A Significant Silence

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 11, 1897

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 23, No. 10.

A Significant Silence

A Significant Silence.—The Jews determined to put Christ to death because he did not keep the Sabbath day to suit their ideas of such observance (John 5:16); yet he did not so far depart from their traditions as to keep another day. After his ascension, there was the same anxiety to find causes of accusation and condemnation of the apostles as there had been for the condemnation of Christ. Yet there is not a single instance recorded of the disciples’ being charged with Sabbath breaking. How can we account for this, if they so far ignored the Jewish traditions as to keep another day for the Sabbath? On the contrary the Gentiles at Philippi charged Paul and Silas with being Jews, and said, “These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.” The charges against the apostles would hardly have been made in that form if the apostles had been teaching that the “Jewish Sabbath” was “done away,” and the people were to keep the first day—the very day that the Romans observed as their chief holiday, the “venerable day of the sun.”

Many of the Jewish Christians held tenaciously to some of their former ceremonials, the rite of circumcision being a subject of much discussion. There was so much contention over this matter that a council was called at Jerusalem, at which there was “much disputing,” but there is no mention of the Sabbath question. In view of the Jewish prejudices, if there had been an attempt to bring about the observance of a different Sabbath day, it must needs have been a prominent feature of the apostles’ teaching, and would have called out as much or even more opposition than any other innovation. It would have been impossible to institute a new Sabbath without a great commotion even among the Jewish Christians, to say nothing of the indignation of unbelieving Jews, and persecution of disciples of Christ on this special account. If such was the case, the absolute silence of the Scriptures on the subject is remarkable, in view of the great importance of such a move.