The history of how Sunday worship came about

rockytopva

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The history of how Sunday worship came about? How about...

And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. - Mark 16:2

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. - John 20:19

And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. - Acts 20:7

Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. - 1 Corinthians 16:2
 

SabbathBlessings

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The history of how Sunday worship came about? How about...

And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. - Mark 16:2

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. - John 20:19

And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. - Acts 20:7

Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. - 1 Corinthians 16:2
Interesting, but what is missing is God commanding us to not keep His seventh day Sabbath holy and the first day is now God's new holy day. The verses you quoted say no such thing.

According to God, He commanded us to keep the seventh day holy. This is the day that is God's Sabbath according to God. Exodus 20:8-11, Genesis 2:3 He told us it is a perpetual covenant Exodus 31:16 which is why on the New Earth we will continue worshipping God on His chosen day Isaiah 66:23 not the day that is a commandment of man that Jesus warns us about Mathew 15:3-9. It's well documented the change in the day of worship for the majority of people and that change came from outside the Bible. Since our God is our Creator and Savior, I am going to let God be God and worship Him on the day He asked us to REMEMBER and keep holy.

Jesus kept the Sabbath and are we not told to follow Jesus? Luke 4:16. His disciples kept Sabbath as well Acts 18:4 and Paul summed it up when he told us but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. 1 Corinthians 7:19

God bless and Happy Sabbath!
 
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SabbathBlessings

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Let's rest on Saturday and worship on Sunday.
It's more than just a day of rest, but that's part of it. God's holy day is the seventh day Sabbath period. It's part of our moral duty out of love to keep all of His commandments including the 4th, which is the only one He started with the word "REMEMBER" stated there not by accident or mistake. Exodus 20:8-11 I'm sure you appreciate it when your family celebrates your birthday on the actual day you were born, instead of a day that is more convenient for them. When we obey God, we are allowing His will to be ours. God bless
 
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dqhall

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The history of how Sunday worship came about? How about...

And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. - Mark 16:2

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. - John 20:19

And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. - Acts 20:7

Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. - 1 Corinthians 16:2
Constantine legalized Christianity. He also recognized worship of the sun was popular in his day. The sun god was worshipped on Sunday. Constantine decreed no work should be done on Sunday.
QUERY COLUMN: Pagan Sunday Observance

Jesus taught we may do what ever we need to do on Saturday, the Jewish Shabbat. Many get two days off for rest and relaxation, or for whatever they need to do. The young and strong may need to work more hours than the elderly.
 
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The Liturgist

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The history of how Sunday worship came about? How about...

And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. - Mark 16:2

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. - John 20:19

And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. - Acts 20:7

Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. - 1 Corinthians 16:2

Correct! And for those who say we do not keep the Sabbath, Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man and was the only man who ever kept the Sabbath perfectly, for even after his death on what would become the precious and life giving Cross, he, after resting in the Holy Sepulcher on the Seventh Day after remaking man in His own image on the Sixth Day, arose on the First Day, having despoiled Hades and trampled down death by death. We honor the Sabbath and keep it Holy through our saving faith in our Lord and Savior, the Incarnate Word of God Jesus Christ and His Resurrection from the dead, and through our faith that He will come again in glory and raise us from the dead, and that we might be spared in the last judgement and deemed worthy to enter the World to Come, the mystical Eighth Day of Creation.
 
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Clare73

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Interesting, but what is missing is God commanding us to not keep His seventh day Sabbath holy and the first day is now God's new holy day. The verses you quoted say no such thing.

According to God, He commanded us to keep the seventh day holy. This is the day that is God's Sabbath according to God. Exodus 20:8-11, Genesis 2:3 He told us it is a perpetual covenant Exodus 31:16 which is why on the New Earth we will continue worshipping God on His chosen day Isaiah 66:23 not the day that is a commandment of man that Jesus warns us about Mathew 15:3-9. It's well documented the change in the day of worship for the majority of people and that change came from outside the Bible. Since our God is our Creator and Savior, I am going to let God be God and worship Him on the day He asked us to REMEMBER and keep holy
Jesus kept the Sabbath and are we not told to follow Jesus?
Jesus kept all the law--circumcision, feasts, etc, which are now abolished (Ephesians 2:15).
4uke 4:16. His disciples kept Sabbath as well Acts 18:4 and Paul summed it up when he told us but keeping the commandments of God is what matters. 1 Corinthians 7:19
In contrast to what?

And God's NT commandments are two (Matthew 22:37-40), the keeping of which is keeping the whole Decalogue (Matthew 22:41, Romans 13:10).

Why do you always present only half truth on this matter?
 
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Clare73

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The history of how Sunday worship came about? How about...

And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. - Mark 16:2

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. - John 20:19
And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. - Acts 20:7

Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. - 1 Corinthians 16:2
Yes, we see here the early Christians assembling on Sunday for the breaking of bread and preaching, and when necessary for collections for the needy.
 
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The Liturgist

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Constantine legalized Christianity. He also recognized worship of the sun was popular in his day. The sun god was worshipped on Sunday. Constantine decreed no work should be done on Sunday.
QUERY COLUMN: Pagan Sunday Observance

Jesus taught we may do what ever we need to do on Saturday, the Jewish Shabbat. Many get two days off for rest and relaxation, or for whatever they need to do. The young and strong may need to work more hours than the elderly.

Whereas your second paragraph is accurate, your first paragraph is inadvertently potentially misleading. Paganism had long since evolved past Sun-worship and in the time of Constantine the major deities in the Roman Empire were Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Venus, Eros, Athena, Apollo, Vulcan, Isis, Osiris, Seth (among the people of Upper Egypt; the Egyptians in Lower Egypt tended to regard Seth as a devil), but not Ra so much; the peak of Ra’s cult was long last, and also the attempt of Akhenaten to impose monotheistic Heliolatry through worship of the Sun-disc Aten exclusively, failed miserably and the status quo ante was restored by his his young son Tutankhamen when he became Pharaoh), Baal and Ishtar, and a Paganized interpretation of Mithras, who is something like an archangel in the dualist Zoroastrian religion (which in its recent forms either heavily influenced or was heavily influenced by Neoplatonism, and genuine Platonic metaphysical thought about ideals, which also had a substantial impact on Gnosticism).

Neoplatonism, it should be stressed, represented the apex of Hellenic Paganism, being its most intellectually advanced form, and was the religious philosophy of Julian the Apostate, the Roman Emperor who in the mid 4th century rejected even heretical Arian Christianity and, while not launching an outright persecution on the scale of Diocletian, decided to annoy the Christians of the Roman Empire as much as possible (for instance, he granted the Jews permission to rebuild the Temple; they stopped after balls of fire, now thought to be the result of natural gas accumulation, erupted from the temple mount).

Rather, Emperor Constantine created a day of rest so that Christians could celebrate during convenient hours the Eucharistic Liturgy, which we know from numerous early writers like Justin Martyr happened on the first day of the week, but we also know it happened either just before sunrise (this became the office of Matins), at dusk (this became the office Vespers) and at midnight (this became Vigils or Nocturns, also known as the Midnight Office or the Midnight Praises in the Coptic church). Thanks to the legislation of Constantine, and equivalent legislation by the rulers of Edessa and Armenia, which converted to Christianity before the Roman Empire, and Georgia and Ethiopia, which converted to Christianity shortly after, the Eucharist or sadly, in most low church Protestant parishes and non-denominational churches, a Sunday service without the Eucharist*, is commonly celebrated by most Christians on Sunday mornings at a comfortable hour, starting between 8 AM and 11 AM. Only in monasteries do the monks and pilgrims gather at midnight in the church, as the early Christians gathered in cemeteries and the catacombs of ancient Rome, to celebrate the Eucharist, usually together with Vigils and Matins.

* The ideal form of Sunday worship is morning prayer followed by the Eucharist, which is the Orthodox practice and used to be the normal Anglican practice, until the current annoying custom of a said eucharist (with no music) followed by a choral eucharist (with music) took over, but there was no need for it to take over, as Anglican morning prayer can be done in 30-45 minutes, and most Anglican and Episcopalian churches in the US have a leisurely coffee break between the said service and the choral Eucharist. I myself like the Anglican custom of said services as it is a panacea for poorly trained choirs, pianos or guitars used in place of the organ, praise and worship music, and “Christian rock” the mere thought of which fills me with terror.
 
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The Liturgist

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Whereas my first post exegeted the meaning of the Sabbath for Christians, my second post dealt with the popular misconception that Constantine was responsible for Sunday worship. I now wish to dispel that notion entirely, and my evidence for doing so, comes in the form of those ancient churches which have always existed entirely outside the boundaries of the Roman Empire. The Indian Orthodox Church, the Church of Edessa (which became part of the Assyrian Church of the East and the Syriac Orthodox Church), the Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Georgian Orthodox Church, and the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church, were founded outside of Byzantine control.

In the case of the Armenian church, it was founded during the Diocletian Persecutions, before Byzantion had even become Constantinople and Christianity legalized in the Imperium Romanum, and in the case of the Indian, Edessan and Assyrian churches, they date back to the years 33-53 Anno Domini, to the ministry of Saint Thomas the Apostle and his disciples Addai and Mari, who travelled east and converted Aramaic speaking Jews and Gentiles, just as Saint Paul with his disciples like Barnabas and Titus, travelled West and converted Greek-speaking Jews and Gentiles. Saint Thomas was martyred in Kerala* in 53 AD.

These churches, of Armenia, Assyria, Ethiopia, Georgia, and India, always existed outside the formal reach of the Empire, and which also were at no time a part of the Roman Catholic Church or subordinate in any way to the Pope of Rome.

Indeed, the Assyrian Church of the East severed communion with the Roman Catholic Church after Pope St. Celestine sided with St. Cyril the Great, contributing to the latter prevailing over Nestorius at the Council of Ephesus, and at the Council of Chalcedon, Pope Leo X wrote a Christological Tome which, in addition to other events and intrigue, led to a break in communion between the Oriental Orthodox churches, including the Armenian and Ethiopian churches, and also the Syriac Orthodox, and Coptic Orthodox churches, and the Chalcedonian churches (the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox).

From that time forward, the Syriac and Coptic Orthodox churches, or to be more precise, the Oriental Orthodox Churches of Antioch and Alexandria, for initially, there were Greek speaking members, but these churches came to be dominated by the local vernacular languages, were enemies of the Roman Empire and were persecuted, particularly harshly by Justinian. Then, the provinces of Aegyptus, Judea and Syria were conquered by the Ummayid Caliphate, and under the early Muslims, the active persecution stopped, even though Christians were forced to endure certain humiliations as dhimmis, humiliations which those weak in the faith could not deal with, which is why in Egypt there are 70 million Muslims and only 10 million Coptic Christians (and only tens of thousands of Alexandrian Greek Orthodox Christians). Of course, more brutal persecutions would come later, including the suppression of the Coptic language as a vernacular tongue by the Mamluks, who would literally cut out the tongue of anyone overheard speaking it.

Now, one thing all of these churches have in common is they all worship on Sunday. The Armenian Kingdom, which was never a part of the Roman Empire, became an enemy of the Roman Empire for some time after the Chalcedonian schism, and converted to Christianity before Constantine rose to power, and the Armenian Orthodox Church is the only church I am aware of which prohibits celebrating Holy Communion on any day except Sundays and feast days (they also continue to celebrate the Nativity together with the Epiphany, that is to say, the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, on January 6th, or January 18th for those in the Holy Land, where the Julian Calendar is used, being the only ancient church not to adopt the fourth century liturgical development of separating Christmas and Epiphany into two different feasts, by moving the former to December 25th). As should be evident, no one compelled the Armenians to worship on a Sunday; the man who converted them, Gregory the Illuminator, was a Greek Christian, and the woman who converted the Georgians, who also worship on primarily on Sundays (but not exclusively; only the Armenians take it that far), was herself an Armenian, St. Nino.

So St. Gregory the Illuminator, who was not Roman Catholic and converted the Armenians in 300-306 AD (when construction began on the Holy Etchmiadzin Cathedral, after a number of people saw our Lord on that location), eight years before Constantine embraced Christianity, taught them to worship on Sunday.

Further proof comes in the case of the Ethiopian and Indian Orthodox churches; there were many Jews in Kerala until the formation of Israel, the most famous Indian Jew being Vidal Sassoon, and many Indian Orthodox Christians are of Jewish descent (some exclusively so).

Moreover, the Ethiopians were entirely Jewish in religion and of partial Hebrew ethnicity (like most Jews who settled outside of the Levant in the Diaspora) before the conversion of the Imperial House of Solomon to Christianity in the early 4th century, but after that conversion, many Jews remained until the Derg Communist regime which murdered Emperor Haile Selassie began threatening the lives of the Jews (known as the Beta Israel, meaning “House of Israel”); most fled to Israel, and some were evacuated through the Sudan in an extremely dangerous operation chronicled in the excellent film Red Sea Diving Resort. The Ethiopian Christian liturgy is very similar to that of the Beta Israel; even the vestments worn by the deacons are similiar, with crosses replacing the Star of David in the Christian version, and Holy Communion instead of animal sacrifices. And the most important day of worship for the Ethiopians is Sunday, as it is for the Assyrians, the Armenians, the Copts, the Egyptians, the Eritreans, the Georgians, the Indians and the Syriac Orthodox, all churches that either formed and always existed completely outside the borders of the Roman Empire and free from control by the Papacy, or that broke relations with the Roman Catholic Church and became enemies of the Roman Empire, and had no reason to maintain a tradition imposed by Constantine.

What unites all of the ancient Christian churches which still exist, and most of those which do not, is that they celebrate their faith in the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by worshipping primarily on Sundays. And they always have worshipped on primarily on Sundays, because this practice is integral to the Christian faith in so many ways.
 
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SabbathBlessings

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Jesus kept all the law--circumcision, feasts, etc, which are now abolished (Ephesians 2:15).
In contrast to what?

And God's NT commandments are two (Matthew 22:37-40), the keeping of which is keeping the whole Decalogue (Matthew 22:41, Romans 13:10).

Why do you always present only half truth on this matter?
Claire,

I have no idea what you are referring to, I advocate we keep the whole Decalogue which includes the 4th commandment that God asked us to keep His Sabbath holy. Sorry you don’t see it this way. Hope you have a great day and God bless.
 
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SabbathBlessings

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Yes, we see here the early Christians assembling on Sunday for the breaking of bread and preaching, and when necessary for collections for the needy.
Just no commandment from God or Jesus saying the first day is His holy day. The disciples broke bread daily, but God commanded us to keep only one day holy, the seventh day. Exodus 20:8-11
 
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mmksparbud

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The history of how Sunday worship came about? How about...

And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. - Mark 16:2

Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. - John 20:19

And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. - Acts 20:7

Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. - 1 Corinthians 16:2


There is no question they assembled on a Sunday---but for what? Plus you missed the first verse, and the verse after it.


Mar 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
Mar 16:2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
Mar 16:3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
Mar 16:4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
Mar 16:5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
Mar 16:6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.


They were not there to worship Jesus. They were there because they had not finished anointing the body on that Fri. They came back to do so. They had no idea that Jesus had risen so they could not have been there to worship. This passage has no indication of Sunday worship at all.

Same for John 20:19----They did assemble on Sunday---for it says that same evening---which was Sunday night almost Monday morning (DO NOT FORGET--ALL DAYS FOR THE JEWS WERE FROM SUNDOWN TO SUNDOWN!!), However, they were in no way assembled to worship a risen Savior, they did not know He had risen, until Mary told them---whom they did not believe, and it does not say she told all of them. These were in hiding. They were assembled behind locked doors "for fear of the Jews" the same Jews that had crucified Jesus, might be coming after His followers---if anything they were assembled together to mourn what they perceived was their lost cause. The one they thought was going to take the power of Rome off their backs and truly be their Messiah was dead. They were devastated.
Joh 20:20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

They did not believe He was alive until He showed them His scars.

This passage is no proof of Sunday worship at all!!


Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

Again----Read it carefully---doesn't say what you think it says! It was Sunday---the first day of the week. They came together to break bread---that does not mean communion service---
Act_2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

It simply means they were getting together for an evening meal. It was not Sunday morning Communion--it was Sunday night dinner----Paul had preached, until Midnight! Which would have been Monday. He did not preach from Sunday morning until midnight! That wood have been a filibuster, not a sermon! They came together Sunday evening, which by the end of dinner would have been Monday morning. (Remember---evening to evening). Paul was leaving them, they wanted to say goodbye. The boy fell off the ledge and died, after he was resurrected---they broke bread again----not another communion, just had breakfast. From there Paul walked to Essos. It was Monday---if it had been Sun--he would not have walked if he considered Sunday a day if worship. (But it was Monday anyway)
This passage is no proof of Sunday worship at all!!

1Co 16:1
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
1Co 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
1Co 16:3 And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.

This was a special collection "for the saints"--in Jerusalem. Paul was on a long journey and wanted to waste no time. He wanted them to collect whatever they could for those in Jerusalem. They were to do it at the first of the week, and "lay it in store," set it aside until He came in order to not waste time by gathering after he came. He wanted to get there, get the collection, and keep going to his next appointment. This was not a Sabbath offering---for no offerings were to be collected on the Sabbath, those are collected at the start of the week, and have it ready for Sabbath.

This passage is also no proof of Sunday worship---just the opposite, this one disproofs it altogether, for he was asking them to collect on Sunday---not something that is done on Sabbath. It is given on the Sabbath, collected at the start of the week.

No proof of Sunday worship---just prove that people are not reading thie4r bible's thoroughly, just grabbing whatever sounds like it fits their belief.
 
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Clare73

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Claire,

I have no idea what you are referring to, I advocate we keep the whole Decalogue which includes the 4th commandment that God asked us to keep His Sabbath holy.
Precisely, but you never state that the Decalogue was transcended, when Jesus commanded only two commandments (Matthew 22:27-31), which require much more than the Decalogue ever did.

You do not seem to embrace NT revelation regarding the Mosaic law, but rather you seem to try to add it to (Judaize) the gospel.
 
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SabbathBlessings

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Precisely, but you never state that the Decalogue was transcended when Jesus commanded only two commandments (Matthew 22:27-31), which require much more than the Decalogue ever did.

What are you referring to this is Mathew 22:27-31
27 Last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,

Are you meaning this? Mathew 22: 36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

You need to read the last verse:

40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments


Jesus never deleted the Ten Commandments. Jesus told us He did not come to destroy God’s laws Mathew 5:17-20

There you go again though advocating the whole Decalogue in one post and than not in another. It’s a bit confusing tbh to understand your logic. The Decalogue is God’s Ten Commandments which is how we show love to God by keeping the first 4 commandments and how we should love and treat our neighbor, which is by keeping the last six.
 
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Clare73

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Just no commandment from God or Jesus saying the first day is His holy day.
No commandment from God or Jesus abolishing the ceremonial laws either.

Only the apostle Paul's teaching (Ephesians 2:15) which he received from Jesus Christ personally,
in the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:1-5).

Likewise with the Sabbath. . .only the authoritative teaching of Hebrews 3:12-4:11, demonstrating the fulfillment of God's full-time Sabbath rest in Christ's salvation rest from our own works to save and in his work which saves.
The disciples broke bread daily,
That would have been the disciples in Jerusalem living in common, before the conversion of Paul.
That was not the practice among the Gentile Christians.
but God commanded us to keep only one day holy, the seventh day. Exodus 20:8-11
Fulfilled in Christ's salvation rest, as the Decalogue is
fulfilled in Christ's commandments (Matthew 22:37-41).
 
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Whereas your second paragraph is accurate, your first paragraph is inadvertently potentially misleading. Paganism had long since evolved past Sun-worship and in the time of Constantine the major deities in the Roman Empire were Jupiter, Mars, Neptune, Venus, Eros, Athena, Apollo, Vulcan, Isis, Osiris, Seth (among the people of Upper Egypt; the Egyptians in Lower Egypt tended to regard Seth as a devil), but not Ra so much; the peak of Ra’s cult was long last, and also the attempt of Akhenaten to impose monotheistic Heliolatry through worship of the Sun-disc Aten exclusively, failed miserably and the status quo ante was restored by his his young son Tutankhamen when he became Pharaoh), Baal and Ishtar, and a Paganized interpretation of Mithras, who is something like an archangel in the dualist Zoroastrian religion (which in its recent forms either heavily influenced or was heavily influenced by Neoplatonism, and genuine Platonic metaphysical thought about ideals, which also had a substantial impact on Gnosticism).

Neoplatonism, it should be stressed, represented the apex of Hellenic Paganism, being its most intellectually advanced form, and was the religious philosophy of Julian the Apostate, the Roman Emperor who in the mid 4th century rejected even heretical Arian Christianity and, while not launching an outright persecution on the scale of Diocletian, decided to annoy the Christians of the Roman Empire as much as possible (for instance, he granted the Jews permission to rebuild the Temple; they stopped after balls of fire, now thought to be the result of natural gas accumulation, erupted from the temple mount).

Rather, Emperor Constantine created a day of rest so that Christians could celebrate during convenient hours the Eucharistic Liturgy, which we know from numerous early writers like Justin Martyr happened on the first day of the week, but we also know it happened either just before sunrise (this became the office of Matins), at dusk (this became the office Vespers) and at midnight (this became Vigils or Nocturns, also known as the Midnight Office or the Midnight Praises in the Coptic church). Thanks to the legislation of Constantine, and equivalent legislation by the rulers of Edessa and Armenia, which converted to Christianity before the Roman Empire, and Georgia and Ethiopia, which converted to Christianity shortly after, the Eucharist or sadly, in most low church Protestant parishes and non-denominational churches, a Sunday service without the Eucharist*, is commonly celebrated by most Christians on Sunday mornings at a comfortable hour, starting between 8 AM and 11 AM. Only in monasteries do the monks and pilgrims gather at midnight in the church, as the early Christians gathered in cemeteries and the catacombs of ancient Rome, to celebrate the Eucharist, usually together with Vigils and Matins.

* The ideal form of Sunday worship is morning prayer followed by the Eucharist, which is the Orthodox practice and used to be the normal Anglican practice, until the current annoying custom of a said eucharist (with no music) followed by a choral eucharist (with music) took over, but there was no need for it to take over, as Anglican morning prayer can be done in 30-45 minutes, and most Anglican and Episcopalian churches in the US have a leisurely coffee break between the said service and the choral Eucharist. I myself like the Anglican custom of said services as it is a panacea for poorly trained choirs, pianos or guitars used in place of the organ, praise and worship music, and “Christian rock” the mere thought of which fills me with terror.
The author of the article claimed Constantine wanted to appease the cult of sun worshippers by giving them a day to venerate the sun. Offices were closed on Sunday. There is nothing in the Bible about a Sunday sabbath as Sunday was and is the first day of the week. The Jews rested on the seventh day.
There is no question they assembled on a Sunday---but for what? Plus you missed the first verse, and the verse after it.


Mar 16:1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
Mar 16:2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
Mar 16:3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
Mar 16:4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
Mar 16:5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
Mar 16:6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.


They were not there to worship Jesus. They were there because they had not finished anointing the body on that Fri. They came back to do so. They had no idea that Jesus had risen so they could not have been there to worship. This passage has no indication of Sunday worship at all.

Same for John 20:19----They did assemble on Sunday---for it says that same evening---which was Sunday night almost Monday morning (DO NOT FORGET--ALL DAYS FOR THE JEWS WERE FROM SUNDOWN TO SUNDOWN!!), However, they were in no way assembled to worship a risen Savior, they did not know He had risen, until Mary told them---whom they did not believe, and it does not say she told all of them. These were in hiding. They were assembled behind locked doors "for fear of the Jews" the same Jews that had crucified Jesus, might be coming after His followers---if anything they were assembled together to mourn what they perceived was their lost cause. The one they thought was going to take the power of Rome off their backs and truly be their Messiah was dead. They were devastated.
Joh 20:20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.

They did not believe He was alive until He showed them His scars.

This passage is no proof of Sunday worship at all!!


Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

Again----Read it carefully---doesn't say what you think it says! It was Sunday---the first day of the week. They came together to break bread---that does not mean communion service---
Act_2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

It simply means they were getting together for an evening meal. It was not Sunday morning Communion--it was Sunday night dinner----Paul had preached, until Midnight! Which would have been Monday. He did not preach from Sunday morning until midnight! That wood have been a filibuster, not a sermon! They came together Sunday evening, which by the end of dinner would have been Monday morning. (Remember---evening to evening). Paul was leaving them, they wanted to say goodbye. The boy fell off the ledge and died, after he was resurrected---they broke bread again----not another communion, just had breakfast. From there Paul walked to Essos. It was Monday---if it had been Sun--he would not have walked if he considered Sunday a day if worship. (But it was Monday anyway)
This passage is no proof of Sunday worship at all!!

1Co 16:1
Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
1Co 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
1Co 16:3 And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.

This was a special collection "for the saints"--in Jerusalem. Paul was on a long journey and wanted to waste no time. He wanted them to collect whatever they could for those in Jerusalem. They were to do it at the first of the week, and "lay it in store," set it aside until He came in order to not waste time by gathering after he came. He wanted to get there, get the collection, and keep going to his next appointment. This was not a Sabbath offering---for no offerings were to be collected on the Sabbath, those are collected at the start of the week, and have it ready for Sabbath.

This passage is also no proof of Sunday worship---just the opposite, this one disproofs it altogether, for he was asking them to collect on Sunday---not something that is done on Sabbath. It is given on the Sabbath, collected at the start of the week.

No proof of Sunday worship---just prove that people are not reading thie4r bible's thoroughly, just grabbing whatever sounds like it fits their belief.
In another article Constantine designated Sunday as a day of rest on the day designated to honor the venerable sun. This happened in 321 AD.
Sabbath in Christianity - Wikipedia

Justin Martyr described a continuous Sabbath, not a Sabbath fixed to one day.

After the empire got a day of rest from the emperor, the church decided to gather for worship on that day. Jesus taught believers should worship in spirit and truth. This is not relegated to a specific time and place exclusive of all other times and places. Wherever two or more are gathered in his name, there the Holy Spirit will be among them.
 
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SabbathBlessings

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Jesus kept all the law--circumcision, feasts, etc, which are now abolished (Ephesians 2:15).

Are you arguing with yourself now?

No commandment from God or Jesus abolishing the ceremonial laws either.


Likewise with the Sabbath. . .only the authoritative teaching of Hebrews 3:12-4:11, demonstrating the fulfillment of God's full-time Sabbath rest in Christ's salvation rest from our own works to save and in his work which saves.
Fulfilled in Christ's salvation rest, as the Decalogue is fulfilled in Christ's commandments (Matthew 22:37-41).

Hebrews is about obeying God and when you obey, which includes keeping the commandments and the 4th commandment, than we enter into God’s rest. There are two different rests Hebrews is referring to and we don’t receive Christ rest by breaking God’s laws.

I believe Jesus said that He did not come to destroy God’s laws. Mathew 5:17-20 Jesus did not come down from Heaven to do His own will but the will of His Fathers. John 6:38 so what you are suggesting is that Jesus was contradicting God when He wrote His laws in our hearts in the New Covenant. Jeremiah 31:33
 
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HIM

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Jesus commanded only two commandments (Matthew 22:27-31), which require much more than the Decalogue ever did.

You do not seem to embrace NT revelation regarding the Mosaic law, but rather you seem to try to add it to (Judaize) the gospel.
No Jesus did not. What you state is not true. Jesus said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

Two things need noted. No where is the word Only used. Don't add what is not there.

And the second; if something is hung from something it is supported. It depends on what it is hanging from. The commandments depend on love in order to be fulfilled. If they are not from Love they are not being fulfilled properly because they are not being done in and through God's Spirit.

Jesus taught we may do what ever we need to do on Saturday, the Jewish Shabbat. Many get two days off for rest and relaxation, or for whatever they need to do. The young and strong may need to work more hours than the elderly.
No Jesus did not. What you state is not true.
Jesus taught to do Good for someone or something in distress is acceptable on the Sabbath. Not that we can do whatever we want. Incidentally that was never an issue anyway. If it were Jesus would not have taught it.
 
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Clare73

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What are you referring to this is Mathew 22:27-31
Oops! That should be Matthew 22:37-41.
27 Last of all the woman died also. 28 Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her.”

29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.31 But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,

Are you meaning this? Mathew 22: 36-40

36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

You need to read the last verse:
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments
Jesus never deleted the Ten Commandments.
Jesus told us He did not come to destroy God’s laws Mathew 5:17-20
And? . . . what did he say he came to do?
To fulfill them, and he did, which is why the ceremonial laws are abolished (Ephesians 2:15).
There you go again though advocating the whole Decalogue in one post and than not in another. It’s a bit confusing tbh to understand your logic.
My logic is simple.
We are not free to violate the Decalogue, fulfilled in Jesus' two commandments which require more than just the Decalogue; i.e., to love your neighbor as you love yourself.
The Decalogue is God’s Ten Commandments which is how we show love to God by keeping the first 4 commandments and
how we should love and treat our neighbor, which is by keeping the last six.
If loving your neighbor is keeping the last six, there is a lot you aren't doing according to the standard of Jesus' two--to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

The Decalogue is insufficient to fulfill Jesus' two commands, it is Jesus' two commands that fulfill the Decalogue, and more.
 
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