<\/p>\n
Saint David of Wales, the Culdees, and the True Meaning of the ‘Lord’s Way’: A Defense of Celtic Sabbath Observance<\/b><\/p>\n
A small expose on the topic covered by Dr Stephen MK Brunswick ThD, PhD \u201cSaturday Rest: the Christian Sabbath in Orthodox Faith<\/a>\u201d, page 35-36.<\/p>\n \n Lord\u2019s Way, Not Lord\u2019s Day, proven<\/b><\/p>\n The life and ecclesiastical practices of Saint David of Wales<\/b> and the early Celtic Christian<\/b> tradition have long been misunderstood or inaccurately aligned with Roman customs. Contrary to the assertion that these early saints observed Sunday as the Christian Sabbath, historical, textual, and linguistic evidence paints a different picture\u2014one that reveals faithful observance of the seventh-day Sabbath (Saturday)<\/b> in a distinctively spiritual, non-Judaistic<\/b> manner.<\/p>\n The ‘Lord’s Way’ \u2013 A Misunderstood Phrase<\/b><\/p>\n Modern translations of early Greek Christian texts, such as the Didache<\/b> and Ignatius of Antioch’s Letter to the Magnesians<\/b>, frequently mistranslate the phrase “\u03ba\u03b1\u03c4<\/b>\u1f70<\/span> \u03ba\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba<\/b>\u1f74<\/span>\u03bd”<\/b> as “on the Lord’s Day,” implying Sunday observance. However, rigorous analysis of Koine Greek reveals that:<\/p>\n Thus, the early Christian texts cited to support Sunday observance more accurately promote living in accordance with the lifestyle and teachings of the Lord<\/b>\u2014not shifting the Sabbath to Sunday.<\/p>\n Saint David and the Eastern Orthodox Connection<\/b><\/p>\n Saint David (Dewi Sant)<\/b>, patron saint of Wales, was closely aligned with the Eastern Church<\/b>. He was reportedly anointed and consecrated by the Patriarch of Jerusalem<\/b>, and upheld Eastern liturgical practices<\/b>, not Roman ones. Sources suggest he used the Greek\/Byzantine (or Syriac)<\/b> scriptural texts, differing significantly from the Latin texts that interpolated “Lord\u2019s Day” sometimes where the Greek does not.<\/p>\n This reinforces the understanding that David, like the Eastern Church, held to the Sabbath (Saturday)<\/b> as sacred.<\/p>\n Evidence from the Life of Saint David<\/i>, Chapter 27<\/b><\/p>\n Arthur Wade-Evans’ 1923 translation of the Vita Sancti Davidis<\/b>, attributed to Rhygyfarch, describes:<\/p>\n \u201cFrom the eve of the sabbath until after dawn light shall have begun in the first hour of the Lord’s Day they apply themselves to watchings, prayers, and genuflexions, one hour then excepted after the matins of the sabbath.\u201d<\/p>\n Wade-Evans assumes continuous worship from Friday night to Sunday morning. However, this reading contradicts:<\/p>\n A more accurate reading aligns with the Jewish-Christian concept of Sabbath<\/b>:<\/p>\n A sacred day beginning Friday at sundown, culminating in matins on Saturday, with a period of rest<\/b> following that most solemn observance.<\/p>\n Rule of the Culdees: St. Maelruan<\/b><\/p>\n St. Maelruan<\/b>, a spiritual successor of Saint David, authored the Metrical Rule of the Cele De (Culdees)<\/a><\/b>, the basis for all Celtic monastic rules. One line reads:<\/p>\n \u201cAs we enter the church we kneel thrice; we bend not the knee only on the Sabbaths of the living God.\u201d<\/p>\n This shows that the Sabbath was honored with spiritual reverence<\/b>, and unlike other days, no kneeling was required<\/b>\u2014a mark of rest and sacredness<\/b>, further disassociating their observance from Romanized rituals.<\/p>\n Broader Christian Witness to Sabbath Observance<\/b><\/p>\n This Sabbath observance by the Celtic Church is not isolated. Several early Christian sources support the continuity of Saturday as the sacred day<\/b>:<\/p>\n \u201cLet each of you observe the Sabbath in a spiritual manner… And after keeping the Sabbath, let every lover of Christ celebrate the festival of the Lord\u2019s Day\u2014the Resurrection day.\u201d (This supports dual observance<\/b>, not replacement.)<\/p>\n \u201cAssemblies for Communion were appointed by the apostles to be held on the fourth day, on Sabbath eve, and on the Lord\u2019s Day.\u201d<\/p>\n Described \u201cAgape Saturday,\u201d where believers partook in communion.<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost all churches around the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the Sabbath…\u201d except in Rome and Alexandria<\/b>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe people of Constantinople\u2014and almost everywhere\u2014gather on the Sabbath as well as on the first day.\u201d<\/p>\n Affirmed the unity of practice between churches in Britain, Gaul, Spain, and Germany<\/b>, and connected the Sabbath to the seventh day of creation<\/b>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe true Sabbath… during which they shall not be engaged in any earthly occupation.\u201d<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n The combined Greek grammatical evidence<\/b>, Celtic liturgical customs<\/b>, and global patristic testimony<\/b> confirm that:<\/p>\n Thus, the faithful communities of the Celtic Church<\/b>, rooted in the East and maintained across centuries, provide a clear and early witness to Sabbath continuity<\/b> and the true meaning of the Lord\u2019s Way.<\/b><\/p>\n \n This built up on the Appendix section 3 from the book.<\/p>\n Appendix Section 3: <\/span><\/b><\/p>\n THE DIDACHE, ST. IGNATIUS, AND THE SABBATH<\/b><\/p>\n Over the years I have been in contact with the authors of the website cogwriter.com<\/i>. Although we do not agree with their views on rejecting the Trinity (we affirm the tri-unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit\u2014the name into which we are baptized, YAHWEH), they have published many valuable materials. One article, in particular, that I believe is useful is their \u201c19th Century Mistranslations of the Didache and Other Letters about \u2018Lord\u2019s Day\u2019.\u201d I have obtained permission to reproduce this article regarding the Didache. More on this topic can also be found in the subchapter discussing the liturgies used in the Orthodox Church.<\/p>\n \u201c19th Century Mistranslations of the Didache and Other Letters about \u2018Lord\u2019s Day\u2019\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n By Dr. Bob Thiel \u2013 <\/i>cogwriter.com<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n Some people, on the internet and elsewhere, have pointed to some basically 19th century translations of certain ancient documents in an attempt to support their contention that Sunday was observed early on by the original Christians.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Didache\u00a0is an ancient letter that may have been written near the time of the Apostle John\u2019s death. Many consider it to contain the earliest indirect reference to Sunday worship by Christians.<\/p>\n Ignatius was an early leader in\u00a0Antioch\u00a0who apparently knew some of the apostles, as well as Polycarp the Bishop (or Pastor) in Smyrna (a part of Asia Minor).\u00a0 One of Ignatius\u2019 writings, called his\u00a0Letter to the Magnesians, is often cited as proof that Sunday was observed by early Christians. But is that what he really was teaching?<\/p>\n The late French Cardinal Jean-Guenole-Marie Danielou\u00a0is amongst those that have claimed that Sunday observance by Christians is supported by the\u00a0Didache\u00a0and Ignatius\u2019\u00a0Letter to the Magnesians\u00a0[1].<\/p>\n But, do either of these documents support the observance of\u00a0Sunday<\/span><\/a>?<\/p>\n This article will discuss some of these writings and will include some of the original Greek to demonstrate what the early writings actually teach.<\/p>\n Early Writings<\/p>\n Before getting to those writings, there are two that perhaps should be mentioned first.<\/p>\n The first is the alleged\u00a0Epistle of Barnabas.\u00a0This anonymous document is sometimes cited as proof for Sunday worship, but scholars do not believe that Barnabas wrote it [2]. It is not a truly \u201cChristian\u201d writing. It essentially claims God wanted the \u2018eighth day\u2019 instead of the seventh-day Sabbath in the Book of Isaiah (even though terms for eight or eighth are never mentioned in Isaiah).\u00a0 Like some other heretical writings, it relies heavily on allegory to interpret the Bible.<\/p>\n There is also a quote allegedly from Ignatius\u2019\u00a0Letter to the Trallians.\u00a0However this \u201cquote\u201d is from verse 9 in the \u2018longer version\u2019 of that letter, which scholars discount as not authentic\u2013it was lengthened much later by someone else\u2014the shorter version, whose authenticity is widely accepted, says nothing about \u201cthe Lord\u2019s Day\u201d [3].<\/p>\n The Didache<\/p>\n The\u00a0Didache\u00a0has been cited as the earliest non-Scriptural \u201cproof\u201d of Sunday worship by those who profess Christ [4], although it does not ever use the word Sunday nor the expression \u2018first day of the week.\u2019<\/p>\n However, verse 14.1 is often cited as proof of Sunday observance by promoters of Sunday observance.<\/p>\n The Greek expression\u00a0in verse 14.1 in the\u00a0Didache, is:<\/p>\n \u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70<\/span> \u03ba\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u1f74<\/span>\u03bd \u03b4\u03b5 \u03ba\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03bf\u03c5\u00a0[5].<\/p>\n The Greek term \u03ba\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u1f74<\/span>\u03bd is often transliterated as kuriaki\/kyriake.<\/p>\n Here is something from a Catholic priest and scholar on the meaning of \u03ba\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u1f74<\/span>\u03bd:<\/p>\n \u2026 the Greek\u00a0kyriake, meaning \u201cbelonging to the Lord (kyrios),\u201d from which the English word \u201cchurch\u201d is derived. [6]<\/p>\n Basically kuriaki means the Lord\u2019s way.<\/p>\n I believe I have translated verse 14.1 in the\u00a0Didache, properly below (with two options):<\/p>\n According to the Lord\u2019s way, even the Lord\u2019s.<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n According to the Lordly {way}, even the Lord\u2019s.<\/p>\n However, it has normally been incorrectly translated by many Protestant scholars. Here are two examples:<\/p>\n \u201cOn the Lord\u2019s day of the Lord,\u201d by Kirsopp Lake [7].<\/p>\n \u201cBut every Lord\u2019s day,\u201d by Hall and Napier [8].<\/p>\n There are at least two reasons that the above by Lake, as well as Hall & Napier, can be shown to be mistranslated.<\/p>\n The first is that the translators should have realized that the Greek term for \u201cday\u201d (\u1f21<\/span>\u03bc\u1f73<\/span>\u03c1\u1fb3<\/span>) is missing in verse 14.1 [9] and is not required by the context.<\/p>\n The second is how each of them began the translation of this particular verse. The beginning in both translations is in error and is inconsistent with the translators other translations in this letter.<\/p>\n The Greek word translated in verse 14.1 as \u201cOn the\u201d by Kirsopp Lake and \u201cBut every\u201d by Hall and Napier (\u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70<\/span>) truly does mean \u201cAccording to\u201d as I have translated it.\u00a0\u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u00a0should not be translated as \u201cOn the\u201d or \u201cBut every.\u201d<\/p>\n The Greek word\u00a0\u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70<\/span>\u00a0is translated as \u201caccording to\u201d by Kirsopp Lake five times (1.5, 11.3, 12.4, 13.5, and 13.7 [10]) and \u201cwith respect\u201d one time (4.10).\u00a0The other times Lake used the term \u201con\u201d (verses 1.4, 7.3, 8.1a, 8.1b, 11.12, 16.8 [11]), it was NOT a translation from the Greek term\u00a0\u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70<\/span>.<\/p>\n Also the one time\u00a0the\u00a0Didache\u00a0uses \u201con\u201d with a day (which is in the translations of both Lake and Hall\/Napier), it does not use\u00a0\u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70<\/span>,\u00a0but it does include the Greek term for day (verse 8.1b) [12].<\/p>\n It may be of interest to note that in the KJV New Testament,\u00a0\u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u00a0is translated as \u201caccording to\u201d approximately 110 times, and the only time (Acts 8:36<\/a>) it is inaccurately translated as \u201con\u201d it is not translated as \u201con\u201d in the NKJV or NIV.<\/p>\n Hall and Napier translated\u00a0\u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70<\/span>\u00a0as \u201caccording to\u201d the six other times it is translated that SAME letter (see verses 1.5, 4.10, 11.3, 12.4, 13.5, and 13.7 [13]) and never translated it as \u201cBut every.\u201d The one other time Hall and Napier used the term \u201cBut every\u201d\u00a0(verse 13.1) while translating the\u00a0Didache\u00a0it is not translated from the term\u00a0\u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70<\/span> [14]. Also, it may be of interest to note that the KJV never translated\u00a0\u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u1f70<\/span>\u00a0as \u201cbut every.\u201d<\/p>\n Hence it appears that several translators intentionally exercised bias when translating verse 14.1.<\/p>\n The context of this portion of the\u00a0Didache\u00a0suggests that it may be referring to the\u00a0Christian Passover<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(compare with I Corinthians 22:23-29<\/a>) or some other gathering (compare with Acts 2:42<\/a>), but only a forced and inaccurate translation would suggest Sunday (which is what many Sunday advocates suggest). The belief that this refers to Passover is centuries old as F. Coneybeare reported it was a belief of the Paulini:<\/p>\n But the Paulini also keep the feast of the Pascha on the same day (as the Jews), whatever be the day of the full moon, they call it\u00a0Kuriaki, as the Jews call it Sabbath, even though it be not a Sabbath. [15]<\/p>\n Since the Protestant translating scholars of the\u00a0Didache\u00a0did not observe an annual Christian Passover and tended to be Sunday observers, this may explain why they did not translate it literally.<\/p>\n Ignatius\u2019\u00a0Letter to the Magnesians<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n The other major claim in favor of early Sunday worship is from Ignatius\u2019\u00a0Letter to the Magnesians.<\/p>\n Here is what the Greek states:<\/p>\n \u0395\u03af \u03bf\u03cd\u03bd \u03bf\u03af \u03ad\u03bd \u03c0\u03b1\u03bb\u03b1\u03b9\u03bf\u00ee\u03c2 \u03c0\u03c1\u03ac\u03b3\u03bc\u03b1\u03c3\u03b9\u03bd \u03ac\u03bd\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03b1\u03c6\u03ad\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2 \u03b5\u03af\u03c2 \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9\u03bd\u03cc\u03c4\u03b7\u03c4\u03b1 \u03ad\u03bb\u03c0\u03af\u03b4\u03bf\u03c2 \u03ae\u03bb\u03b8\u03bf\u03bd, \u03bc\u03b7\u03ba\u03ad\u03c4\u03b9 \u03c3\u03b1\u03b2\u03b2\u03b1\u03c4\u03af\u03b6\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2, \u03ac\u03bb\u03bb\u03ac \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03ac \u03ba\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03ae\u03bd \u03b6\u03ce\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2, \u03ad\u03bd \u03ae \u03ba\u03b1\u03af \u03ae \u03b6\u03c9\u03ae \u03ae\u03bc\u03ce\u03bd \u03ac\u03bd\u03ad\u03c4\u03b5\u03b9\u03bb\u03b5\u03bd \u03b4\u03b9\u2019 \u03b1\u03cd\u03c4\u03bf\u03cd \u03ba\u03b1\u03af \u03c4\u03bf\u03cd \u03b8\u03b1\u03bd\u03ac\u03c4\u03bf\u03c5 \u03b1\u03cd\u03c4\u03bf\u03cd, <\u00f6\u03bd> \u03c4\u03b9\u03bd\u03b5\u03c2 \u03ac\u03c1\u03bd\u03bf\u03cd\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03b9, \u03b4\u03b9\u2019 \u03bf\u03cd \u03bc\u03c5\u03c3\u03c4\u03b7\u03c1\u03af\u03bf\u03c5 \u03ad\u03bb\u03ac\u03b2\u03bf\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd \u03c4\u00f2 \u03c0\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03b5\u03cd\u03b5\u03b9\u03bd, \u03ba\u03b1\u03af \u03b4\u03b9\u03ac \u03c4\u03bf\u03cd\u03c4\u03bf \u03cd\u03c0\u03bf\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd, \u00ef\u03bd\u03b1 \u03b5\u03cd\u03c1\u03b5\u03b8\u03ce\u03bc\u03b5\u03bd \u03bc\u03b1\u03b8\u03b7\u03c4\u03b1\u03af \u2018I\u03b7\u03c3\u03bf\u03cd \u03a7\u03c1\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf\u03cd \u03c4\u03bf\u03cd \u03bc\u03cc\u03bd\u03bf\u03c5 \u03b4\u03b9\u03b4\u03b1\u03c3\u03ba\u03ac\u03bb\u03bf\u03c5 \u03ae\u03bc\u03ce\u03bd\u0387 [16]<\/p>\n Here is a fairly typical 19th Century translation of verse 9.1, by Dr. J.B. Lightfoot:<\/p>\n If then those who had walked in ancient practices attained unto newness of hope, no longer observing sabbaths but fashioning their lives after the Lord\u2019s day, on which our life also arose through Him and through His death which some men deny \u2014 a mystery whereby we attained unto belief, and for this cause we endure patiently, that we may be found disciples of Jesus Christ our only teacher [17].<\/p>\n But is that correct?<\/p>\n It should be noted that the word for \u2018day\u2019 is not in the Greek text.<\/p>\n Interestingly, like Lake and Hall\/Napier, Dr. Lightfoot also failed to translate\u00a0\u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1, which is in the text [18] as \u201caccording to.\u201d Yet, Lightfoot did translate\u00a0\u039a\u03b1\u03c4\u03b1\u00a0as \u201caccording to\u201d in three other places in this letter (verses 3.1,10.1, 13.2 [19]). He also failed to do so in his translation of the\u00a0Didache, where he began verse 14.1 with \u201cAnd on\u201d [20]\u2013an apparently intentional and improper translation as discussed above (Lightfoot translated \u03ba\u03b1\u03c4\u03ac as \u201caccording to\u201d five other times in the Didache [21]).<\/p>\n It is sad that these translators, all born in the 19th century, all decided to selectively change the meaning of a word.<\/p>\n Why?<\/p>\n Well, in order to support Sunday worship.<\/p>\n Yet, noted scholar Guy Fritz concluded that the text in Ignatius is too ambiguous to be used to support Sunday worship:<\/p>\n \u201cin the study of the \u2018Lord\u2019s day\u2019 in the early church \u2026 {it} cannot at the present time properly be introduced as evidence indicating its [Sunday] observance\u201d [22].<\/p>\n The 19th century theologian John Kitto understood that neither the context nor the Greek required adding the word day. \u00a0Thus he translated a highly relevant part of it correctly as follows:<\/p>\n \u2026living according to our Lord\u2019s life\u2026[23].<\/p>\n John Kitto also made the following comments about the passage from Ignatius:<\/p>\n Now many commentators assume (on what ground does not appear), that alter \u03ba\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03ae\u03bd [Lord\u2019s] the word\u00a0\u1f21<\/span>\u03bc\u1f73<\/span>\u03c1\u03b1\u03bd [day] is to be understood\u2026 The defect of the sentence is the want of a substantive to which\u00a0\u03acvro\u03cd\u00a0can refer. This defect, so far from being- remedied, is rendered still more glaring by the introduction of\u00a0\u1f21<\/span>\u03bc\u1f73<\/span>\u03c1\u03b1\u03bd\u2026the passage does not refer at all to the Lord\u2019s day\u2026it cannot be regarded as affording any positive evidence to the early use of the term \u2018Lord\u2019s day\u2019 (for which it is often cited), since the word\u00a0\u1f21<\/span>\u03bc\u1f73<\/span>\u03c1\u03b1\u03bd [day] is purely conjectual [24].<\/p>\n Yet, almost all anti-Sabbath websites I have visited have ignored the scholars that understand the truth about Ignatius\u2019 writings as\u00a0they cite the mistranslations as \u201cproof\u201d of early Sunday observance\u2014even though the actual Greek text does no such thing.<\/p>\n While in Greece, I was able to verify that the word in\u00a0koine\u00a0Greek translated as \u201cLord\u2019s Day\u201d in both the\u00a0Didache\u00a0and the\u00a0Letter to the Magnesians, \u03ba\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u1f74<\/span>\u03bd, could not be translated as \u201cLord\u2019s Day\u201d as the Greek word for day is not present in the texts nor required by the contexts for either.<\/p>\n In Ignatius\u2019\u00a0Letter to the Magnesians, like in the\u00a0Didache, \u03ba\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u1f74<\/span>\u03bd would be better translated as \u201cLord\u2019s way\u201d or combined with the Greek word that follows it , \u03b6\u03c9\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2 [25] , \u201cLord\u2019s way of life\u201d or \u201cLord\u2019s living.\u201d This is also consistent with what Paul wrote:<\/p>\n When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:4<\/a>, NKJV throughout unless otherwise noted).<\/p>\n Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1<\/a>).<\/p>\n It was the custom of Jesus (e.g. Luke 4:16<\/a>) and Paul to regularly keep the Sabbath (Acts 17:2<\/a>). The Sabbath was part of the Lord\u2019s way of life, and Paul imitated Christ that way. Understanding Jesus\u2019 life is critical to understanding Ignatius.<\/p>\n Furthermore, to better understand Ignatius\u2019 letter, we should look at more of the context and not just verse 9.1. out-of-context, as some Sunday advocates have.<\/p>\n A more literal (though not grammatical) translation of the relevant portion from Ignatius\u2019 letter appears to be,<\/p>\n 8.1 Be not seduced by strange doctrines nor by antiquated fables, which are profitless. According to a scholar of\u00a0koine\u00a0Greek who I consulted with (a non-Sabbathkeeper), the first portion of 9.1 would grammatically be better translated as:<\/p>\n \u201cIf then those who had walked in ancient practices attained unto newness of hope, no longer {Judaically} keeping sabbaths but according to the Lord\u2019s way of life\u2026\u201d [26]<\/p>\n This is because she insisted that the term \u2018but\u2019 (or \u2018contrariwise\u2019 as translated earlier above) had to refer to the \u201cLord\u2019s way\u201d instead of the Sabbath.<\/p>\n There are at least two reasons for this. The first is that the godly prophets had been keeping the seventh day Sabbath. And the second is since the portion of the Greek term translated as the first part of \u201cno longer\u201d is a \u2018qualified negative\u2019\u00a0[27]\u00a0the context supports that the \u2018Judaic concepts\u2019 (verse 8.2) are part of the qualification.\u00a0 It may be of interest to note that the terms first, day, or Sun are not in the above passages.<\/p>\n She confirmed with me that this section is certainly speaking about the same ancient prophets throughout, hence since they actually kept the Sabbath (and not Sunday), she felt that the idea of\u00a0Judaically\u00a0would have had to been in Ignatius\u2019 mind. And that this type of reference was required in English to properly understand what Ignatius was writing (and I also had this confirmed by others with a working knowledge of\u00a0koine\u00a0Greek).<\/p>\n This assessment is also consistent with later testimony from Jerome who mentioned that the Sabbath-keeping Christians he ran into did not adhere to the Jewish traditions\u2013in other words, although they kept the Sabbath, the Nazarenes did not keep the Sabbath Judaically:<\/p>\n Jerome declares:<\/p>\n \u201cOn Isaiah 9:1-4<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe Nazarenes, whose opinion I have set forth above, try to explain this passage in the following way: When Christ came and his preaching shone out, the land of Zebulon and Naphtali [the region of Galilee] first of all were freed from the errors of the Scribes and Pharisees and he shook off their shoulders the very heavy yoke of the JEWISH TRADITIONS. Later, however, the preaching became more dominant, that means the preaching was multiplied, through the gospel of the apostle Paul who was the last of all the apostles. And the gospel of Christ shone to the most distant tribes and the way of the whole sea. Finally the whole world, which earlier walked or sat in darkness and was imprisoned in the bonds of idolatry and death, has seen the clear light of the gospel\u201d (p.64).<\/p>\n In this passage, we find that the Nazarene Christians \u2014 like Yeshua the Messiah, Peter, James, John and especially Paul \u2014 rejected Jewish traditionalism, invention, and additions to the Torah or Old Testament. They referred to them as the \u201cvery heavy yoke of the Jewish traditions.\u201d [28].<\/p>\n Thus, instead of proving Sunday and disproving the Sabbath, Ignatius (and indirectly even Jerome) seems to be warning against incorrectly observing the Sabbath as certain Pharisaical Jews insisted, with their antiquated fables. Or in other words, Ignatius was condemning the observance of\u00a0traditions of men over the Bible<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 (Ignatius also held views on the godhead that appear to differ from mainstream \u201cChristianity,\u201d please see the article\u00a0Binitarian View<\/span><\/a>).<\/p>\n Alfred Edersheim, a 19th century scholar, observed:<\/p>\n \u201cIn not less that twenty-four chapters {of the Mishna}, matters are seriously discussed {regarding Sabbath observance} as of vital religious importance, which one would scarcely imagine a sane intellect would serious entertain.\u201d\u00a0[29]<\/p>\n Note that these are mainly restrictions that are not found in the Bible (I have read many of these restrictions in the Mishna and they do seem to be absurd).\u00a0\u00a0Jesus also taught that Pharisaical Jews had improper concepts about the Sabbath (e.g. Luke 13:10-17<\/a>).<\/p>\n Dr. Noel Rude, a self-described \u201cgrammar-freak\u201d and linguist, felt that perhaps the following would be even more grammatically correct for the first part of verse 9.1:<\/p>\n \u201cIf then those who had walked in ancient practices attained unto newness of hope, no longer (Judaically) keeping sabbaths but living according to the lordly way\u2026\u201d[30]<\/p>\n And that seems to be consistent with how I feel this verse should be translated.<\/p>\n Ignatius was teaching that the godly prophets, who lived in ancient times, lived in accordance to the ways of Jesus Christ, and not after improper Judaic concepts.<\/p>\n There is no doubt that the ancient prophets (such as Isaiah) kept the Sabbath on the day now known as Saturday.\u00a0\u00a0Around 167 BC, which is after the Old Testament was written, the Pharisees rose up. One of the way they were distinguished from the Sadducees is that the Pharisees placed great value on what they termed the \u2018oral law\u2019\u2013or as we might call it now, Jewish tradition\u2013in order to attain type of \u2018holiness\u2019 [31]. In other words, the party of the Pharisees relied on traditions outside of the Bible\u2013which is something Jesus condemned them for (Matthew 15:3-9<\/a>).<\/p>\n The Bible records that the Old Testament prophets knew how to keep the Sabbath (and not Barnabas\u2019 eighth day) properly, as a delight for them to be in the LORD (e.g. Isaiah 58:13-14<\/a>).Since the ancient prophets did that, Ignatius may be saying that Christians need to keep the Sabbath in accordance with Jesus\u2019 example of doing good on the Sabbath and not be unduly focused on non-Biblical restrictions\u2014for, Ignatius says, we are to not live apart from Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus, of course kept the Sabbath, as part of His way of life.<\/p>\n It is also possible that mainly what Ignatius was doing was the same type of thing that Paul warned about in Colossians 2:16<\/a>\u2014he was telling Christians to let the \u201cbody of Christ\u201d and not others (like those advocating\u00a0\u00a0extra-Biblical Jewish practices) tell them how to keep the Sabbath.\u00a0\u00a0He may have simply written this section to help differentiate Christians from Jews in the eyes of both the Christians and the Gentile governments that they tended to be under\u00a0(distancing Christians from Jews would have been physically advantageous for\u00a0many Christians at that time).\u00a0 But regardless of\u00a0the intended point,\u00a0Ignatius\u2019\u00a0Letter to the Magnesiansdoes not advocate doing away with the Biblical Sabbath, nor does it show that the Sabbath was being replaced by Sunday prior to the time of the\u00a0Smyrna church era\u2019s prominence.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n It may also be of interest to note how the less-accepted \u201clonger\u201d version of Ignatius\u2019 letter was translated in the Ante-Nicene Fathers as follows:<\/p>\n Let us therefore no longer keep the Sabbath after the Jewish manner\u2026[32]<\/p>\n The text here seems less ambigious, hence a more accurate translation is essentially forced.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the above version adds:<\/p>\n But let every one of you keep the Sabbath after a spiritual manner, rejoicing in meditation on the law, not in relaxation of the body, admiring the workmanship of God, and not eating things prepared the day before, nor using lukewarm drinks, and walking within a prescribed space, nor finding delight in dancing and plaudits which have no sense in them. [33]<\/p>\n Ignatius was not teaching that the Sabbath was done away and replaced by Sunday.\u00a0 The above version seems to be more consistent with the meaning than how most others have translated the more \u201caccepted\u201d version.<\/p>\n It should be understood that Ignatius\u2019 other writings show that he did not try to do away with the sabbath commandment. Notice what else he wrote in his\u00a0Letter to the Magnesians:<\/p>\n It is fitting, then, not only to be called Christians, but to be so in reality: as some indeed give one the title of bishop, but do all things without him. Now such persons seem to me to be not possessed of a good conscience, seeing they are not steadfastly gathered together according to the commandment. [34]<\/p>\n The commandment that involves meeting together is the fourth commandment. It is the commandment that says to:<\/p>\n Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (Exodus 20:8<\/a>).<\/p>\n Part of the way the Sabbath day is kept holy is by meeting together for church services (referred to as \u201can holy convocation\u201d in Leviticus 23:1-3<\/a>). There is no direct statement anywhere in the Bible requiring a weekly convocation on Sunday.<\/p>\n While some Sabbatarians, and others, have questioned the authenticity of Ignatius writing the subject letter, any who have truly looked into this matter can affirm that the word \u2018day,\u2019 as in the expression \u201cLord\u2019s day,\u201d is missing from the Greek there and in the\u00a0Didache\u00a0[35]\u00a0\u2013I have both documents in Greek and can also do so.<\/p>\n Ignatius\u2019 Other Writings<\/span><\/p>\n In his\u00a0Letter to the Romans, Ignatius observed that true Christians kept the commandments:<\/p>\n I also salute in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father: to those who are united, both according to the flesh and spirit, to every one of His commandments [36].<\/p>\n But if anyone preach the Jewish law unto you, listen not to him. For it is better to hearken to Christian doctrine from a man who has been circumcised, than to Judaism from one uncircumcised. But if either of such persons do not speak concerning Jesus Christ, they are in my judgment but as monuments and sepulchers of the dead, upon which are written only the names of men. Flee therefore the wicked devices and snares of the prince of this world, lest at any time being conquered by his artifices, ye grow weak in your love [37].<\/p>\n Notice that Ignatius is once again complaining about Judaic customs that are not from the Bible. How do we know that the practices that Ignatius is referring to are not from the Bible? Because Ignatius is clearly saying to avoid snares from \u201cthe prince of the world.\u201d The prince Ignatius is referring to is Satan (see Ephesians 2:2<\/a>), and since the Sabbath did not come from Satan, as it came from God (see Genesis 2:1-3<\/a>), Ignatius would not refer to something that God made as wicked.<\/p>\n Furthermore, notice that Ignatius mentioned about keeping \u201cevery one of His commandments\u201d, thus this is not simply an admonition to love, but to keep all the commandments.<\/p>\n In his\u00a0Letter to the Smyrnaeans, Ignatius wrote about false Christians:<\/p>\n But I guard you beforehand from those beasts in the shape of men, whom you must not only not receive, but, if it be possible, not even meet with; only you must pray to God for them, if by any means they may be brought to repentance, which, however, will be very difficult. Yet Jesus Christ, who is our true life, has the power of [effecting] this. But if these things were done by our Lord only in appearance, then am I also only in appearance bound. And why have I also surrendered myself to death, to fire, to the sword, to the wild beasts? But, [in fact,] he who is near to the sword is near to God; he that is among the wild beasts is in company with God; provided only he be so in the name of Jesus Christ. I undergo all these things that I may suffer together with Him, He who became a perfect man inwardly strengthening me. Some ignorantly deny Him, or rather have been denied by Him, being the advocates of death rather than of the truth. These persons neither have the prophets persuaded, nor the law of Moses, nor the Gospel even to this day, nor the sufferings we have individually endured. For they think also the same thing regarding us [38].<\/p>\n Since he writes that some of the false Christians do not have \u201cthe law of Moses\u201d it is reasonable to conclude that Ignatius believed that he did have the \u201claw of Moses,\u201d in regards to the ten commandments, including the Sabbath commandment.<\/p>\n (It may be of at least of passing interest to note that Ignatius referred to the church as the \u201cchurch of God\u201d four times in his writings,\u00a0Letter to the Philadelphians\u00a00:0, 10:1;\u00a0Letter to the Trallians\u00a02:2;\u00a0Letter to the Smyrnaeans\u00a00:0.)<\/p>\n I would also add that it is not proper to teach that Ignatius associated the \u2018cross\u2019 \u201cwith the power of the Holy Spirit\u201d as the late Cardinal Danielou said he did [39] and many mistranslators have. Ignatius used the word staros\/stake, not the word cross, in his writing in his letter to the Ephesians, Chapter IX. More on the \u2018cross\u2019 can be found in the article\u00a0What is the Origin of the Cross as a \u2018Christian\u2019 Symbol?<\/span><\/a> [Editor\u2019s comment: This opinion on the Cross isn\u2019t held by OCC. We at OCC actually teach what Paul said, that we are to \u201c<\/span>EVANGELIZE THE CROSS \/ CRUCIFIXION, tokens of Christ our Lamb \/ Sacrifice<\/b><\/a>\u201d]<\/span><\/p>\n Other Confirmation<\/p>\n The idea that those that professed Christ had a more positive, and less ceremonial attitude toward the Sabbath than did most of the Jews can also be found in an anonymous document titled the\u00a0Epistle to\u00a0Diognetus(probably written in the late second century). Specifically, in the following portion where the writer claims that the Jews:<\/p>\n 4:3 And again to lie against God, as if He forbad us to do any good thing on the sabbath day, is not this profane? [40]<\/p>\n This is simply additional evidence that the way of sabbath emphasis of those who professed Christ was different from that held by many of the Jews then (an article of related interest may be\u00a0The Sabbath in the Early Church and Abroad<\/span><\/a>). True Christians understood Jesus\u2019 teachings that it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath (e.g. Matthew 12:12<\/a>).<\/p>\n Greece and the Lord\u2019s Day?<\/p>\n Year ago, I wondered before going to Greece, why native Greeks did not realize that \u039a\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03ae\u03bd did not literally mean \u201cLord\u2019s Day\u201d as that meaning is not inherent in the word.\u00a0 So while in Greece, I decided to ask by speaking with several knowledgeable Greeks. Their statements made me conclude that because of pressures of tradition from compromised religious authorities, the meaning of this term had been changed over time\u2013so much so that modern Greeks do not seem to think about its original meaning.<\/p>\n Now the modern Greek word for Sunday is \u039a\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03ae [41].\u00a0 Hence the Greeks consider that the word is simply now means Sunday, and thus they ignore its literal meaning. However, even in modern Greek, \u039a\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1 (the base of the other words) still literally means Master or Lord\u2014it has nothing to do with the Sun or a day\u2014nor is the idea of \u201cSunday\u201d supported by the context in Ignatius (more information can be found in the article\u00a0Lord\u2019s Day or Day of the Lord?<\/span><\/a>).<\/p>\n Jesus taught that \u201cin vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men\u201d (Matthew 15:9<\/a>).<\/p>\n Sunday<\/p>\n Though where it first began in \u201cChristian\u201d circles is not entirely clear, the first clear reference to those professing Christ meeting on Sunday was from Saint\u00a0Justin Martyr<\/span><\/a>\u00a0around 150 A.D. [42].<\/p>\n (Note Inserted by Dr. Stephen Michael OCC: <\/span><\/p>\n Some more telling quotes from Justin Martyr on his personal beliefs are in the following two: f<\/span><\/p>\n “For we too would observe the fleshly circumcision, and the Sabbaths, and in short all the feasts, if we did not know for what reason they were enjoined you,–namely, on account of your transgressions and the hardness of your hearts” (Dialogue. Chapter XVIII).<\/span><\/p>\n and<\/span><\/p>\n “The new law requires you to keep perpetual sabbath, and you, because you are idle for one day, suppose you are pious, not discerning why this has been commanded you: and if you eat unleavened bread, you say the will of God has been fulfilled. The Lord our God does not take pleasure in such observances: if there is any perjured person or a thief among you, let him cease to be so; if any adulterer, let him repent; then he has kept the sweet and true sabbaths of God (Dialogue. Chapter XII).” <\/span><\/p>\n As Christ did not remove any laws, but added several, as now not to even think breaking them in the heart, and said “…if it’s your eye that makes you think about breaking them, to pluck it out, or your hand, cut it off, as it’s better to go into heaven with one hand or one eye than have your whole body thrown into hell…” “Not one jot or one tittle will pass from the law, not even after heaven and earth passes away, not till all the National prophecies and all the National laws have been fulfilled (in the new heavens and new earth)…” Words of Christ, from John Chapter 5.)<\/span><\/p>\n The actual Greek expression Justin used was:<\/p>\n \u03c4\u1fc7<\/span> \u03c4\u03bf\u1fe6<\/span> \u1ffe<\/span>\u0397\u03bb\u1f77<\/span>\u03bf\u03c5 \u03bb\u03b5\u03b3\u03bf\u03bc\u1f73<\/span>\u03bd\u03b7 \u1f21<\/span>\u03bc\u1f73<\/span>\u03c1\u1fb3<\/span>.<\/p>\n His statement is often translated as, \u201con the day called Sunday\u201d [43].<\/p>\n Notice that Justin\u2019s comment in the Greek language demonstrates that the term \u039a\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03ae\u03bd was not then the common Greek word for Sunday.<\/p>\n The terms he used specifically used were\u00a0\u1f21<\/span>\u03bc\u1f73<\/span>\u03c1\u1fb3<\/span>\u00a0which means\u00a0day,\u00a0\u0397\u03bb\u1f77<\/span>\u03bf\u03c5\u00a0is considered to mean\u00a0Sun\u00a0(although it is actually the term for the sun god Helios), and\u00a0\u03bb\u03b5\u03b3\u03bf\u03bc\u1f73<\/span>\u03bd\u03b7\u00a0currently means\u00a0said. Thus Justin literally stated \u201con the day said {of} Helios\u201d or perhaps more literally \u201con the Helios named day\u201d. Justin probably used this expression to suggest to the Roman Emperor that Justin\u2019s version of Christianity was not totally different from the worship of gods that the emperor was familiar with (and this is true).<\/p>\n But why Sunday?\u00a0Justin actually claims that God chose the eighth day for meeting because of the fact that circumcision was performed on the eighth day:<\/p>\n Now, sirs,\u201d I said, \u201cit is possible for us to show how the eighth day possessed a certain mysterious import, which the seventh day did not possess, and which was promulgated by God through these rites\u2026there is now another covenant, and another law has gone forth from Zion. Jesus Christ circumcises all who will\u2013as was declared above\u2013with knives of stone; that they may be a righteous nation, a people keeping faith, holding to the truth, and maintaining peace [44].<\/p>\n The average person who worships on Sunday probably does not wish to believe that this is what Sunday is based on, but this eighth day logic (which came from early Gnostics) is what the first Sunday references base its superiority on (including, as mentioned, the alleged\u00a0Epistle of Barnabas).<\/p>\n Furthermore, it may be of interest to realize that Justin held many positions that those who worship on Sunday would hold to be heretical. Justin also stated that there were Christians in his day who kept the law of Moses (who he did not wish to associate with) and those who did not keep the Sabbath (those he kept Sunday with).<\/p>\n Notice that\u00a0while in\u00a0Ephesus, Justin Martyr wrote, in response to a Jew named Trypho:<\/p>\n But if, Trypho, some of your race, who say they believe in this Christ, compel those Gentiles who believe in this Christ to live in all respects according to the law given by Moses, or choose not to associate so intimately with them, I in like manner do not approve of them [45].<\/p>\n Thus, Justin admits that there were two groups in Ephesus, one that kept all the law and the other that did not. He also admits that he did not approve of those who kept the law.<\/p>\n Ignatius was associated with Polycarp, a church leader in Asia Minor, as well as with those in Ephesus, yet Ignatius and\u00a0Polycarp<\/span><\/a>\u00a0endorsed what Justin is referring to as the law of Moses.<\/p>\n Furthermore, Justin Martyr records this accusation from Trypho:<\/p>\n But this is what we are most at a loss about: that you, professing to be pious, and supposing yourselves better than others, are not in any particular separated from them, and do not alter your mode of living from the nations, in that you observe no festivals or Sabbaths\u2026you do not obey His commandments [46].<\/p>\n While the Apostle Paul told Ephesians were told to live differently than the other Gentiles in whose nation they co-existed with (Ephesians 4:17<\/a>), those with Justin Martyr could not be distinguished, as they did not keep the Sabbath or the law as the true Christians in Asia Minor did.\u00a0(More of Justin\u2019s positions are documented in the article\u00a0Justin Martyr: Saint or Heretic and Apostate?<\/span><\/a>)<\/p>\n Early, Faithful, Christians Kept the Sabbath<\/p>\n It is well know that from the first century until about 135 A.D. the first fifteen bishops\/pastors of Jerusalem all kept the seventh-day Sabbath and were all circumcised Jews [47].<\/p>\n Although they have their own biases, even the historians Philip Schaff and Johann Gieseler correctly noted:<\/p>\n The Jewish Christians, at least in Palestine, conformed as closely as possible to the venerable forms of the cultus of their fathers, which in truth were divinely ordained, and were an expressive type of the Christian worship. So far as we know, they scrupulously observed the Sabbath, the annual Jewish feasts, the hours of daily prayer, and the whole Mosaic ritual [48].<\/p>\n While the Jewish Christians of Palestine retained the entire Mosaic law, and consequently the Jewish festivals, the Gentile Christians observed also the Sabbath and the passover (1 Cor. v. 6-8), with reference to the last scenes of Jesus\u2019 life, but without Jewish superstition (Gal. iv. 10 ; Col. ii. 16) [49].<\/p>\n It is known that early Jewish Christians did keep the Sabbath and Biblical holy days. And as prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 56:1-7<\/a>), so did the faithful Gentile Christians (and the Isaiah prophecy still has future application).<\/p>\n Polycarp<\/p>\n It may be of interest to note that Ignatius wrote:<\/p>\n \u2026to Polycarp, bishop of the Smyrnaeans\u2026So approving am I of your godly mind, which is as it were, grounded upon an unmovable rock, that my praise exceeds all bounds\u2026Do not let those who appear to be trustworthy yet who teach strange doctrines baffle you.\u00a0\u00a0Stand firm, like an anvil\u2026Grace will be\u2026always\u2026with Polycarp [50].<\/p>\n And according to the later testimonies of Irenaeus, Polycrates, and Tertullian, the leader of the Sabbath-keeping Smyrnaeans [51], Polycarp, did just that (more information is available in the article\u00a0Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome<\/span><\/a>).<\/p>\n Polycarp also taught that Christians should keep the commandments [52].<\/p>\n And on the following sabbath he said; \u2018Hear ye my exhortation, beloved children of God. I adjured you when the bishops were present, and now again I exhort you all to walk decorously and worthily in the way of the Lord\u2026Watch ye,\u00a0and again\u00a0Be ye ready, Let not your hearts be weighed down,\u00a0the new commandment concerning love one towards another, His advent suddenly manifest as of rapid lightning, the great judgment by fire, the eternal life, His immortal kingdom. And all things whatsoever being taught of God ye know, when ye search the inspired Scriptures, engrave with the pen of the Holy Spirit on your hearts, that the commandments may abide in you indelible.\u2019 [53]<\/p>\n According to the\u00a0The Martyrdom of Polycarp\u00a0by the Smyrnaeans\u00a0[54] and other sources [55], Christians in Polycarp\u2019s area kept the Sabbath after he died.<\/p>\n And since Polycarp referred to Ignatius as \u2018blessed\u2019 and endorsed Ignatius\u2019 letters in his\u00a0Letter to the Philippians<\/span><\/a>\u00a0[56],\u00a0it is logical to conclude that Ignatius was faithful to the same teachings and practices that Polycarp did (much more information about Polycarp can be found in the article\u00a0Polycarp of Smyrna<\/span><\/a>).<\/p>\n (Note: While some claim Polycarp also kept Sunday, that appears to be a later edition to the text [57].)<\/p>\n According to the\u00a0The Martyrdom of Polycarp\u00a0by the Smyrnaeans [58] and other sources [59], Christians in Polycarp\u2019s area kept the Sabbath after he died.<\/p>\n And since Polycarp referred to Ignatius as \u2018blessed\u2019 and endorsed Ignatius\u2019 letters in his\u00a0Letter to the Philippians\u00a0[60],\u00a0it is logical to conclude that Ignatius was faithful to the same teachings and practices that Polycarp did.<\/p>\n Theophilus<\/p>\n In the late second century, Pastor\/Bishop\u00a0Theophilus of Antioch<\/span><\/a>\u00a0wrote:<\/p>\n “And on the sixth day God finished His works which He made, and rested on the seventh day from all His works which He made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because in it He rested from all His works which God began to create\u2026Moreover, [they spoke] concerning the seventh day, which all men acknowledge; but the most know not that what among the Hebrews is called the \u201cSabbath,\u201d is translated into Greek the \u201cSeventh\u201d (\u03ad\u03b2\u03b4\u03bf\u03bc\u03ac\u03c2), a name which is adopted by every nation, although they know not the reason of the appellation\u2026God having thus completed the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and all that are in them, on the sixth day, rested on the seventh day from all His works which He made [61].<\/p>\n More more information on Theophilus and the Sabbath, check out the article on\u00a0Theophilus of Antioch<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n The early faithful Gentile Christians kept the Sabbath. Until the early third century, there was harmony between the faithful Christians in Antioch and Asia Minor.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/p>\n Early Jewish and Gentile Christians kept the seventh day Sabbath. The faithful did not believe that the Sabbath was done away.<\/p>\n Neither the Didache or Ignatius\u2019\u00a0Letter to the Magnesians\u00a0actually mention the term Sunday or directly refer to the first day of the week.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Didache\u00a0is not an endorsement of early Sunday observance.<\/p>\n Ignatius, himself, would have had to be a supporter of the seventh day Sabbath and would not have written against it. Nor, if properly translated, do Ignatius\u2019 letters ever truly write against the seventh day sabbath\u2013instead they endorse the concept that Christians are to keep the Sabbath in accordance with the commandments and the Lord\u2019s way of living, but not according to the ways endorsed by unBiblical Jewish tradition.<\/p>\n There is no evidence whatsoever that any who professed Christ regularly worshiped on Sunday when Ignatius was alive. The simple fact is that Ignatius\u2019 writings do not support the idea that the early New Testament Church observed Sunday.<\/p>\n The Greek expression he used in\u00a0Magnesians\u00a0(\u03ba\u03c5\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1\u03ba\u03ae\u03bd \u03b6\u03c9\u03bd\u03c4\u03b5\u03c2) simply did not mean Sunday when Ignatius wrote his letters. And there is no other contemporaneous reference that any professing Christian at the time of Ignatius observed Sunday.\u00a0Available evidence<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(including the Bible, i.e. Acts 13:42-44<\/a>; Hebrews 4:9<\/a>) clearly supports the idea that early Christians kept the seventh day Sabbath.<\/p>\n The first clear reference to Sunday worship, even according to Roman Catholic sources, was from Justin [62, 63]. Yet he held so many heretical positions, it makes no sense to this author that any could truly consider him to be a true Christian.<\/p>\n On the other hand,\u00a0Polycarp<\/span><\/a>\u00a0and those faithful Christians who remained in Asia Minor did continue to keep the Sabbath for centuries after Jesus died.<\/p>\n Information on the true Christian church and its history can be found in the free online booklets\u00a0
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\n8.2\u00a0\u00a0For if even unto this day we live according to the manner of Judaic concepts, we admit that we have not received grace: for the godly prophets lived after Christ Jesus. For this cause also they were persecuted, being inspired by His grace to the end that they which are disobedient might be fully persuaded that there is one God who manifested Himself through Jesus Christ His Son, who is His Word that proceeded from silence, who in all things was well-pleasing unto Him that sent Him.
\n9.1 If then those who had walked in ancient practices attained unto newness of hope, no longer keeping sabbaths contrariwise according to the Lord\u2019s way of life, on which our life also arose through Him and through His death which some men deny \u2013 a mystery whereby we attained unto belief, and for this cause we endure patiently, that we may be found disciples of Jesus Christ our only teacher \u2013
\n9.2 if this be so, how shall we be able to live apart from Him? Seeing that even the prophets, being His disciples, were expecting Him as their teacher through the Spirit. And for this cause He whom they rightly awaited, when He came, raised them from the dead.<\/p>\n