p. 314 | The Jewish Day

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jul 19, 1883

The Jewish Day.

THE Israelites counted time, as to the beginning and ending of the day, not as modern Gentiles do, but from sunset to sunset; and so did some of the ancient heathen nations. In speaking of the beginning of the civil day, Ferguson says: "The ancient Greeks, Jews, Bohemians, Silesians . . . begin it at sun-setting; and the ancient Babylonians, Persians, Syrians, with the modern Greeks, at sun-rising."

Says the Union Bible Dictionary: "The Jewish day was reckoned from evening to evening. Their Sabbath, or seventh, began on what we call Friday, at sunset, and ended on what we call Saturday, at sunset. This mode of reckoning days was not uncommon in other Eastern nations."

Says Dr. Malcom: "The Hebrews began in the evening." And this agrees with Bible testimony: "From even unto even shall ye celebrate your Sabbath." Lev. 23: 32. And as the seventh day began where the sixth day ended, and the sixth began where the fifth ended, so the first day began where the seventh ended—at even, or at sunset. As far back as the creation Moses introduces this count as the prevailing one, saying, "The evening and the morning were the first day"—beginning his count of each day with the "evening."

Keeping this in memory, we are driven to the conclusion that when Paul preached to the disciples at Troas who had come "together to break bread" upon "the first day of the week" ("there being many lights in the upper chamber," Paul continuing his speech "till midnight"), this "first day" having commenced at sunset on our Saturday night, the breaking of bread was on Saturday night, there being no other night on "the first day of the week" as the Jews counted time; nor will it change this conclusion if we conjecture that they were then counting time as the rest of the people did at Troas, instead of keeping the Jewish count, for it turns out that Troas was inhabited by the ancient Greeks, who always began their day at sunset, just like the Jews. Acts 20:7. If they had gathered to break bread on Sunday night, that would have been on the second day of the week, the first day having ended at sunset on Sunday, and the second day beginning at the same point. We do not protest against breaking bread on Sunday night, or any other night of the week (as the Jews did not institute the ordinance on the first day, so it was not always celebrated on that day); but we do protest against insisting upon observing this ordinance on Sunday night on the plea that it should be upon the first day of the week, when, in fact, Sunday night, in Bible time, is on the second day of the week. If we were to insist upon restricting its observance to the night of the first day, we should also insist on observing it on our Saturday night; and, indeed, without being dogmatical, we much prefer Saturday night, it being the only night that can claim apostolic precedence, aside from the night of Jesus' betrayal—Wednesday night.—W. S., in World's Crisis.