Origen and Tertullian on The Lord's Day

[Dale]

Origen is the earliest Christian author to write whole books of theology.

Since keeping the sabbath, or Saturday worship versus Sunday worship, has been debated so many times on CF, what did Origen say about worshiping on the sabbath?

Origen did not see a need to keep the Jewish sabbath, either on grounds of the Ten Commandments or for any other reason. He did not transfer the many restrictions surrounding the sabbath to Sunday. Instead, he argued that Christians are under no special rule. At the same time, he says that "the perfect Christian" is "always keeping the Lord's day." The same "perfect Christian" is always "living in the season of Pentecost." Pentecost is always a Sunday.

"If it be objected to us on this subject that we ourselves are accustomed to observe certain days, as for example the Lord's day, the Preparation, the Passover, or Pentecost, I have to answer, that to the perfect Christian, who is ever in his thoughts, words, and deeds serving his natural Lord, God the Word, all his days are the Lord's, and he is always keeping the Lord's day. He also who is unceasingly preparing himself for the true life, and abstaining from the pleasures of this life which lead astray so many — who is not indulging the lust of the flesh, but keeping under his body, and bringing it into subjection,— such a one is always keeping Preparation-day. Again, he who considers that Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us, and that it is his duty to keep the feast by eating of the flesh of the Word, never ceases to keep the paschal feast; for the pascha means a passover, and he is ever striving in all his thoughts, words, and deeds, to pass over from the things of this life to God, and is hastening towards the city of God. And, finally, he who can truly say, We are risen with Christ, and He has exalted us, and made us to sit with Him in heavenly places in Christ, is always living in the season of Pentecost; and most of all, when going up to the upper chamber, like the apostles of Jesus, he gives himself to supplication and prayer, that he may become worthy of receiving the mighty wind rushing from heaven, which is powerful to destroy sin and its fruits among men, and worthy of having some share of the tongue of fire which God sends."

Origen, Contra Celsum, Book VIII, Chapter 22
Note: Contra Celsum means Against Celsum. Celsum was a pagan philosopher.

The phrase "the Lord's day" appears in the Bible.

10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet ...
Revelation 1:10 NIV

It is obvious to most Christians that to John, "the Lord's Day" means Sunday, the day that our Lord, Jesus Christ, rose from the dead. John was worshiping on the Lord's day. Seventh Day Adventists deny this and say that John must have meant the Old Testament sabbath, Saturday.

Tertullian, one of the most frequently quoted of the Early Church Fathers, made a clear distinction between the Jewish sabbath and the Christian Lord's day.

"Two weeks of xerophagies* in the year (and not the whole of these — the Sabbaths, to wit, and the Lord's days, being excepted) we offer to God; abstaining from things which we do not reject, but defer."

Tertullian, On Fasting, Chapter 15
*Xerophagies means a diet of bread and water.

Sabbaths are counted separately from "Lord's days," or Sundays, in this passage from Tertullian.

Tertullian backs up the traditional Christian reading of Revelation 1:10. John does call Sunday "the Lord's day." John's reasoning for doing so is exactly the same as that of modern Christians for taking Sunday to be the Lord's day. Sunday is the day of Christ's resurrection, giving us the promise of eternal life.

 

[Dale]

Justin Martyr gives a very early and very clear account of Sunday worship among Christians.

"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 ..."

Justin Martyr, Apology, Chapter 67

The Seventh Day Adventists keep trying to tell us that one of the Popes "changed" the day of worship around 350 AD. Yet Origen died in 253 AD, a hundred years earlier. Septimus Tertullian died in 220 AD, even before Origen. Justin Martyr died, was martyred, around 165 AD, almost two hundred years before the SDA say that the day of worship was "changed." These writers say that Christians were worshiping on Sunday and always have.

 

[anna ~ grace]

Yep. Awesome quotes! Thank you.

 

[chevyontheriver]

Justin Martyr gives a very early and very clear account of Sunday worship among Christians.

"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 ..."

Justin Martyr, Apology, Chapter 67

The Seventh Day Adventists keep trying to tell us that one of the Popes "changed" the day of worship around 350 AD. Yet Origen died in 253 AD, a hundred years earlier. Septimus Tertullian died in 220 AD, even before Origen. Justin Martyr died, was martyred, around 165 AD, almost two hundred years before the SDA say that the day of worship was "changed." These writers say that Christians were worshiping on Sunday and always have.

Well, the Mormons say everything was corrupted by the time of the death of the last Apostle. And yet they kept Sunday in their 'Latter Day' reformulation. Go figure.

 

[dqhall]

Origen is the earliest Christian author to write whole books of theology.

Since keeping the sabbath, or Saturday worship versus Sunday worship, has been debated so many times on CF, what did Origen say about worshiping on the sabbath?

Origen did not see a need to keep the Jewish sabbath, either on grounds of the Ten Commandments or for any other reason. He did not transfer the many restrictions surrounding the sabbath to Sunday. Instead, he argued that Christians are under no special rule. At the same time, he says that "the perfect Christian" is "always keeping the Lord's day." The same "perfect Christian" is always "living in the season of Pentecost." Pentecost is always a Sunday.

"If it be objected to us on this subject that we ourselves are accustomed to observe certain days, as for example the Lord's day, the Preparation, the Passover, or Pentecost, I have to answer, that to the perfect Christian, who is ever in his thoughts, words, and deeds serving his natural Lord, God the Word, all his days are the Lord's, and he is always keeping the Lord's day. He also who is unceasingly preparing himself for the true life, and abstaining from the pleasures of this life which lead astray so many — who is not indulging the lust of the flesh, but keeping under his body, and bringing it into subjection,— such a one is always keeping Preparation-day. Again, he who considers that Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us, and that it is his duty to keep the feast by eating of the flesh of the Word, never ceases to keep the paschal feast; for the pascha means a passover, and he is ever striving in all his thoughts, words, and deeds, to pass over from the things of this life to God, and is hastening towards the city of God. And, finally, he who can truly say, We are risen with Christ, and He has exalted us, and made us to sit with Him in heavenly places in Christ, is always living in the season of Pentecost; and most of all, when going up to the upper chamber, like the apostles of Jesus, he gives himself to supplication and prayer, that he may become worthy of receiving the mighty wind rushing from heaven, which is powerful to destroy sin and its fruits among men, and worthy of having some share of the tongue of fire which God sends."

Origen, Contra Celsum, Book VIII, Chapter 22
Note: Contra Celsum means Against Celsum. Celsum was a pagan philosopher.

The phrase "the Lord's day" appears in the Bible.

10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet ...
Revelation 1:10 NIV

It is obvious to most Christians that to John, "the Lord's Day" means Sunday, the day that our Lord, Jesus Christ, rose from the dead. John was worshiping on the Lord's day. Seventh Day Adventists deny this and say that John must have meant the Old Testament sabbath, Saturday.

Tertullian, one of the most frequently quoted of the Early Church Fathers, made a clear distinction between the Jewish sabbath and the Christian Lord's day.

"Two weeks of xerophagies* in the year (and not the whole of these — the Sabbaths, to wit, and the Lord's days, being excepted) we offer to God; abstaining from things which we do not reject, but defer."

Tertullian, On Fasting, Chapter 15
*Xerophagies means a diet of bread and water.

Sabbaths are counted separately from "Lord's days," or Sundays, in this passage from Tertullian.

Tertullian backs up the traditional Christian reading of Revelation 1:10. John does call Sunday "the Lord's day." John's reasoning for doing so is exactly the same as that of modern Christians for taking Sunday to be the Lord's day. Sunday is the day of Christ's resurrection, giving us the promise of eternal life.

Clement of Alexandria was born c. 150 AD before Origen. Origen could not be first as Matthew and John wrote books.

I read Clement’s, “Rich Man’s Salvation,” years ago.

 

[~Zao~]

Origen’s Song of Solomon is one of the first complete analogies undertaken.

 

[Dale]

Clement of Alexandria was born c. 150 AD before Origen. Origen could not be first as Matthew and John wrote books.

I read Clement’s, “Rich Man’s Salvation,” years ago.

I was referring to works of theology after the New Testament period.

Here is what the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia has to say about the writing of Clement of Alexandria.

<< Clement has had no notable influence on the course of theology beyond his personal influence on the young Origen. His writings were occasionally copied, as by Hippolytus in his "Chronicon", by Arnobius, and by Theodoret of Cyrus. St. Jerome admired his learning. Pope Gelasius in the catalogue attributed to him mentions Clement's works, but adds, "they are in no case to be received amongst us". >>


Link
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Clement of Alexandria

 

[dqhall]

I was referring to works of theology after the New Testament period.

Here is what the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia has to say about the writing of Clement of Alexandria.

<< Clement has had no notable influence on the course of theology beyond his personal influence on the young Origen. His writings were occasionally copied, as by Hippolytus in his "Chronicon", by Arnobius, and by Theodoret of Cyrus. St. Jerome admired his learning. Pope Gelasius in the catalogue attributed to him mentions Clement's works, but adds, "they are in no case to be received amongst us". >>


Link
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Clement of Alexandria

I had read that Origen made himself a eunuch. Am not sure if it was in the physical sense, or spiritual sense via celibacy.

 

[Dale]

I had read that Origen made himself a eunuch. Am not sure if it was in the physical sense, or spiritual sense via celibacy.

This is a legitimate question. If true, it would mark Origen as a bit of a weirdo.

Origen never referred to any such event in his life in any of his writings. Origen had many critics. As I understand it, none of his contemporaries who are believed to be trustworthy ever referred to to claim that he castrated himself. In short, the story seems to be no more than a slam by detractor who would go to any lenths in a theological argument.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

Seventh Day Adventists deny this and say that John must have meant the Old Testament sabbath, Saturday.

Not to argue with your over-all point, but Saturday was never the sabbath in the Old Testament. The Jews didn't adopt that day until the solar calendar was instituted under the Roman Empire, between the Old and New Testaments. Before that, the sabbath was the last day of the lunar week (which is roughly the origin of today's solar week). Today, incidentally, is the sabbath by Old Testament reckoning.

 

[Dale]

Not to argue with your over-all point, but Saturday was never the sabbath in the Old Testament. The Jews didn't adopt that day until the solar calendar was instituted under the Roman Empire, between the Old and New Testaments. Before that, the sabbath was the last day of the lunar week (which is roughly the origin of today's solar week). Today, incidentally, is the sabbath by Old Testament reckoning.

One of us should do a thread on that sometime.