p. 13 | Mr. Kalloch on the “Jewish Sunday.”

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, Cal. · Nov 11, 1875

Mr. Kalloch on the “Jewish Sunday.”

By Joseph Harvey Waggoner

Mr. KALLOCH is the Baptist preacher of the Pacific Coast. He was “called” to San Francisco because he could “draw” a congregation. He is a popular speaker. Recently he advertised to speak on the “Jewish Sunday and Christian Sunday.” This was a very singular announcement. School boys are supposed to know that the Jews kept the seventh day “according to the commandment,” and that the seventh day was never called “Sunday” by the Jews nor by any other people. The Jews had no names for the days of the week; they conformed to the usage of the Scriptures and called them only by numbers. The names of the days of the week are entirely of heathen origin. More than this, they are of Pagan origin, and relics of idolatry. Thus of the name of Sunday we quote:—

“Sunday was a name given by the heathen to the first day of the week, because it was the day on which they worshiped the sun.”—Sunday-School Un. Bible Dict.

“The heathen nations in the north of Europe dedicated this day to the sun, and hence their Christian descendants continue to call the day Sunday.”—Webster’s Dictionary.

“The ancient Saxons called it by this name because upon it they worshiped the sun.”—Religious Encyclopædia.

“It is also called Sunday from the old Roman denomination of dies solis, the day of the sun, to which it was sacred.”—Douay Catechism.

All history points to the decree of Constantine as the first authority for the observance of the first day of the week, and in that its pagan character is recognized. This decree is as follows:

“Let all the judges and town people, 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; because it often happens that no other day is so fit for sowing corn and planting vines; lest the critical moment being let slip, men should lose the commodities granted by Heaven.”

Dr. Schaff, in his Church History, says that Constantine “enjoined the civil observance of Sunday, though not as dies Domini, but as dies solis, in conformity to his worship of Apollo,” or the sun-god. The sun was the “tutelary deity” of Constantine, and after his professed conversion to Christianity he continued to pay divine honors to the sun. Thus again, Dr. Schaff says, Ch. Hist., Vol. 2, p. 15:—

“Down to the end of his life he retained the title of Pontifex Maximus, or high priest of the heathen hierarchy. His coins bore on the one side the letters of the name of Christ, on the other the figure of the sun-god, and the inscription, Sol invictus.”

In this decree its observance was inferred as “the day of the sun.” And so it is called Sunday. But did Mr. Kalloch ever learn that the seventh day—the day enjoined in the commandment and kept by the Jews—was called “the day of the sun”? Surely not. Why, then, does he call that day Sunday?

The report of his discourse in a city paper, contains the following:—

“In the Jewish calendar it was a day of holy convocation. The sacrifices were doubled. The prophets were busy, as ministers are now. They had ‘blue Monday’ as well as we. Christ visited the synagogue on Sundays.”

We might make allowance for errors in the report of a daily paper, and distrust the accuracy of the foregoing; but Mr. Kalloch called it “the Jewish Sunday” in his own published appointments, which fastens the curiosity (we know not what else to call it) upon himself.

Now what shall we think? We are sorely puzzled. We cannot believe that Mr. Kalloch is ignorant of the fact that it was the first day, and not the seventh day, which the pagans dedicated to the sun. We cannot believe that he thinks the day which the Jews kept, which was enjoined in the Scriptures as the seventh day, was identical with the present Sunday, or first day of the week. We cannot imagine that any man occupying his position and having his opportunities, can possibly be ignorant of such plain and well known facts. But why, before an intelligent community does he make such singular statements? A professed minister of the gospel stands before the public as a teacher of truth. We know that the popular preacher often leaves this high position and descends to the level of the declaimer or the essayist. But even then we cannot see any excuse for his ignoring or contradicting facts with which even school children are acquainted.

The office of a minister is a very responsible one. If “by our words we shall be condemned,” he, above all others, should be careful to speak right words. He professes to speak for God to a people in danger of everlasting ruin. The day is coming when every man’s work will be tried. To stand the test of that day we must be faithful witnesses, to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

J. H. WAGGONER.