of Christ, at which time the change in the Sabbath is said to have been made. It is inconceivable that they should have used such language unless they were profoundly ignorant of any change, and still regarded the seventh day as the Sabbath. But such ignorance on their part is prima facie evidence that no such change had been made; at least not by divine authority.

The first day of the week mentioned by Matthew and Luke, is also mentioned by Mark and John (Mark 16:2, John 21:1, 19); but neither of them give any intimation of any change in the Sabbath, nor of any sacred character attached to Sunday. Sunday is with them simply, “the first day of the week,” while in both their narratives (though not in as close connection as in Matthew and Luke), another day is called “the Sabbath.”

The next mention of the first day of the week occurs in Acts 20:7, where we find an account of a night meeting held upon that day. The record runs thus:—

And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long time preaching, he sank down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the young man alive and were not a little comforted.

And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul; for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene.

It is assumed by many that this meeting was upon Sunday evening; but that such was the case is by no means clear. In the first place, in the Scriptures the day begins not at midnight, as with us, but in the evening, at the setting of the sun. In Lev. 23:32, we read, “From even unto even, shall ye celebrate your Sabbath;” and from Mark 1:32 we learn that “even” was at the setting of the sun. In Neh. 13:19 we have this testimony on the subject: “And it came to pass that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabbath day.” This agrees too with the expression, “And the evening and the morning were the first day,” etc., in the first chapter of Genesis. In religious festivals the Jews still reckon the day from sunset to sunset, as do also those Christians who observe the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. It is evident, therefore, that this meeting was held on what we call Saturday night; that is upon the first or dark part of the first day of the week, Bible time. And it is certain that the disciples did not at that time regard that day as the Sabbath, for we read that after Paul had broken bread, he departed afoot for Assos, a distance of about sixteen miles; for which place the ship, having a greater distance to go, had sailed, as we learn from Acts 20:13, before the apostle started, probably soon after the close of the Sabbath, or about the time of the beginning of the meeting at which Paul remained to preach. But even if it were shown that this was what we now call a Sunday evening meeting, it is certain that the disciples did not regard the day as the Sabbath. Moreover, this is the only meeting in the Bible said to have occurred on the first day of the week. We have the record of many Sabbath meetings, but only one Sunday meeting.

The last statement is, however, supposed by some to contradict 1 Cor. 16:1, 2: “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” The contention with regard to this verse is that it refers to collections taken at meetings on Sunday, as is now the almost universal custom in churches. On this subject Rev. J. W. Morton, formerly a Reformed Presbyterian missionary to Hayti, says:—

The whole question turns upon the meaning of the expression, “by him,” and I marvel greatly how you can imagine that it means “in the collection-box of the congregation.” Greenfield, in his Lexicon, translates the Greek term, “by one's self, i. e., at home.” Two Latin versions, the Vulgate and that of Castellio, render it, “apud se,” with one's self, at home. Three French translations, those of Martin, Osterwald, and De Sacy, “chez soi,” at his own house, at home. The German of Luther, “bei sich selbst,” by himself, at home. The Dutch, “by hem selven,” same as the German. The Italian of Diodati, “appresso di se,” in his own presence, at home. The Spanish of Felipe Scio, “en su casa,” in his own house. The Portuguese of Ferreira, “para isso,” with himself. The Swedish, “nar sig sjelf,” near himself. I know not how much this list of authorities might be swelled, for I have not examined one translation that differs from those quoted above.

In the light of these translations it is positive that this text has no reference whatever to meetings regularly held upon the first day of the week, but rather to a weekly accounting, or summing up of the gains of the previous week to see how much each one could lay aside for the relief of the poor brethren at Jerusalem.

In addition to these references to the first day of the week, there are two other texts supposed by some to refer to that day; they are John 20:26 and Rev. 1:10. It is necessary only to read the first of these texts to see that the incident recorded could not possibly have occurred on the first day of the week; for it was “after eight days,” counting from the day of the resurrection. “After eight days” is an indefinite expression meaning

not just a week, as some assume, but a period of more than eight days, as will appear from a comparison of Matt. 17:1, 2, with Luke 9:28, 29. In the first of these texts we read that “after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” Luke says: “And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.” Now if “after six days” is “about eight days,” it is manifestly absurd to insist that “after eight days” is just a week, and that John 20:26 is an account of a religious meeting on the first day of the week at which our Lord was present. But to such straits are they driven who would find Bible sanction for the Sunday-Sabbath.

The remaining text supposed to refer to the first day of the week, and frequently appealed to to prove its sacred character, is Rev. 1:10: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet.” This text does not say that John was in the Spirit on the first day of the week, or upon Sunday, but that he “was in the Spirit on the Lord's day.” To assume, therefore, that the Lord's day is Sunday, is to assume the very point in dispute. The text does show that the Lord has in this dispensation a day which he claims as his; a day sacred to his worship; but it does not tell us what day that is. Other scriptures must settle that question.

In a former article was quoted a portion of the fourth commandment (Ex. 20: 3–11), in which occur these words: “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.” According to the fourth commandment then, which is the Lord's day?—Not the first, but the seventh. But we have other evidence upon this point. In Isa. 58:13, 14, we have this testimony: “If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Here the Lord expressly claims the Sabbath as his day.

But it is said that “Lord's day” means the Lord Jesus Christ's day. Be it so; the result is the same; for our Saviour declares (Mark 2:28) that he is Lord “of the Sabbath day,” so that whether we refer the expression “Lord's day” to the Father or to the Son, makes not the slightest difference; the Scriptures testify that the Sabbath, the seventh day, is the Lord's day.

As THE SENTINEL has so often said, the truth or falsity of the claims of the Sunday-Sabbath can not affect the right of the State to require its observance; the State has no such right in any event; but in view of the fact that it is without a shadow of divine authority, the bigotry that clamors for civil law to compel all men to keep it, stands out all the more clearly, and is shown to be positively without excuse. C. P. B.