1

VERDICT
Vol. 1 No. 5 An informational service to Verdict contributors September 1982
A Digest of the Sabbath Question
Robert D. Brinsmead
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations
are from the New nternational !ersion.
The following summary presents the principal points of the
Sabbatarian question that were considered by Verdict in 1981:
". #he New #estament must alwa$s remain the %hristian&s final authorit$. That
which is declared to us through Jesus and his apostles is Gods final word !John 1:1"
#eb$ 1:1% &'$ The (ld Testament is also Gods word% but it is not his final word$ That
which was binding under the (ld Testament !co)enant' age is not necessarily binding
under the *ew Testament !co)enant' age$
'. Biblical co(enants ha(e their special seals or signs. The rainbow was the sign of
the *oachic co)enant !Gen$ 9:1&% 1+'$ ,ircumcision was the sign of the -brahamic
co)enant !Gen$ 1.:1/" 0om$ 1:11'$ The Sabbath was the sign of the 2osaic !old'
co)enant !34od$ +1:15% 1." 36e7$ &/:1&'$ The #oly Spirit is the seal or sign of the new
co)enant !-cts &:181" 19:&" 3ph$ 1:1+" 1:+/'$ *owhere does the *ew Testament e)en
imply that the Sabbath is the sign which distinguishes Gods people under the new
co)enant$
). #he New #estament nowhere commands %hristians to obser(e either the
se(enth or the first da$ of the wee* as a %hristian Sabbath. "
+. #here is no biblical record of an$ command to *eep the Sabbath until the time
of ,oses. *either is there any biblical record of people 7eeping the Sabbath until it was
gi)en to 9srael$
-. .enesis '/', ) simpl$ sa$s that .od rested on the 0se(enth da$0 after his wor*
of creation had ended. Since the creation was finished% Gods rest was to be ongoing$
Thus% the :se)enth day: of Genesis &:&% + was open8ended$ ;nli7e the preceding si4
days% the se)enth day was not bounded by e)ening and morning$ ' Genesis mentions
no creation ordinance commanding man to rest$) *either does it record any instance of
man 7eeping a wee7ly Sabbath before the 34odus$
1. #he creation ordinances of marriage and dominion o(er the earth 2.en. "/'13
)45 were repeated to Noah, the new father of the postdilu(ian world 2.en. 6/"3""5.
9t is significant that *oah was gi)en no command to 7eep the Sabbath88further e)idence
that Sabbath obser)ance was not a creation ordinance$
<rom ancient times the Jews called the commandments gi)en to *oah the :*oachian
commandments$: They considered these commandments binding on all men$ ;sually
listed as se)en% the Sabbath commandment was ne)er included among them$+
&
7. 8hen .od made a promissor$ co(enant with Abraham, .od ga(e him the sign
of circumcision. =euteronomy 1:1+ and >:&% + state that the Ten ,ommandment
co)enant !with its Sabbath sign' was not gi)en to the fathers of the #ebrew nation$ This
co)enant came 1+/ years after God first announced his co)enant with -braham !Gal$
+:1.'$
9. #he Sabbath was gi(en to srael !*eh$ 9:1+% 11'$ -lthough it was patterned after
the creation model% this twenty8four8hour rest was ob)iously not identical to Gods
permanent rest which followed a finished creation !Gen$ &:&% +" #eb$ 1:+% 1% 1/'$ The
Sabbath was the sign of the 2osaic% Sinaitic or old co)enant !34od$ +1:15% 1." 36e7$
&/:1&'$ 2ost scholars now agree that there is no e)idence of a Sabbath institution
outside 9srael$-
6. #he :ld #estament nowhere indicates that .entile nations should *eep the
Sabbath. -lthough the sins of Gentile cities and nations are often specified by the
prophets% only 9srael was e)er chided for brea7ing the Sabbath$ ?aul appears to follow
this (ld Testament tradition in 0omans 1$ -lthough he lists about twenty8two Gentile
sins% he does not mention Sabbath8brea7ing$
1/$ :rthodo; <udaism% both before and after ,hrist% taught that .entiles should
*eep the Sabbath onl$ if the$ were <ewish prosel$tes. 1 !See also 9sa$ >5:5% .$'
@oth ancient and modern Judaism ha)e consistently taught that while the *oachian
commandments were for all men% the Torah !including the Sabbath' was for 9srael
alone$7
"". As a <ew, <esus li(ed under the institutions of the old co(enant. #e was
circumcised and generally 9 7ept the Sabbath% the ?asso)er and the other old8co)enant
festi)als$ #e e)en told a healed leper to offer the sacrifice commanded in the Aaw !Au7e
>:11'$ *othing in the entire Aaw could cease to be binding until Jesus fulfilled it all by
his death on the cross !2att$ >:1.819"
John 19:+/" 0om$ +:&18&>'$ @ut on the e)en of his death Jesus instituted the new
co)enant and sealed it by his sacrificial death !2att$ &5:&.% &8" Au7e &&:&/'$ 9t too7 the
new8co)enant community some time under the leading of the #oly Spirit% howe)er%
before it could grasp the full implications of life under a new co)enant !see John 15:1&8
1>'$
"'. Scholars toda$ ha(e reached a remar*able consensus in reconstructing the
de(eloping histor$ of the church in apostolic times. 6 The following historical points
are a summary of this broad consensus:
a$ The first ,hristian community arose in Jerusalem and was
composed of -ramaic8spea7ing Jews$ They continued their
Jewish way of life 88 i$e$% they worshiped at the temple%
circumcised their children and 7ept the Jewish festi)als
!including the wee7ly Sabbath' "4 -lthough their adherence
to the Aaw commended them to their fellow Jews !-cts &:15%
1.'% it made any Gentile mission impossible$ -s long as the
Jewish ,hristians adhered strictly to the Aaw% they were a
shut8door community with respect to non8Jews$
+
b$ The #ellenist Jewish ,hristians% howe)er% were not as conser)ati)e$ "" -pparently
following the more radical thought of the martyr Stephen% they )entured to ta7e the
gospel beyond Jewry "' 88 first to the Samaritans% then to the 3thiopian eunuch% and
finally to the Gentiles$ 9n order to ta7e such steps% these ,hristians had to ignore the
Jewish customs$ ;nder the leadership of the #oly Spirit% ?eter also ignored the Jewish
customs by associating with Gentiles in the home of ,ornelius !-cts 1/" 11:&% +'$ -
flourishing community of Gentile belie)ers was soon established at -ntioch !-cts l 1'$
These Gentile ,hristians li)ed without reference to the Jewish Aaw$") <rom a Jewish
standpoint there was nothing improper or unorthodo4 about this% for it was a well8
established tradition in Judaism that pious Gentiles should only be e4pected to 7eep the
*oachian commandments$"+ @elie)ers were first called ,hristians in -ntioch !-cts
11:&5' because their Torah8free e4istence identified their religion as something separate
from Judaism$"-
c$ -fter the Gentile mission had flourished at -ntioch for about ten years !e)en to the
point of becoming a base for ?auls worldwide mission'% some of the Jewish ,hristians
from the mother church at Jerusalem became apprehensi)e about the Torah8free
Gentile mission$ They began to urge that Gentile ,hristians should become Jewish
proselytes 8 meaning that they should be circumcised and thereby underta7e to 7eep
the Torah !-cts 1>:1% >'$"1
The mo)e to compel Gentile belie)ers to be circumcised and to 7eep the Torah Aaw
was a great step bac7ward$ 9t was contrary to the leading of the #oly Spirit for the
pre)ious ten years$ 9t e)en contradicted an established tradition that Gentiles need only
7eep the *oachian commandments$ "7 @ut these Jewish ,hristians wanted to confine
,hristianity within Judaism$ #ad they succeeded% the church would ha)e remained !or
died' as a mere sect of Judaism$
The issue% howe)er% was decided at the Jerusalem conference about -$=$ 19 !see -cts
1>'$ The apostle recogni6ed the #oly Spirits fait accompli. #ence it was not necessary
for Gentiles to be circumcised or to 7eep the Torah Aaw$ They need only obser)e the
*oachian commandments or a few regulations from the Torah Aaw which would ma7e it
easier for Jewish belie)ers to fellowship with them$ Scholarly opinion is di)ided on
whether the three or four requirements imposed on the Gentiles by the Jerusalem
council were *oachian commandments or a compromise of minimal 2osaic
requirements$"9 *e)ertheless it is clear that the Jerusalem conference officially
recogni6ed the Aaw8free Gentile mission$"6
d$ 9t was ?aul who ga)e theological Bustification for the Torah Aaw8free mission to the
Gentiles88i$e$:
!1' 9n Galatians ?aul showed that the age of 2oses
and the Torah Aaw had been superseded by the age
of ,hrist and the Spirit$ The Aaw had acted as a
custodian and a guardian until the coming of ,hrist
!Gal$ +:19% &1% &>" 1:181'$ *ow that ,hrist had come%
Gods people were no longer under the super)ision of
the Aaw !Gal$ +:&>" >:18'$ 9nstead of li)ing under the
Aaw of 2oses% the Galatians should li)e under the law
1
of ,hrist !Gal$ 5:&'$
!&' 9n & ,orinthians +% ?aul showed that the Ten ,ommandment co)enant had been
superseded by the more glorious ministration of the Spirit under the new co)enant$
!+' 9n 3phesians &:11% 1>% ?aul said that the Torah Aaw with its commandments and
regulations acted as a di)iding wall of partition and caused hostility between Jew and
Gentile$ @ut ,hrist had abolished this barrier by his death on the cross$
!1' 9n 1 ,orinthians 9:&/8&+% ?aul declared that he did not li)e under the Torah Aaw
!e4cept in a )oluntary way'% yet he was still subBect to Gods law in the sense that he
li)ed under the law of ,hrist$
e$ The three requirements which particularly characteri6ed a
Jew li)ing under the Torah were circumcision% the food laws
and the Sabbath$'4 9n the ?auline letters there is e)idence
that ?aul was in conflict with Jewish ,hristians who were
urging Gentiles to practice these requirements$ ?aul was
)ehemently opposed to those who wanted to impose these
regulations on the Gentiles$
!1' 9n ,olossians &:15% 1.% he declared:
Therefore do not let anyone Budge you by what you eat or drin7% or with regard to a
religious festi)al% a *ew 2oon celebration or a Sabbath day$ These are a shadow of the
things that were to come" the reality% howe)er% is found in ,hrist$
!&' To the Gentile ,hristians he wrote:
Cou are obser)ing special days and months and seasons and yearsD 9 fear for you% that
somehow 9 ha)e wasted my efforts on you$88Gal$ 1:1/% 11$
!+' To the churches in 0ome% which were comE8posed of both Jews and Gentiles% ?aul
wrote:
(ne man Fconte4t: Jewish ,hristians whose faith is wea7G considers one day more
sacred than another" another man considers e)ery day ali7e$ 3ach one should be fully
con)inced in his own mind$880om$ 11:>$'"
34cept for a few Sabbatarians% scholars today are agreed that these three scriptures
address the matter of Sabbath87eeping$ This was also the unanimous position ta7en by
the early church fathers and the 0eformers$
f$ ?aul ne)er wrote to the Gentile churches about Sabbath8
7eeping e4cept in a negati)e way$ ?auls silence on the
matter of urging the young churches to 7eep the Sabbath
cannot be regarded as an indication that he or his con)erts
too7 the obligation for granted$ The new Gentile
communities had no bac7ground in Sabbatarianism$ #ow
astonishing it would be for ?aul to write so many letters with
so much practical instruction on li)ing the ,hristian life and
not mention Sabbath87eeping if it were an obligation for
Gentile ,hristiansD #ow strange that these new con)erts
were warned against committing all 7inds of sins !e$g$% ?aul
>
lists fifteen sins in Galatians >:198&1% eighteen sins in &
Timothy +:&81 and many more in other places' but Sabbath8
brea7ing is ne)er mentionedD
g$ 9n an age when the 0oman world had no wee7ly rest day% there is no historical
e)idence that ,hristians suffered hardship or persecution because of the Sabbath$
2any ,hristians were sla)es who had to wor7 e)ery day of the wee7$ ''
"). According to the teachings of <esus and the apostles,
.od&s people in the age of the new co(enant would be
identified b$ lo$alt$ to %hrist !-cts 11:&5" 0om$ 1/:9'%
possession of the Spirit !-cts 19:&" 3ph$ 1:1+" 1:+/" >:18' and lo)e
for one another !John 1+:+1'$
"+. Baptism and the =ord&s Supper are the onl$ two %hristian
ordinances or sacraments that ha(e been uni(ersall$ identified
with %hristianit$.
"-. #he New #estament is not concerned with holy days an$
more than it is concerned with holy places !see John 1:198&1'
or :clean: food !2ar7 .:19" 0om$ 11:18>% 11% &/" 1 ,or$ 8:8" 1/:&+8
&." ,ol$ &:15% 1." 1 Tim$ 1:+8>'$ To emphasi6e these questions is to
distort the spirituality and ethical concerns of the *ew Testament
!see 2att$ &>:+1815" Gal$ >:5'$
"1. Under the old co(enant .od sanctified a particular nation
for ser(ice, a particular place for worship, particular food as
0clean0 and particular da$s for rest.
;nder the new co)enant there is a catholici6ing or uni)ersali6ing of
the particular$ *o longer are people from one nation designated as
holy !-cts 1/:&8% +1'" no longer is one geographical site set aside
for the worship of God !John 1:198&1'" no longer is there a
distinction between religiously :clean: and :unclean: food !2ar7
.:19" 0om$ 11:11% &/'" and no longer is there a distinction of days
!John >:15% 1." 0om$ 11:>" ,ol$ &:15% 1.'$ ,hrist does not
desacrali6e people% places% food and time% but he redeems all and
asserts his Aordship o)er all !1 ,or$ 1/:&5'$
The idea of designating one day as holy is Bust as irrele)ant in this new age of the Spirit
as designating one place as holy$ Such particularism belongs to the old8co)enant age
and is contrary to the catholic spirit of the ,hristian age$
"7. %hrist and his apostles imposed no regulations on the church uni(ersal
which would create unnecessar$ hardships or erect unnecessar$ barriers for
people in an$ place or time. The *ew Testament commandments are not addressed
to a single nation li)ing in ?alestine$ They are adapted to the needs of people li)ing in a
wide di)ersity of nations and cultures$ They reach across the span of millennia and are
5
practical in a modern% space8age society$ The gospel must reach all these people
where they are88sla)es in the 0oman empire% soldiers then and now% people in
go)ernment ser)ice then and now% airline pilots% policemen% multitudes of people in
essential ser)ices and those who must li)e in cultures not oriented to a particular rest
day$ The ,hristian faith must be li)able any time or place$ Those who e4perience
hardship because of Sabbath regulations are doubtlessly sincere in their desire to ser)e
God% but they are ill8informed and bear burdens that God has not laid on the uni)ersal
church$
"9. #he .entile %hristians were free to choose their time of common assembl$.
They were not bound by (ld Testament commandments in this matter$ ,ertainly% no
*ew Testament commandments were imposed upon them in respect to the obser)ance
of days !0om$ 11:>" Gal$ 1:1/% 11" ,ol$ &:15'$
3)idence suggests that the Gentile ,hristians chose the first day of the wee7 for their
time of common assembly probably quite early in the first century !-cts &/:.'$ @y the
end of the first century 9gnatius% the @ishop of -ntioch% wrote quite naturally about
,hristians meeting for common assembly on the first day of the wee7$ ') Ai7ewise% The
Teaching of the Twelve Apostles !c$ -$=$ 8/81&/' '+ The Epistle of Barnabas !c$ -$=$
1&/81>/' '- ?linys letter to the 3mperor TraBan !c$ -$=$ 111811&' '1 and Justin 2artyrs
Dialogue with Trypho !c$ -$=$ 1>>5 '7 all testify to the general practice of ,hristians
assembling on the first day of the wee7$ These documents bear no e)idence of any
recent inno)ation in this assembling% but they all suggest a well8established practice$
There is no e)idence that the practice of meeting on the first day of the wee7 was
initiated in 0ome$ '9 0ather% it is more li7ely to ha)e begun at -ntioch early in the
Gentile mission$ '6 <rom -ntioch the practice spread to 0ome and to the entire ,atholic
church$
"6. #he fathers of the earl$ church33from gnatius to
Augustine33ma$ ha(e disagreed on some things, and their
authorit$ is certainl$ not canonical, but their unanimit$ on the
Sabbath question is quite stri*ing.
a$ -ll were united in belie)ing that the (ld Testament
Sabbath institution was abolished along with circumcision
and the sacrifices$ These were regarded as shadows of
,hrist and his benefits !,ol$ &:15% 1." #eb$ 1/:18+'$)4
b$ Just as spiritual circumcision replaced the physical% and spiritual sacrifices were
offered in place of animals% so the fathers taught that ,hristians enter the better rest of
#ebrews 1:+% 9811 and therefore 7eep the perpetual ,hristian Sabbath$)"
c$ The first day of the wee7 was unanimously accepted by the fathers as the day of
common assembly$)' He should also remember that these were the same men who
decided what boo7s should be included in the *ew Testament canon$ They fought
Gnosticism% opposed -rianism and preser)ed the doctrine of the Trinity$ 9t is true that
some errors and distortions crept into the church through their teachings% yet we should
be reluctant to oppose those points on which there was unanimity% for such unity is
generally a sign of the #oly Spirits leading$
.
'4. t was onl$ after the concept of a perpetual gospel rest
began fading from the church that the idea of a Sunda$
Sabbath was graduall$ introduced b$ the Roman %hurch,
beginning in the fourth century and continuing to the twelfth
century$ 2a7ing Sunday into a ,hristian Sabbath was a 7ind of
,hristian Judaism$ ))
'". n summar$, the primiti(e <ewish %hristians at <erusalem continued to *eep
the Sabbath !on this point all notable ?rotestant% ,atholic and Jewish historians are
now agreed'" the Gentile ,hristians did not$)+
''. 8hen the <erusalem council 2Acts "-5 ac*nowledged that .entile %hristians
were free from the =aw, the same freedom was implicitl$ gi(en to <ewish
%hristians. )- The subsequent history of Jewish ,hristianity is a )ital 7ey in the tas7 of
discerning the face of the primiti)e church$ Jewish ,hristianity di)ided into what one
scholar calls :Judaic: and :Judaistic: ,hristianity$ )1
a$ :Judaic: ,hristians were the orthodo4 Jewish ,hristians li7e the Jerusalem church%
which was sympathetic to the Gentile mission in spite of initial misgi)ings$ -fter their
flight from Jerusalem to ?ella in -$=$ 5&% and after they began to be e4pelled from
Jewish synagogues !c$ -$=$ ./'% )7 these Jewish ,hristians were more inclined to
identify with Gentile ,hristianity$)9
b$ :Judaistic: ,hristians were those Jewish ,hristians who de)eloped the notoriously
heretical Jewish ,hristianity of the second century$ These clung tenaciously to the
Torah Aaw as necessary for their sal)ation and% by so doing% became increasingly
isolated and% finally% completely cut off from the great church$ )6 Cet in Judaistic
,hristianity a distinction must be made between two branches:
!1' Some Jewish ,hristians continued to 7eep the Aaw%
including the Sabbath% as necessary for themsel)es but not
necessary for Gentile ,hristians$ These were called the
*a6arenes$ Justin 2artyr !-$=$ 111815>' was prepared to
recogni6e that the *a6arenes were ,hristians% although he
admitted that some Gentile ,hristians would not$ #he
Na>arenes, li*e all who remained <ewish %hristians,
were strongl$ apocal$ptic and held a defecti(e
%hristolog$. They increasingly became a pitifully wea7
sidestream of the ,hristian mo)ement$+4
!&' There were also Jewish ,hristians who not only 7ept the Aaw and the Sabbath
themsel)es% but insisted that all ,hristians must do the same$ These were 7nown as
3bionites$ Their hero was James" their enemy% ?aul$ #he$ were ascetic 2(egetarians,
teetotallers5 and apocal$ptic, and the$ denied the di(init$ of %hrist. They
combined Gnostic ideas with their Judaistic tendencies$ They were denounced by the
church fathers and were regarded as outside the bounds of the ,hristian church$ #he
?bionite mo(ement finall$ became lost in histor$, and its remnants were
absorbed into slam$+"
8
'). #he histor$ of <ewish %hristianit$ demonstrates the futilit$
of a s$nthesis between <udaism !adherence to the Torah Aaw'
and %hristianit$. 9n the end Jewish ,hristians were more Jewish
than ,hristian88in fact% not ,hristian at all$+'
'+. #he apocr$phal gospels of <ewish %hristianit$ in the second centur$
ad(ocated the *eeping of the =aw and the Sabbath, while the apocr$phal gospels
of .entile %hristianit$ 2including those of a <ewish bac*ground who had @oined
the great church5 denounced the *eeping of the =aw and the Sabbath.+) ?aul was
also denigrated by Jewish ,hristians because he was held responsible for freeing the
,hristian mo)ement from the Torah Aaw$++
The study of Jewish ,hristianity star7ly re)eals that while heretical Jewish ,hristianity
remained Sabbatarian% the Gentile church was decidedly non8Sabbatarian$ The notion
that early Gentile ,hristianity was e)er Sabbatarian is ine4cusable in light of the
historical e)idence a)ailable today$
'-. n (iew of the biblical data and the e(idence of earl$ church
histor$, we can ma*e the following summar$ of
Sabbatarianism/
a. #hose who ha(e traditionall$ ad(ocated Sunda$ Sabbatarianism or Sunda$
sacredness ha(e been wrong on two counts/
!1' They ha)e been wrong in claiming that the first ,hristian
community or its apostles in Jerusalem abandoned the
ancient Sabbath in fa)or of a Sunday Sabbath$ *o creditable
scholar will accept that thesis today$
!&' They ha)e been wrong in claiming that the @ible designates Sunday as a ,hristian
holy day or Sabbath$ This is contrary to the principle enunciated in 0omans 11:>%
,olossians &:15 and #ebrews 1:+% 9811% and it also contradicts the historical e)idence
on primiti)e Gentile ,hristianity$
b. #hose who ha(e ad(ocated that %hristians should obser(e
the ancient <ewish se(enth3da$ Sabbath ha(e also been
wrong on two counts/
!1' They ha)e been wrong in claiming that all early
,hristians 7ept the se)enth8day Sabbath% for it is clear that
the Gentile church was ne)er Sabbatarian$
!&' They ha)e been wrong in claiming that ,hristians began meeting on the first day of
the wee7 only after the church fell into the great apostasy$
@oth forms of Sabbatarianism erred in presuming that the primiti)e
,hristians had a uniform pattern of worship$ He now 7now that
there was great di)ersity between Jewish and Gentile ,hristianity$
,hristians were forbidden to Budge and condemn one another in
respect to their di)ersity in forms of worship$ 9t was sufficient that
9
they be united in their faith in ,hrist% their 0edeemer and Aord$ The
gospel was the only genuine testing and uniting truth in
apostolic Christianity. +-
"If anywhere the day [abbath! is made holy
for the mere day"s sa#e$ if anywhere any one
sets up its observance on a %ewish
foundation$ then I order you to wor# on it$ to
ride on it$ to dance on it$ to feast on it$ to do
anything that shall remove this
encroachment on &hristian liberty"
(Martin Luther, Table Talk,
quoted in Bampton Lectures,
p. 1, by !r. "essey#.
Recommended Reading
He recommend to our readers a new boo7 entitled 'rom
abbath to (ord"s Day." A Biblical$ )istorical and
Theological Investigation. Hritten by se)en ,hristian
scholars and edited by one of them% =$ -$ ,arson% this
wor7 is already regarded by many as the definiti)e and
probably classical wor7 on the subBect$ 9t has decided the
con)ictions of many former ardent Sabbatarians%
pro)iding a decisi)e treatment of this important topic$
Notes and References
1. Luther's comment is therefore unchallengeable:
"Throughout the New Testament we do not find a single place
where we Christians are commanded to celebrate the Sabbath"
(wald !. "lass# comp.# What Luther Says: An Anthology
$Saint Louis: Concordia "ublishing %ouse# 1&'&(# ):1)*&+.
*. The open,ended nature of the "rest" of -enesis *:*# ) is now widel.
ac/nowledged b. biblical scholars. See -. C. 0. %owle.# gen. ed.# A Bible
Commentary for Today: Based on the Revised Standard Version (London:
"ic/ering 1 2nglis# 1&3&+# p. 1)4. See also 0. -uthrie and 5. 6. !ot.er#
eds.# The New Bible Commentary Revised (-rand 7apids: 8m. 9. erdmans
"ublishing Co.# 1&3:+# p. ;).
). -erhard <on 7ad therefore comments on -enesis *:lff: "To tal/ of an
'institution' of the Sabbath would be a complete misapprehension of the
passage. =or there is no word here of this rest being imposed on man or
assigned to him" (-erhard <on 7ad# ld Testament Theology! >ol. 1# The
1/
Theology of "srael#s $istori%al Traditions $dinburgh: ?li>er 1 9o.d# 1&4*(#
pp. 1@3,@;+.
&' The (ewish )n%y%lo*edia sa.s: "L68S# N?6C%26N: Laws which were supposed b.
the 7abbis to ha>e been binding upon man/ind at large e>en before the
re>elation at Sinai# and which are still binding upon non,5ews. The term
Noachian indicates the uni>ersalit. of these ordinances# since the whole
human race was supposed to be descended from the three sons of Noah# who
alone sur>i>ed the =lood .... 9asing their >iews on the passage in -en. ii.
14# the. declared that the following siA commandments were enBoined upon
6dam: (1+ not to worship idolsC (*+ not to blaspheme the name of -odC ()+ to
establish courts of BusticeC (@+ not to /illC ('+ not to commit adulter.C and
(4+ not to rob .... 6 se>enth commandment was added after the =lood,,not to
eat flesh that had been cut from a li>ing animal (-en. iA. @+. Thus# the
Talmud freDuentl. spea/s of 'the se>en laws of the sons of Noah#' which were
regarded as obligator. upon all man/ind# in contradistinction to those that
were binding upon 2sraelites onl. .... %e who obser>ed the se>en Noachian
laws was regarded as a domiciled alien .... as one of the pious of the
-entiles# and was assured of a portion in the world to come" The (ewish
)n%y%lo*edia! 2sidore Singer# managing ed. $New Eor/: FT6< "ublishing %ouse#
n.d.G# 3:4@;,@&+H See also 8. 0. 0a>ies# +aul and Rabbini% (udaism: Some
Rabbini% )lements in +auline Theology! @th ed.# ("hiladelphia: =ortress
"ress# 1&;:+# pp. 11),14C =. =. 9ruce# +aul: A*ostle of the $eart Set ,ree
(-rand 7apids: 8m. 9. erdmans "ublishing Co.# 1&33+# pp. 1;',;4.
'. "No real traces of the Sabbath can be found outside 2srael" (%. L.
llison# art. "Sabbath#" The New "nternational -i%tionary of the Christian
Chur%h! 5. 0. 0ouglas# gen. ed. $-rand 7apids: Ionder>an Corp.# 1&3@(# p.
;3:+.
4. 8. 0. 0a>ies sa.s that it was alwa.s recogniJed "b. 5udaism that the whole
of the Law should not be demanded of the -entiles" (0a>ies# +aul and Rabbini%
(udaism! p. )@;+. 6lfred dersheim points out that although a small group of
5ewish eAtremists contended that -entiles must /eep the Law in the !essianic
age# this was not the teaching of the orthodoA rabbis. The. taught that it
was sufficient for -entiles to /eep the Noachian commandments (see 6lfred
dersheim# The Life and Times of (esus the .essiah! "art 2 $reprint ed.#
-rand 7apids: 8m. 9. erdmans "ublishing Co.# 1&31(# pp. 34@ff+.
/' The Boo0 of (ubilees (a 5ewish pseudepigraphal wor/ of the second centur.
9.C.+ sa.s that "the Creator of all things..# did not sanctif. all peoples
and nations to /eep Sabbath thereon# but 2srael alone" ("The 9oo/ of
5ubilees#" in The A*o%ry*ha and +seude*igra*ha of the ld Testament! ed. 7.
%. Charles# >ol. *# +seude*igra*ha $?Aford: Clarendon "ress# 1&1)(# p. 1'+.
The historic position of 5udaism is that "the Sabbath is a sign between -od
and 2srael alone" 1The (ewish )n%y%lo*edia! ':4*)+. Some rabbis ha>e e>en
ta/en the position that "a -entile obser>ing the Sabbath deser>es death" (p.
4*)+.
9erger and 8.schogrod ha>e gi>en an eAample of modern 5ewish theolog.: "The
Torah and its 41) commandments are intended onl. for 5ews .... The Talmud
spea/s of the laws that are binding for gentiles as the Noachide
commandments# basing itself on -enesis &:1,13. .. 5udaism belie>es that a
gentile who obe.s the Noachide commandments has a place in the world to come"
(0a>id 9erger and !ichael 8.schogrod# (ews and 2(ewish Christianity2 $New
Eor/: FT6< "ublishing %ouse# 1&3;(# pp. 4:,4)+.
;. 8e sa. "generall." because Christ asserted his authorit.
abo>e the laws of !oses (see !att. '+. 6s Lord of the
Sabbath (!ar/ *:*;+# he was free to ignore Sabbatical
regulations in the interest of the /ingdom of -od (see 5ohn
':13# 1;+.
11
&. This has been one of the most eAciting areas of biblical
research in the latter half of the twentieth centur.. 2n
his definiti>e wor/ 5ean 0aniKlou comments "how
mar>ellousl. it has become possible in the last ten .ears
$writing in 1&4@(# after se>enteen centuries of obscurit.#
to begin to discern once again the features of the un/nown
face of the "rimiti>e Church" (5ean 0aniKlou# A $istory of
)arly Christian -o%trine before the Coun%il of Ni%aea! >ol.
1# The Theology of (ewish Christianity $"hiladelphia:
8estminster "ress# 1&4@(# p. '+.
The subBect of 5ewish Christianit. in the earl. church has been a
particularl. fruitful area of research and has been >ital to an understanding
of the New Testament. See C. =. 0. !oule# The Birth of the New Testament! *nd
ed. (London: 6dam 1 Charles 9lac/# 1&44+# p. 14'.
This >ital information on 5ewish Christianit. has onl. been reco>ered in
recent .ears. This information has an important bearing on the Duestion of
Sabbatarianism. The old Sabbatarian arguments were based on the fault.
historical premise that there was a H monolithic unit. in the forms of
worship in the primiti>e church. =or eAample# in their boo/# $istory of the
Sabbath and ,irst -ay of the Wee0! "art *# The Sabbath in $istory! @th ed.
(8ashington# 0.C.: 7e>iew 1 %erald "ublishing 6ssn.# 1&1*# p. @@'+# 5. N.
6ndrews and L. 7. Conradi den. that 5ewish Christians and -entile Christians
eAisted as separate parties in the earl. church. These authors built their
case for Sabbatarianism on the m.th of an ideal primiti>e church in which
onl. one ideal pattern of worship eAisted. That m.th is now fore>er eAploded#
for it is well documented that great di>ersit. eAisted in the primiti>e
Christian mo>ement. See !oule# Birth of the New Testament! pp. 1'),''C 5ames
0. -. 0unn# 3nity and -iversity in the New Testament: An "n4uiry into the
Chara%ter of )arliest Christianity ("hiladelphia: 8estminster "ress# 1&33+#
pp. 1,3C =. =. 9ruce# New Testament $istory (-arden Cit.# N.E.: 0oubleda. 1
Co.# 1&31+C 7obert L. 8il/en# The .yth of Christian Beginnings: $istory#s
"m*a%t on Belief (-arden Cit.# N.E.: 0oubleda. 1 Co.# 1&31+.
The reco>ered histor. of earl. Christianit.# and especiall.
of 5ewish Christianit.# illuminates the Sabbatarian debate
and calls man. of the old arguments into DuestionH 8e
suggest that it is impossible to re>iew the a>ailable
historical e>idence of the earl. church and conclude that
the New Testament supports an. /ind of Sabbatarianism.
1:. ?n the broad consensus that the primiti>e 5ewish
Christians in 5erusalem continued to /eep the Sabbath# see
9ruce# New Testament $istory! p. *;&C 9ruce# +aul! p. 4@C
5oseph 9. T.son# A Study of )arly Christianity (New Eor/:
!acmillan "ublishing Co.# 1&3)+# p. *3;C Theologi%al
-i%tionary of the New Testament! ed. -erhard =riedrich# ed.
and tr. -eoffre. 8. 9romile. (-rand 7apids: 8m. 9. erdmans
"ublishing Co.# 1&31+# 3:):# ))C 0unn# 3nity and -iversity!
pp. 1*3# *);C 5. !orgenstern# art. "Sabbath#" The
"nter*reter#s -i%tionary of the Bible! ed. -eorge 6.
9uttric/ (Nash>ille: 6bingdon "ress# 1&4*+# @:1)'C The
"nternational Standard Bible )n%y%lo*aedia! 5ames ?rr# gen.
ed. (1&'4C reprint ed.# -rand 7apids: 8m. 9. erdmans
"ublishing Co.# 1&3@+# @:*4)1C !oule# Birth of the New
Testament! p. 1;C 0aniKlou# The Theology of (ewish
Christianity! p. ;C 5a/ob 5ocJ# The (ewish +eo*le and (esus
Christ: The Relationshi* between Chur%h and Synagogue! )rd
1&
ed. (1&3:C reprint ed.# -rand 7apids: 9a/er 9oo/ %ouse#
1&3&+# pp. 1'*# 1'3,';C Leonhard -oppelt# A*ostoli% and
+ost5A*ostoli% Times (1&3:C reprint ed.# -rand 7apids:
9a/er 9oo/ %ouse# 1&;:+# pp. '4# *:@.
11. The distinction between -recian 5ewish Christians
(%ellenists+ and 6ramaic 5ewish Christians first appears in
6cts 4:1. The difference was not merel. a difference of
language. 2t was a difference of culture. The %ellenist
5ews were largel. the 5ews of the 0ispersion and had been
significantl. influenced b. -ree/ culture.
1*. Stephen was one of the leaders of the %ellenists (see 6cts 4+. 2n
reco>ering the histor. of the primiti>e church# scholars ha>e emphasiJed
Stephen's contribution:
"2t would be strange if 5esus' radical attitude to the law
and religious tradition in general had not sur>i>ed at all
among his followers. Sur>i>e it did# and remar/abl. enough
(so far as our records pro>ide information+# among the
%ellenists rather than among the %ebrews. The %ellenists in
the primiti>e church of 5erusalem soon came to be
recogniJed# b. themsel>es and b. the %ebrews# as a distinct
group within it# on both economic and theological grounds.
8e are imperfectl. informed about them# but we ha>e some
/nowledge of two of their earl. leaders# both eAceptionall.
gifted men,,Stephen# outstanding in theological debate# and
"hilip# acti>e as an e>angelistH Stephen attracted
attention b. his critical attitude to the templeH 6t a time
when the leaders of the church were attending its ser>ices
dail.# he too/ seriousl. 5esus' prediction of its downfall#
and maintained that such a permanent structure was no part
of the di>ine plan for a pilgrim people. The ideal was
rather a mo>able tent,shrine such as the ancestors of
2srael had in the wilderness# not fiAed to one speciall.
sacred localit.. %e further maintained that the coming of
5esus had profoundl. changed the status of the !osaic
law .... %is trial and eAecution ga>e the chief,priestl.
establishment an opportunit. to launch a thorough,going
campaign of repression against the church. The general
populace of 5erusalem were as much shoc/ed b. an attac/ on
the temple as their ancestors had been when 5eremiah
deli>ered one o>er siA centuries before. The apostles still
enBo.ed popular fa>or to such a degree that no action
against them was possible# but man. members of the church#
and in particular those who were most nearl. associated
with Stephen# were compelled to lea>e 5erusalem and#
indeed# the whole area in which the writ of the Sanhedrin
ran. Two results of this dispersion were: first# that the
gospel was carried b. those %ellenists to territories
outside "alestineC secondl.# that the church of 5erusalem
became much more uniforml. %ebrew in its composition and
outloo/. 9ut it is this campaign of repression that first
brings "aul into close in>ol>ement with primiti>e
Christianit." (9ruce# +aul! pp. 43,;+.
"The '%ellenists' put forward the offensi>e claim that the significance of
5esus as the !essiah of 2srael essentiall. superseded that of !oses in the
histor. of sal>ation: the gospel of 5esus too/ the place of the 5ewish gospel
of eAodus and Sinai as -od's concluding# incomparable eschatological
1+
re>elation. The. understood their authorit. to ma/e this criticism as a gift
of the spirit# which the. saw as a sign of the dawning of the eschatological
age. The 6ramaic,spea/ing 5ewish Christians had a more restrained ,, one
might almost sa. more conser>ati>e ,, attitude towards the Law. The. remained
more deepl. rooted in the religious tradition of "alestine# which from the
time of the !accabees ine>itabl. regarded an. attac/ on Torah and Temple as
sacrilege .... Suppression and persecution forced the %ellenists to emigrate
and at the same time to eAtend their mission outside the hol. cit. and
5udaea" (!artin %engel# A%ts and the $istory of )arliest Christianity
$"hiladelphia: =ortress "ress# 1&;:(# pp. 3),@+.
"Stephen's wholesale dismissal of the temple# and# b. implication# of the
law# and his condemnation of the people of 2srael# were not embraced b. the
church# which found his attitude too radical# and the problem of the relation
between law and gospel too compleA# to be thus summaril. sol>ed. This problem
emerged full. onl. later# when numbers of -entile con>erts entered the
church" (8. 0. 0a>ies# art. "Law in the NT#" "nter*reter#s -i%tionary of the
Bible! ):&;+.
1). "6ccording to 6cts 11.*:# the 5ewish Christians dri>en out of 5erusalem#
who first used 6ntioch as a base from which to embar/ deliberatel. on a
mission to the -entiles which too/ no account of the 5ewish law# came from
C.renaica and C.prus# areas which from the time of the "tolemies on had a
large and completel. %elleniJed 5ewish 0iaspora .... Thus the '%ellenists'#
dri>en out of 5ewish "alestine# were graduall. forced to go be.ond the circle
of full 5ews and also to turn to -entiles who were interested in 5udaismC in
other words# the. pa>ed the wa. towards a mission to the -entiles# which in
the end had to mean disregarding the law ....6ntioch was the first great cit.
of the ancient world in which Christianit. gained a footing ....The complete
brea/through to an open mission to the -entiles first too/ place in the
freedom and openness of the capital# and as a result of the stimulus pro>ided
b. the %ellenists who had been dri>en out of 5erusalem and were not
completel. at home there# so that from now on the obser>ance of the Torah was
of >irtuall. no significance at all. Now a mission to non,5ews became an
independent tas/ and no longer happened sporadicall. in particular isolated
casesC it was not limited to the 'godfearers'# but in a fairl. s.stematic wa.
was now directed towards all the -entiles .... The uni>ersalist christolog.
of the '%ellenists'# who now saw the risen and eAalted 5esus as the Lord of
all men# rather than as the eAclusi>e !essiah of 2srael# eAercised pressure
towards a uni>ersal mission without the limitations of the law ....The
programme of a mission to the whole 'world' put forward b. "aul in 7om. 1:.1;
and 1'.3ff.# b. !ar/ in 1).1:# b. Lu/e in 6cts 1.; and in the missionar.
command of !atthew *;.1;f. was graduall. de>eloped from the '%ellenist'
mission in 6ntioch which was carried on apart from the law" (%engel# )arliest
Christianity! pp. 31# 3'# &&,1::# 1:@,'# 11:+. "6s well as the Church in
2srael whose path we ha>e pursued up to this point# a Church arose remar/abl.
earl. outside the 5ewish nation# a Church which no longer /ept the !osaic
Law. 5ust as the former emerged from 5erusalem so the latter emerged from
6ntioch on the ?rontes# at one time the capital cit. of the Seleucid Fingdom.
This magnificent %ellenistic cit. had approAimatel. )::#::: inhabitants#
):#::: of whom were 5ews. 2t was here# according to 6cts Ai.1&,*1# that
se>eral of the %ellenists who had fled from 5erusalem turned directl. to the
-entiles with the -ospel and brought them to faith ....The. baptiJed the
belie>ing -entiles without circumcising them and were able to li>e together
with them b. ignoring the obBectionable regulations of the Law .... 6fter the
con>ersion of the Samaritans# who were alread. circumcised# there follows the
con>ersion of the thiopian unuch who could not be circumcised and thus
could not be accepted into 2srael (6cts >iii.)4C 0eut. AAiii. 1+# of
Cornelius an uncircumcised '-od fearer'# and finall. of the -entiles in
6ntioch. The. all came to faith# and on the basis of their faith the
11
missionar. had to grant them participation in the eschatological sal>ation
Bust as 5esus once had done for the Centurion and the S.ro,"hoenician woman
(!att. >iii.1:C A>.*;+. The. were accepted b. means of baptism as members
into the redeemed communit.# without circumcision and without subBection to
the Law" (-oppelt# A*ostoli% and +ost5A*ostoli% Times! pp. 41# 4&+.
1@. "The church >irtuall. followed 5udaism at this point#
because the presence of -entiles in man. s.nagogues had
long in>ol>ed the mother faith in the same problem# and it
had dealt with it in terms of the Noachian commandments"
(0a>ies# "Law in the NT#" p. &;+.
1'. "The fact that the members of the new messianic
communit. in 6ntioch were gi>en the peculiar Latin,t.pe
designation Christianoi6Christiani (6cts 11.*4C cf. 2 "eter
@.14+# presumabl. b. the 7oman authorities there# indicates
that the. had become an independent organiJation o>er
against the 5ewish s.nagogue communit.. To the outsider#
the successful messianic sect could now appear as a group
on its own# which had detached itself from 5udaism. 2t was
gi>en its own name# the independent character of which made
it fundamentall.# different from earlier designations li/e
'-alilean' or 'NaJorean' (6cts *@.'+# which had referred to
5ewish groups" (%engel# )arliest Christianity! p. 1:)+.
14. 2t was well understood that circumcision was a sign of submission to the
entire Law. See . ". Sanders# ed.# (ewish and Christian Self5-efinition!
>ol. *# As*e%ts of (udaism in the 7rae%o5Roman +eriod ("hiladelphia: =ortress
"ress# 1&;1+# pp. 1**,*3C %ans 0ieter 9etJ# 7alatians: A Commentary on +aul#s
Letter to the Chur%hes in 7alatia ("hiladelphia: =ortress "ress# 1&3&+# p. )1.
13. See notes @# 3# 1@.
1;. "2n -entile churches obedience to the law was not
obser>ed,,the uncircumcision was the field of "aul (-al.
*:3,;+. This approach to the law was >irtuall. ratified in
the Council of 5erusalem# and# either at this council or
slightl. after# the conditions on which there could be
actual intermingling of -entile and 5ewish Christians were
laid down (6cts 1':1,):+. The eAact significance of these
conditions has been >ariousl. assessed# either as a minimal
ethic to be obser>ed b. all (but the nature of the
conditions# and the 5ewish attitude toward the law as a
unit.# are against this+# or as a safeguard against -nostic
influences (a >ague phrase which does not ta/e us >er.
far+# or as the Noachian commandments which 5udaism laid
upon all men,,this is the most probable interpretation"
(0a>ies# "Law in the NT#" p. &;+. See also 5ocJ# (ewish
+eo*le and (esus Christ! p. 4&C 9ruce# New Testament
$istory! pp. *;3# *;&.
1&. "The measure of clarit. reached thus far was simpl. that purel. -entile
Christian churches were free from the Law with the consent of the primiti>e
communit.# and purel. 5ewish Christian churches should /eep the Law with the
consent of "aul" (8. -utbrod# art. "Law#" Theologi%al -i%tionary of the New
Testament! ed. -erhard Fittel# ed. and tr. -eoffre. 8. 9romile.# @:1:44+.
"Con>ersel.# 5erusalem ac/nowledged the -ospel free from the Law as an
eApression of the one true -ospel. 2n this manner the two branches of
Christianit. current at that time were brought together into an
ecclesiological fellowship in spite of all the differences in their wa. of
1>
life .... 8ere the 5ewish Christians in the miAed congregations allowed to
gi>e up the Law and to ha>e fellowship with the -entile Christians in both
dail. life and table,fellowshipL 2n the Church of 6ntioch it had apparentl.
been so from the >er. beginning. >en "eter Boined them when he came to
6ntioch# probabl. shortl. after the 6postolic Council# but when the men sent
from 5ames raised an obBection to this# "eter# together with all the other
5ewish Christians# bro/e off the table,fellowship. 6s soon as this came to
"aul's attention# he reprimanded them sharpl.# for in his opinion it followed
that if the -entiles were free from the Law# then all belie>ers were b. this
>er. fact free. 5ames# howe>er# did not want this conclusion to be applied to
the 5ewish Christians# and "eter wa>ered between the two points of >iew ....
5ewish belie>ers in "auline churches on the whole had probabl. from the >er.
beginning stopped circumcising their children and li>ing in accordance with
the !osaic ordinances cited in 6cts AAi.*:f. "aul had gi>en them the freedom
for this without forcing such conduct on them" (-oppelt# A*ostoli% and +ost5
A*ostoli% Times! pp. 33,&+.
*:. The 5ews' infleAible adherence to the Sabbath and to their food laws was
so notorious in the 7oman world that the. were eAempted from militar. ser>ice
and were unpopular as sla>es. See %enr. Chadwic/# The )arly Chur%h
(9altimore: "enguin 9oo/s# 1&43+# pp. &,1). See also 8illiam 9arcla.# The Ten
Commandments for Today (New Eor/: %arper 1 7ow# "ublishers# 1&3)+# pp. )1,*C
8erner =orster# +alestinian (udaism in New Testament Times (dinburgh:
(+li>er 1 9o.d# 1&4@+# p. 3*C duard Lohse# art. "Sabbath#" Theologi%al
-i%tionary of the New Testament! 3:&.
*1. "The problem of the dail. fellowship between 5ewish and -entile
Christians# which was settled for S.ria and Cilicia b. the 6postolic 0ecree#
reappeared in the "auline congregations probabl. in terms of the tension
between the 'wea/' and the 'strong' (2 Cor. >iii,AC 7om. Ai>. 1,1'# 1)+. 6s
far as we can tell# the wea/ were a group of 5ewish Christians whose faith
was not strong enough to free them entirel. from the bonds of 5ewish customs"
(-oppelt# A*ostoli% and +ost5A*ostoli% Times! p. 3&+.
**. "2n -entile societies there was no wee0ly free da.# onl. the pagan
festi>als at irregular inter>als" (!oule# Birth of the New Testament! p. 1;+.
5udaism was an established religion# and the 5ews' infleAibilit. in regard to
the Sabbath was so well /nown that throughout the 7oman world the. were
granted freedom to /eep the Sabbath. This dispensation# howe>er# did not
appl. to -entile Christians. Since the. were not circumcised# the. could not#
indeed# did not claim to be 5ews. "8hereas circumcision would ha>e been
practicable for -entile con>erts# Sabbath obser>ance simpl. was not. Mnless
the. came inside the 5ewish ghetto# where there was an ordered life adBusted
to the cessation of wor/ on the Sabbath# the. could not earn their li>ing or
subsist while obser>ing the Sabbath. 2f the. were sla>es# -entile masters
would not release them from wor/C and if the. were independent and earning
their own li>ing# the. would still ha>e bad to pursue their trade on a
Sabbath. 2t was no doubt because circumcision was a practical possibilit. for
-entile Christians as the Sabbath was not that it was the centre of
contro>ers." (!oule# Birth of the New Testament! p. @&+.
2f -entile Christians had been Sabbatarian# their refusal
to wor/ on the Sabbath would ha>e pro>o/ed continual
persecution. There is no e>idence# howe>er# that -entile
Christians were e>er discriminated against or persecuted
because of the Sabbath. This stubborn piece of historical
e>idence not onl. refutes the claim that -entile Christians
/ept the 5ewish Sabbath# but it refutes the claim that the
earl. Christians /ept Sunda. as a hol. da. of rest.
"lin.'s famous letter to TraBan (c. 6.0. 111,11*+ is also
15
clear e>idence that earl. Christians had no free da. of
rest. The. met for worship earl. in the morning (probabl.
on the first da. of the wee/+# and then the. went to wor/.
See 9ruce# New Testament $istory! pp. @*),*@.
"2n the earl. centuries of the Church's histor. down to the time of the
mperor Constantine it would# in an. case# not ha>e been practicable for
Christians to obser>e Sunda. as a da. of rest# on which the. were obliged#
for the sa/e of principle# to abstain from wor/. The reason for this was
simpl. that no one in the entire 7oman mpire# neither 5ews# nor -ree/s# nor
7omans# stopped wor/ on Sunda." (8ill. 7ordorf# Sunday: The $istory of the
-ay of Rest and Worshi* in the )arliest Centuries of the Christian Chur%h
$"hiladelphia: 8estminster "ress# 1&4;(# pp. 1'@,''+.
7ordorf also eAplodes the m.th that earl. Christian meetings on the first da.
of the wee/ had an.thing to do with the worship of the sun. The connection
between the cult of the sun and the first da. of the wee/ did not de>elop
until man. .ears after Christian meetings on Sunda.s had been well
established in the church. See 7ordorf# Sunday! pp. 1;1ff.
*). See "The pistle of 2gnatius to the !agnesians#" chap. & in The Ante5
Ni%ene ,athers! ed. 6leAander 7oberts and 5ames 0onaldson (reprint ed.# -rand
7apids: 8m. 9. erdmans "ublishing Co.# 1&3)+# 1:4*.
*@. "9ut e>er. Lord's da. do .e gather .oursel>es together# and brea/ bread#
and gi>e than/sgi>ing after ha>ing confessed .our transgressions'' ("The
Teaching of the Twel>e 6postles#" chap. 1@ in The Ante5Ni%ene ,athers! 3:);1+.
*'. See "The pistle of 9arnabas#" in The Ante5Ni%ene ,athers! 1:1)3,@&.
*4. See ""lin. to TraBan#" in 9ruce# New Testament $istory! pp. @*),*@.
*3. See "0ialogue of 5ustin# "hilosopher and !art.r# with Tr.pho# a 5ew#" in
The Ante5Ni%ene ,athers! 1:1&@,*3:.
*;. Samuele 9acchiocchi has carefull. documented that the Christian practice
of common assembl. on the first da. of the wee/ was found in 7ome in the
earl. second centur.. 9ut he is wrong in tr.ing to infer that this pro>es
that the practice originated in 7ome. 2n fact# his e>idence actuall. shows
that the practice appeared in 7ome as an alread. well,established obser>ance.
There is no contro>ers. on this issue# and there is no e>idence that Sunda.
assembl. appears in 7ome as a recent inno>ation. See Samuele 9acchiocchi#
,rom Sabbath to Sunday: A $istori%al "nvestigation of the Rise of Sunday
bservan%e in )arly Christianity (7ome: "ontifical -regorian Mni>ersit.
"ress# 1&33+.
*&. The Christians in 6ntioch li>ed apart from the Torah Law# ignoring
circumcision# the food laws and the Sabbath,,the great identif.ing features
of being 5ewish. The -entile mission spread from its base in 6ntioch. 6s
-oppelt sa.s# "The %ellenistic Church reBected the obser>ation of the Sabbath
along with the 5ewish feasts as being part of 5udaism (-al. i>.1:C Col.
ii.14C 2gnatius# .agn' iA.l+" (-oppelt# A*ostoli% and +ost5A*ostoli% Times!
p. *:@+.
):. The stri/ing unanimit. of the earl. fathers on the SabbathNSunda.
Duestion is ampl. documented b. C. !er>.n !aAwell in his s.llabus# $istory of
Sabbath and Sunday (9errien Springs# !ich.:6ndrews Mni>ersit.# n.d.+.
)1. See ibid.
)*. See ibid.
)). "This stress on the Lord's 0a. was not based on the
Third Commandment until the fourth centur." (-oppelt#
A*ostoli% and +ost5A*ostoli% Times! p. *:@+."usebius's
eAposition of "s. &1(&*+# written after )):# represents
'the first real attempt to find the relationship between
the 5ewish Sabbath and the Christian Sunda.'. 6lthough it
builds on traditional elements# the failure of so man.
1.
earlier writers# man. of whom in numerous wor/s were
concerned to emphasiJe Christianit.'s fulfilment of the ?ld
Testament order# to produce a single eAplicit account of
the Lord's 0a. as the Christian fulfilment of the sabbath#
is the most prominent feature of the patristic e>idence.
6nd where pre,Constantinian writers hint at a correlation
between sabbath and Sun,da.# the connection lies in their
character as da. of worship# as festi>al and as shadow of
eschatological rest rather than as cessation from wor/. The
last seems not to ha>e appealed to earl. Christians eAcept
in so far as it afforded freedom for worship# certainl. not
as pro>iding ph.sical relaAation and recreation or because
labor was somehow wrong on Sunda.. The sabbatarian approach
to Sunda. has been a cherished tradition of much modern
e>angelicalism. The Duestioning of its biblical# patristic
and 7eformation roots is bound to pro>e disturbing to some#
but# for all their thoroughness and learning# 2 Budge that
9ec/with and Stott ha>e not succeeded in holding the fort
on their two fronts" (0. =. 8right in The )vangeli%al
8uarterly '@# no. 1$5an.,!ar. 1&;*(: 4:+.
"2n the pre,Constantinian Church we do not find an. such
direct eDuation of sabbath and Sunda.# for the simple
reason that the Sunda. rest had not .et been
introduced ....6 glance into the histor. of Christian
legislation about Sunda. shows us that through the
centuries the Church has been li>ing on the heritage of the
post,Constantinian period. >en toda. we still li>e in it:
e>en toda. we still ha>e the Sun,da. rest# and e>en toda.
the sabbath commandment pla.s an important part in the
theoretical and practical Bustification b. Christians of
the rest from wor/ on Sunda. ....
8e shall ha>e to as/ whether we are to be bound for e>er in
the future to this heritage. 8e should not forget that this
heritage does not deri>e from pre,Constantinian
Christianit.# and it was..# eAplicitl. disa>owed b. the
reformers" (7ordorf# Sunday! pp. 14&# 13)+."6nd now we come
to the influence of two famous men# influence which altered
the whole emphasis and influence which lasts to this da..
6lcuin (6.0. 3)',;:@+ was the first to identif. the Sabbath
and the Lord's 0a.. 6ll wor/ on the Lord's 0a. became a
breach of the fourth commandment. This was a complete
re>ersal of the position of the earl. Church. The earl.
Church had again and again distinguished between the
Sabbath and the Lord's 0a.# and now 6lcuin,,and it is
perhaps not too much to sa. fatall.,,identified them. The
matter was ta/en be.ond reco>er. when Thomas 6Duinas (6.0
1**',3@+ did eAactl. and eAplicitl. the same. 'The Sabbath
is changed into the Lord's 0a.' 1Summa *.1# Duestion 1:)#
article )+. 2t was not long before the Church was drawing
up as detailed Lord's 0a. prohibitions as e>er the
"harisees did. The Sabbath came to be more and more
glorified. 2angels# with the grounding of the ar/ on
6rarat# with the Aodus# with in medie>al times there
circulated a so,called 'Letter from %ea>en' which
associated the Sunda. with all /inds of things# with the
creation of the the baptism of 5esus# with his greatest
18
miracles# with his 6scension# with "entecost. The
entanglement of the Lord's 0a. with the Sabbath had begun#
and it has ne>er been full. unra>elled ....8ith the
7eformers we reach a new stage# and the interesting and
significant thing is that the position of the 7eformers was
almost the same as the position of the earl. Church. The
7eformers were unanimous that the Lord's 0a. and the
Sabbath were not the same da.# and the. were eDuall.
unanimous that the fourth commandment# li/e the rest of the
5ewish law# was for the Christian abrogated. Luther's
position was Duite clear. 2n the Larger Cate%hism he
insists that ser>ing men and maids must ha>e a da. of rest
and refreshment# a da. when the. can gather to hear -od's
word# and to praise and pra.. 9ut in principle it is of no
importance what da. it is. 2t is not necessaril. a fiAed
da. as it was for the 5ews# for in itself one da. is no
better than another. Cal>in is eDuall. clear 1"nstitutes
*.;.)*# )@+. The Sabbath is abrogated. '2t being eApedient
to o>erthrow superstition# the 5ewish hol. da. was
abolished# and as a thing necessar. to retain decenc.#
order and peace in the Church# another da. was appointed
for that purpose.' The obser>ance of da.s among us is a
free ser>ice and >oid of all superstition'" (9arcla.# The
Ten Commandments for Today! pp. )@,'+.
)@. "6s concerns the understanding of the Law in the
normati>e circles of primiti>e Christianit.# it ma. thus be
said that the. regarded the Law as the obedience to be
rendered b. 5ewish Christians. The. were also conscious of
being under this obligation for the sa/e of winning the
5ewish world for the -ospel. The. did not belie>e that b.
achie>ing this obedience man could attain to righteousness
before -od. The. were prepared to eAtend brotherl.
fellowship to -entile Christians e>en though the latter did
not /eep the Law. 2n miAed congregations -entile Christians
were obliged to obser>e such points as would ma/e the
fellowship of 5ewish Christians with them defensible in the
e.es of the 5ewish world" (-utbrod# art. "Law#" p. 1:4&+.
"The %ellenistic Church reBected the obser>ation of the
Sabbath along with the 5ewish feasts as being part of
5udaism (-al. i>.1:C Col. ii.14C 2gnatius# .agn' iA.l+#
whereas 5ewish Christianit. li>ing in accordance with the
Law /ept the Sabbath rest in /eeping with their
surroundings (!att. AAi>.*:+" (-oppelt# A*ostoli% and +ost5
A*ostoli% Times! p. *:@+.
"The sabbath was to 5ewish Christians a sacred obligation and priceless
pri>ilegeC to gentile. Christians a no>el idea resembling pagans' da.s of ill
omen,,at worst# a remnant of legalism" (7. . ?. 8hite# Bibli%al )thi%s (
6tlanta: 5ohn FnoA "ress# 1&3&(# p. 1;1+.
)'. See -oppelt# A*ostoli% and +ost5A*ostoli% Times! pp. 33,&. See also note
1;.
)4. See 5ocJ# (ewish +eo*le and (esus Christ! pp. 13:,3@.
)3. 6fter the outbrea/ of the 5ewish,7oman wars# 5ewish
Christians were increasingl. branded as traitors because
the. did not Boin in the conflict against 7ome.
19
);. "'5udaic' Christianit.# following the signification
gi>en b. =. 5. 6. %ort# we identif. with that section of
the 5erusalem Church which# from the beginning# held a
liberal outloo/ concerning the Law 2t inclined to the
"auline >iew with regard to the -entilesC it found itself
in opposition to the 5ewish authoritiesC it was compelled
to ta/e refuge in "ella# and in the 0iaspora it united with
the main bod. of the Catholic Church. These 5ewish
Christians soon lost their identit. through intermarriage#
as there were no barriers to separate them from the -entile
Church .... 6 proportion of the %ebrew Church# e>en prior
to the 0estruction of 5erusalem# was swallowed up b.
Catholic Christianit.. This 5ewish element was steadil.
reinforced b. means of con>ersion and intermarriage#
especiall. after the =all of 5erusalemH 2t is usuall. held
that the 5ewish element within the Catholic Church was
numericall. insignificant. 9ut this is difficult to
ascertain. Their influence# howe>er# upon the -entile
Church was of the greatest possible importance. -entile
Christianit. owes to those 5ewish Christians the handing on
of the primiti>e tradition# the emphasis upon the moral
aspect of religion# the eAegetical understanding of the ?ld
TestamentC but abo>e all# the ?ld Testament itself. 2t is
doubtful whether the -entiles# without the insistence of
%ebrew Christians# would ha>e retained the ?ld Testament
canon. The importance of this cannot be o>erestimated"
(5ocJ# (ewish +eo*le and (esus Christ! pp. 13@# 1&;+.
"5ewish belie>ers in "auline churches on the whole had probabl. from the >er.
beginning stopped circumcising their children and li>ing in accordance with
the !osaic ordinances cited in 6cts AAi.*:f. "aul had gi>en them the freedom
for this without forcing such conduct on them" (-oppelt# A*ostoli% and +ost5
A*ostoli% Times! p. 3&+.
)&. "%arnac/ puts the Duestion: who is a %ebrew Christian according to
5ustinL %e answers: '6 5ewish Christian is onl. such a 5ew who belie>es in
Christ and obser>es the Law. 2f he does not obser>e the Law he is as little a
5ewish Christian as a 5ew is a 5ew who has emancipated himself from the Law.'
2n a footnote# %arnac/ adds: '7e>ersel.# a circumcised -entile who obser>es
the Law is a full,blooded 5ew.' H. H Thus (udaisti% Christianit.# which
tenaciousl. adhered to the Law for the sa/e of the *eo*le! became isolated
from the rest of the Church. 6 part of it drifted bac/ to 5udaism" (5ocJ#
(ewish +eo*le and (esus Christ! pp. 131# 13@+.
"5ewish Christian groups clung to the Sabbath and appealed
to 5esus %imself in support. %e is said to ha>e taught that
onl. b. lasting can one find entr. into the /ingdom of
-od .... 6s the Christian communit. parted from the
S.nagogue on the Duestion of the Sabbath# so the Catholic
Church parted from heretical 5ewish Christianit. which
clung to the Sabbath" (Lohse# art. "Sabbath#" pp. )*# )@+.
@:. See 0aniKlou# The Theology of (ewish Christianity! pp.
**# '4C 0unn# 3nity and -iversity! p. *@:C 5ocJ# (ewish
+eo*le and (esus Christ! pp. 131# 13)# 1&*,&@. 5ocJ labels
the NaJarenes of the second centur. as "the more
conser>ati>e branch of the heretical sect" (p. 1&)+. Li/e
all who remained 5ewish Christians# the NaJarenes were
hostile to "aul,,for ob>ious reasons.
&/
@1. See 0aniKlou# The Theology of (ewish Christianity! pp. '',4@C 5ocJ#
(ewish +eo*le and (esus Christ! pp. 13*,3)C 1&@,&;C 0unn# 3nity and
-iversity! pp. *@:,@'.
@*. "%eretical 5ewish Christianit. could claim a direct line of continuit.
with the most primiti>e form of Christianit.. 2t could certainl. claim to be
more in accord with the most primiti>e faith than "aul# sa.. 2f the earliest
church is the norm of orthodoA.# then bionism measures up prett. wellC if
primiti>eness means purit.# then bionism can claim to ha>e a purer faith
than almost an. other. 9ut bionism was reBected,,wh.L 9ecause its faith did
not de>elop as Christianit. de>eloped. 2t clung to an eApression of Christian
faith which was acceptable at the beginning of Christianit. in a conteAt of
5udaism. 2n the wider en>ironment of the second and third centuries# with the
formati>e documents of Christianit. alread. written# the simple 5ewish
messianism was no longer adeDuate. 2n short# hereti%al (ewish Christianity
was a form of stunted! underdevelo*ed Christianity! rigid and unfitted to be
the mouthpiece of the gospel in a new age .... 5ewish Christianit. was
counted unacceptable when it began to regard stri%t observan%e of the law as
more im*ortant than the s*ontaneity of love' !ore clearl.# second# 5ewish
Christianit. was counted unacceptable when it *ersisted in %linging to a
limited view of (esus and his role' 2t could claim support for this
conser>atism from some of the earliest eApressions of Christian faith. 9ut
since the spread of Christianit. outside "alestine and the contro>ersies of
the first few decades caused these earl.# more fluid and pro>isional
formulations to be left behind as inadeDuate# the (ewish Christianity of the
se%ond and third %enturies re*resents in the end a rea%tionary attem*t to
restri%t the Christian estimate of (esus within the limitations and %onfines
of (ewish thought and *ra%ti%e9 Third# 5ewish Christianit. was counted
unacceptable when it failed to develo*! when it hardened the inchoate
eApressions of the earliest da.s into a s.stem# when it lost the fleAibilit.
and openness to a new re>elation which Duestions of law and mission demanded
in a de>eloping situation# when it became rigid and eAclusi>e. ne of the
earliest heresies was %onservatism: 2n short# the failure of heretical 5ewish
Christianit. was that it neither held to the unit. (the eAaltation of 5esus
showing 5esus to be the uniDue eApression of -od+ nor allowed for the
di>ersit. (of de>eloping Christianit.+" (0unn# 3nity and -iversity! pp. *@'#
*4',44+.
"%ebrew Christianit. detached from its nati>e soil had onl. two
alternati>es,,bac/ to the S.nagogue# which entailed denial of 5esus the
!essiah# or fellowship with the -entile Church# which meant denial of the
5ewish national heritage. The dilemma was a specificall. 5ewish oneC the
-entiles were in a different position. =or them the choice was entirel.
within the sphere of religious lifeC for the 5ews it was both a national and
a religious problem. bionism re>eals an effort to find a compromise or to
e>ade the issue. 2t went half,wa. in both directions# but histor. has pro>ed
that its path ended in a %ul de sa%' Schoeps attributes its disappearance
from histor. partl. to chiliastic disappointment. This ma. ha>e been a
contributor. factor. 9ut the real cause must be sought in its contradictor.
position,,a halfwa. house between Church and S.nagogue" (5ocJ# (ewish +eo*le
and (esus Christ! p. *::+.
"?ne of the most persuasi>e >iews of its $the pistle to the %ebrews'(
purpose regards it as written to a 'house,church' or s.nagogue of 5ewish
Christians in 7ome who found themsel>es out of s.mpath. with the pre>alent
trend of 7oman Christianit.# stimulated as it had been to fresh endea>our in
the -entile mission b. "aul's recent sta. in the cit.# and began to wonder if
the. might not ha>e been too precipitate in committing themsel>es to a new
order which in>ol>ed an increasing breach with the cherished traditions of
their old religion. The old religion enBo.ed the protection of 7oman law# but
&1
it was becoming more and more difficult to tr. to /eep a foot in either camp.
The. would soon ha>e to declare for the one or the otherC and declaration for
the gospel would mean burning their boats and entrusting themsel>es to the
dangerous uncertainties of a new wa. of life in compan. about which the. did
not feel completel. happ.. The old familiar en>ironment eAerted a strong
attraction. To them in this predicament came this letter# urging them to cut
loose from their old attachments and face the un/nown with Christ# gladl.
accepting the stigma that adhered to the Christian name for the sa/e of the
priJe that la. before them. This wa. of faith was the wa. chosen b. their
forefather 6braham# who 'went out# not /nowing where he was to go' (%eb.
11:;+. The old order with all its dear and hallowed associations was in an.
case obsolescent and on the point of disappearingC the future la. with Christ
and with those who followed him" (9ruce# New Testament $istory! pp. )&;,&&+.
"The 5udaiJing elements e>entuall. led to 5ewish
Christianit.# which demanded the obser>ance of the law from
all Christians# and to the NaJoreans# who held fast to the
law for 5ewish Christians onl." (0a>ies# art. "Law in the
NT#" p. &;+.
@). See Lohse# art. "Sabbath#" pp. )1,)C !aAwell# $istory
of Sabbath and Sunday! pp. 1@;,4@.
@@. See 0unn# 3nity and -iversity! p. *@:C 0aniKlou# The Theology of (ewish
Christianity! pp. 4:# 4).
@'. "=or 5udaism# the /eeping of the Law# lo.alt. to the di>ine 8isdom# was
belie>ed to be the ultimate test on the da. of BudgmentC and for the eAtreme
5udaistic wing of Christianit. itself# 5esus was onl. one stone in the
building: the Law# circumcision# and the rest were eDuall. >italC
'Bustification',,that is# a right relation with -od,,might be either b. Law
or b. faith. 9ut for Christians such as "aul and 5ohn# 5esus was the supreme
and uniDue test: he was the /e.stone of the building# the onl. door into the
sheepfoldC and the one decisi>e test was lo.alt. to him and trust in him"
(!oule# Birth of the New Testament! p. @*+.