Observe Sabbath?

Ortho_Cat

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I listened to a podcast by Fr. Hopko last night, and he said that as Orthodox Christians, we haven't abolished nor moved the Sabbath, and still should observe it on Saturday. Yet, he did say that Sunday is of course the Lord's day, and the day when we gather together to worship and celebrate the Eucharist.

So I'm curious, do you all observe the Sabbath in some way, shape, or form? If so, how might you observe it? Any other opinions are welcome.
 

Andrew21091

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Do the monks observe Saturday Sabbath in some way (i.e. not do manual labor, etc.)?

I think most monastics probably do their work on Saturday. I can only speak for the Hermitage of Holy Cross in West Virginia. Saturday is a relaxed day. There is usually a Liturgy in the morning followed by private prayer in the cell and then doing whatever work they are appointed to do for that day. After lunch though, the monks do not work and the afternoon is given over to preparation for the Vigil (which includes taking some rest and time for reading and praying) in the evening and many will also use their Saturday afternoon to do the rule for preparation for Holy Communion to prepare for Sunday Liturgy. When Liturgy is done on a weekday, those monks who plan to receive communion are excused from their regular afternoon work responsibilities in order to pray the Communion rule the day before Liturgy. But the general thing to do on a Saturday is to rest because the vigil is pretty long.
 
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buzuxi02

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I listened to a podcast by Fr. Hopko last night, and he said that as Orthodox Christians, we haven't abolished nor moved the Sabbath, and still should observe it on Saturday. Yet, he did say that Sunday is of course the Lord's day, and the day when we gather together to worship and celebrate the Eucharist.

So I'm curious, do you all observe the Sabbath in some way, shape, or form? If so, how might you observe it? Any other opinions are welcome.


In Orthodoxy both the Sabbath and the Lord's Day are days to gather for worship and celebrate the Eucharist:

On all days of the holy fast of Lent, except on the Sabbath, the Lord’s Day, and the holy day of the Annunciation, the Liturgy of the Presanctified is to be served (Canon 52, Quinisext, 692). In other words the D.L. is to be served only on saturday, sunday and March 25th.

canon 16 of Laodicea:
The Gospels are to be read on the Sabbath, with the other Scriptures.


Andrew's post about Holy Cross hold true. The Sabbath was kept by praying and meditating. On Sabbath we comemorate the Creation, while Sunday we commemorate the Ressurection. Work was always allowed on the Sabbath even encouraged (canon 29 of Laodicea) to combat judaizing. But both Saturday and Sunday are considered festal days in Orthodoxy:

"If any of the clergy be found fasting on the Lord's Day, or on the Sabbath, excepting the one only(holy great saturday), let him be deposed. If a layman, let him be excommunicated" (Canon 66 of the Apostles; cf. Canon 18 of Synod of Gangra).
 
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Don Machillo

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The Sabbath should be observed on Saturday, but as Buzuxi said, the Sabbath is observed by celebrating the liturgy, not by refraining from work as in the Old Testament. Christ rested in the tomb on Holy Saturday, completing the commandment to keep the Sabbath as a day of rest. In addition to this, on Saturdays we also commemorate other people who are now resting in their tombs.

On Sundays and other feast days we try to refrain from work, not because Sunday has replaced the Sabbath (it has not, Saturday is still the Sabbath and Sunday is the day of resurrection), but because it is another kind of a feast day.
 
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Monica child of God 1

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It's my understanding that we honor the sabbath by celebrating the eucharist on that day, even during lent. Also, there are liturgies for the dead during the year on Saturday which connect the day to the idea of rest.

Technically, Saturday vespers doesn't count as honoring the sabbath because it's already Sunday.

But, Christ fulfilled any obligation that Israel (old or new) might have had to rest on the sabbath by resting in the tomb on holy saturday. So we don't have to "keep the sabbath" as though we were under the old covenant. Be we should honor the sabbath as we are able.

M.
 
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Ortho_Cat

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The Sabbath should be observed on Saturday, but as Buzuxi said, the Sabbath is observed by celebrating the liturgy, not by refraining from work as in the Old Testament. Christ rested in the tomb on Holy Saturday, completing the commandment to keep the Sabbath as a day of rest. In addition to this, on Saturdays we also commemorate other people who are now resting in their tombs.

On Sundays and other feast days we try to refrain from work, not because Sunday has replaced the Sabbath (it has not, Saturday is still the Sabbath and Sunday is the day of resurrection), but because it is another kind of a feast day.

ok, this seems to be in line with what Fr. Hopko was saying I believe, thanks
 
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Ortho_Cat

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I think most monastics probably do their work on Saturday. I can only speak for the Hermitage of Holy Cross in West Virginia. Saturday is a relaxed day. There is usually a Liturgy in the morning followed by private prayer in the cell and then doing whatever work they are appointed to do for that day. After lunch though, the monks do not work and the afternoon is given over to preparation for the Vigil (which includes taking some rest and time for reading and praying) in the evening and many will also use their Saturday afternoon to do the rule for preparation for Holy Communion to prepare for Sunday Liturgy. When Liturgy is done on a weekday, those monks who plan to receive communion are excused from their regular afternoon work responsibilities in order to pray the Communion rule the day before Liturgy. But the general thing to do on a Saturday is to rest because the vigil is pretty long.

thanks Andrew! Very insightful :thumbsup:
 
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buzuxi02

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Also, he mentioned something about a "controversy" between East and West regarding this issue. Does anyone know more about that?


He probably has in mind that in Rome and Alexandria saturday was a strict fast day and the Eucharist would not be celebrated. Eventually in the east the Antiochan/Constantinople tradition became the norm, but Rome held out much longer. This caused a controversy later on when the east passed a canon at trullo condemning the roiman practise, saying that the only strict fast to be held on the sabbath is on holy saturday the Day Christ rested in the tomb.

This is why sabbath only believers are confused, thinking that sunday replaced saturday. They have yet to realize that those Fathers that argue that we no longer celebrate the sabbath were from the areas that never did. Yet in Orthodoxy the Sabbath is still observed as a festal day as it always was. In Syria where it was observed the Apostolic constitions written in 350 a.d. gives instruction on how to observe the Sabbbath. That is not with idleness of hands, but time set aside to meditate on the law and to pray. Only slaves were not allowed to work so they too can prepare for the Liturgy.
 
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seeker37

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I try to observe but don't generally avoid work. Mainly, I increase my reading and prayer times. I have always instinctively observed both days to a certain extent. Don't quite know what to make of that... :confused: Sounds like I might have been sort of Orthodox in my observance all along... ;)
 
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Ortho_Cat

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He probably has in mind that in Rome and Alexandria saturday was a strict fast day and the Eucharist would not be celebrated. Eventually in the east the Antiochan/Constantinople tradition became the norm, but Rome held out much longer. This caused a controversy later on when the east passed a canon at trullo condemning the roiman practise, saying that the only strict fast to be held on the sabbath is on holy saturday the Day Christ rested in the tomb.

This is why sabbath only believers are confused, thinking that sunday replaced saturday. They have yet to realize that those Fathers that argue that we no longer celebrate the sabbath were from the areas that never did. Yet in Orthodoxy the Sabbath is still observed as a festal day as it always was. In Syria where it was observed the Apostolic constitions written in 350 a.d. gives instruction on how to observe the Sabbbath. That is not with idleness of hands, but time set aside to meditate on the law and to pray. Only slaves were not allowed to work so they too can prepare for the Liturgy.

this sounds about right...thanks :)
 
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