THE EVIDENCE FROM EARLY CHURCH HISTORY, CHRISTIAN, NOT JEWISH!
Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch (A.D.35-108)
" If, therefore, they who were under the older dispensation came into a new hope, no longer keeping the Sabbath, but living in observance of the Lord's Day, on which day also our life rose through him and through his death, which certain deny, through which mystery we have received faith (and through this abide, that we may be found disciples of Jesus Christ, our only teacher)" (To the Magnesians, Chapter 9.1)
The Didache - The Teachings of the 12 Apostles to the World. (A.D. 85-125)
"But every Lord's Day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure" (Chapter 14)
Justin Martyr (A.D.100-165)
" And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration." (First Apology, Chapter 67)
The Epistle of Barnabas (about A.D.130)
"Finally He saith to them; Your new moons and your Sabbaths I cannot away with. Ye see what is His meaning ; it is not your present Sabbaths that are acceptable [unto Me], but the Sabbath which I have made, in the which, when I have set all things at rest, I will make the beginning of the eighth day [Sunday] which is the beginning of another world. Wherefore also we keep the eighth day [Sunday] for rejoicing, in the which also Jesus rose from the dead, and having been manifested ascended into the heavens." (15:8-9)
Eusebius, Church Historian (A.D.263-339)
"The Sabbath and the rest of the discipline of the Jews they observed just like them, but at the same time, like us, they celebrated the Lord's Days as a memorial of the resurrection of the Saviour" (Church History, Book III, Chapter 27)
"A question of no small importance arose at that time. For the parishes of all Asia, as from an older tradition, held that the fourteenth day of the moon, on which day the Jews were commanded to sacrifice the lamb, should be observed as the feast of the Saviour's passover. It was therefore necessary to end their fast on that day, whatever day of the week it should happen to be. But it was not the custom of the churches in the rest of the world to end it at this time, as they observed the practice which, from apostolic tradition, has prevailed to the present time, of terminating the fast on no other day than on that of the Resurrection of our Saviour. Synods and assemblies of bishops were held on this account, and all, with one consent, through mutual correspondence drew up an ecclesiastical decree, that the mystery of the Resurrection of the Lord should be celebrated on no other but the Lord's Day, and that we should observe the close of the paschal fast on this day only" (Book V, Chapter 23)
The Apostolic Constitutions (about A.D.385)
" And on the Day of our Lord's Resurrection, which is the Lord's Day, meet more diligently, sending praise to God that made the universe by Jesus, and sent Him to us, and condescended to let Him suffer, and raised Him from the dead. Otherwise what apology will he make to God who does not assemble on that Day to hear the saving word concerning the resurrection, on which we pray thrice standing in memory of Him who arose in three days, in which is performed the reading of the prophets, the preaching of the Gospel, the oblation of the sacrifice, the gift of the holy food?" (7:59)
Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, lived during the time of the Apostles!
Spurious "Church Fathers" - Spurious Writings
Care must be taken as we evaluate the statements of the so called "Church Fathers" as the scriptures show an early departure from the apostles' doctrine by the churches and also claims are made by church historians that the writings of the "Fathers" have been distorted by forgery. (See Acts 20:28-31; II Peter 2:1-2; II Thessalonians 2:1-7; I John 2:18-20; Revelation 2:1-7,12-16,18-23, 3:1-5,14-19).
There is a scarcity of information about the Church in the years immediately after the last apostles:
"For fifty years after St. Paul's life, a curtain hangs over the Church, through which we strive vainly to look; and when at last it rises, about 120A.D. with the writings of the earliest Church Fathers, we find a Church in many aspects very different from that in the days of St. Peter and St. Paul"("The Story of the Christian Church" by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut, 1933).
Other writers, like Edward Gibbon, Will Durant and Charles Guingnebert, also testify of the vast difference between the Judean, Apostolic Church and the Church of the second century A.D. onwards.
Hence, any writings of so-called "Church Fathers" must be very carefully examined. In fact, any claim that the testimony of the "Church Fathers" confirm, "That worship on Sunday was prevalent in the first and second century," is misleading because of the failure to carefully examine these writings.
For example, contrary to one of Christianity's most important doctrines, Justin Martyr says Christ, the Word, was a "God under the Maker of the universe; as a God different in number from the God who made all." (A Catholic Dictionary by Addis and Arnold).
Ignatius and Irenaeus also had views about the bishop and tradition respectively, which I am sure many would refute. (See, "The World Treasury of Religious Quotations" by Ralph L. Woods).
Barnabas, in Chapter 19 of his Epistle, claims, "By thy hands thou shall labour for the redemption of thy sins."
Clearly, the theology of these "Church Fathers" is not according to apostolic teachings and their historical value is put in doubt by later historians:
"The writings of the so-called apostolic fathers have unhappily come down to us in a condition very little worthy of confidence, partly because under the names of these men so highly venerated in the Church, writings were very early forged for the purpose of giving authority to particular opinions or principles." (Johann Neander, "General History of the Christian Religion and Church.")
About these writings, Fredrick Farrar had this to say:
"There are but few of whose pages are not rife with errors, errors of method, errors of facts, errors of history, of grammar and even of doctrine." ("History of Interpretation").
Wharey's Church History, Cox's Literature and Dr. Adam Clarke testify similarly.
With the "Church Fathers" put in proper perspective, do the scriptures, Acts 20:7; I Corinthians 16:2,support early Sunday worship as many claim?
Even though they may be unreliable, I will also use the writings of the so-called "Church Fathers" to show that Sunday exhaltation was the anomaly and not the norm in early Christianity.
0 -100 A.D.
Eusebius (265-339) writing about the actions of the Church at the time of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70) said:
"Then the spiritual seed of Abraham fled to Pella, on the other side of Jordan, where they found a safe place of refuge and could serve their Master and keep His Sabbath." (Eusebius Ecclesiastical History).
100 - 200 A.D.
The following quote from 'The Didache' or 'Teaching of The Apostles' (100 A.D.) shows the Sabbath was still a consideration for Christians as the mention of preparation day must assume the continued observation of the Sabbath:
But do ye keep your fast on the fourth and on the preparation (the sixth) day." (Didache 8:2).
Irenaeus (130 - 200 A.D.) also spoke against those who like many claimed the Law was abolished or changed.
"For He (Christ) did not make void, but fulfilled the Law (Ten Commandments)." (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Volume I Ante-Nicean Christian Library, (Boston 1887}, Page 471).
N.B. Irenaeus grew up in Asia Minor where he came in contact with Polycarp under whom the churches in that area observed the Sabbath and the 14th of Abib Passover. Irenaeus himself records the journey of Polycarp, in the mid-second century, to Rome in an effort to persuade Anicetus, Bishop of Rome, about the true time of the Passover which had been replaced by Easter in Rome. After spending some time in Rome, Irenaeus went on to become Bishop of Lyons in France. His contradictory statement, to the one above, as quoted by others, may have come from later influences in his life or could be an interpolation or forgery.
Tertullian (150 - 225 A.D.) also had this to say:
"Thus Christ did not at all rescind the Sabbath. He kept the Law thereof... He restored to the Sabbath the works for were proper for it." (Tertullian; Book IV, Chapter 12, Volume 3 Ante-Nilean Christian Library, {Boston, 1887} Page 362).
200 - 300 A.D.
Archelaus, Bishop of Kashkar (Carchar) Mesopotamia
"Again as to the assertion that the (Seventh Day) Sabbath has been abolished we deny that He (Christ) has abolished it plainly. For He Himself was also Lord of the Sabbath." (Archelaus, The Disputation with Manes, Volume 4 Ante-Nicean Christian Library, (Boston, 1887}, Page 217).
Mingana a fifth century leader of the Eastern Church wrote:
"As early as 225A.D. there existed large Sabbath-keeping bishoprics or conferences of the Church of the East stretching from Palestine to India." (Mingana, Early Spread of Christianity).
300 - 400 A.D.
Ambrose was a bishop of Milan in the fourth century. "Ambrose the celebrated bishop of Milan said that when he was in Milan he observed Saturday but when in Rome observed Sunday. This gave rise to the Proverb, 'When You Are in Rome, Do as Rome Does'" (P. Heylyn, History of the Sabbath).
400 - 500 A.D.
"Augustine (whose testimony is made the more impressive by his being a committed Sunday Keeper) shows ... that the (Seventh-Day) Sabbath was observed, in his day, 'In the Greater Part of the Christian World'." (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 1st Series, volume 1, Pages 353 -354).
Augustine lived 354 - 430 A.D.
Sozomen a Historian wrote in 460 A.D:
"Assemblies are not held in all churches on the same time or manner. The people of Constantinople and almost everywhere assemble on the (Seventh Day) Sabbath as well as the first day of the week, which custom is never observed at Rome or Alexandria." (Sozomen, Ecclesiastical History,(Book VII, Chapter 19, Ante-Nicean Christian Library, Volume II, {Boston 1887} Page 390).
N.B. Justin Martyr and Irenaeus spent time in Rome and Barnabas was a bishop of Alexandria.
There is no lack of testimony confirming continued Sabbath keeping among Christians through the years and the reputable Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge contains this fitting summary of the situation. On the history of the Sabbath it says:
"None question that it was observed by Christ and His apostles, and by Christians generally durine the apostolic period. It had no rival day in the Church until about the middle of the second century, when Sunday began to be observed as a festival day in honour of the resurrection along with Wednesday, Friday and numerous other festal days of the Latin Church (Le. Roman), then beginning to drift upon the first great wave of its apostasy. This Church made the Sabbath Day a fast-day, not without sinister motives looking to its suppression in favour of the festival Sunday; while the Greek or Eastern Church steadfastly observed it as a day of holy delight in the Lord.... In the western Church the Seventh-Day continued to be observed quite generally till the fifth century and traces of it were noticeable in some parts of Europe much later. In Scotland and Ireland, as well as England, the Seventh Dav was regarded and observed as the Sabbath in the Eleventh Century and later.. .In the Oriental or Greek branch of the Church the Seventh Day continues to be observed to this day (1891)....In the Abyssinan, Armenianand Nestorian churches the Seventh Day has not yet been supplanted by the first day of the week." (Article, Seventh-Day Baptist, Shaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge 1891 Edition, Page 2165).
