As a result, as much as possible, the Christianity that Constantine upheld didnt want to have anything that is considered Jewish. 366-367, The Pope is of great authority and power that he can modify, explain, or interpret even divine laws The Pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man, but of God, and he acts as vicegerent of God upon earth. Lucius Ferraris, Prompta Ribliotheca, Papa, art. } Instead, you post secondary sources and hearsay as your "evidence". The word Sunday does not come anywhere in the Bible, so, without knowing it they are obeying the authority of the Catholic Church. Catholics place tradition and the decrees of their popes ahead of the Bible, so there is no inconsistency for them in believing that Sunday is the day of the resurrection. Answer - We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 364), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday. Peter Geiermann, C.S.S.R., The Converts Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, p. 50, 3rd edition, 1957. Who Do We Reverence by Keeping Sunday Holy? It came from Judaism, but it was distinct from it. We have also shown from scripture that the little horn of Daniel 7, which is synonymous with the beast of Revelation 13 would think to change Gods law and it did. Notice what Pope Leo XIII wrote in a letter in 1894: We [referring to the popes] hold upon this Earth the place of God Almighty.. St. Catherine Catholic Church - Sentinel May 21, 1995 - Volume 50, Number 22, Algonac Michigan Perhaps the boldest thing, the most revolutionary change the Church ever did, happened in the first century. Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions. Daniel Reehil, Pastor Email: fatherreehil@stcatherinecc.org "To the servant of God . The church is above the Bible, . In the country, however, persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits; because it often happens that another day is not so suitable for grain-sowing or for vine-planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost. A lot of Catholics would claim that Constantine was the first Christian Roman Emperor. . It is a law of the holy Catholic Church alone. . . 1995): 6, The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changedthe Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority. Canon and Tradition, p. 263, Is not yet too late for Protestants to redeem themselves. An excellent example of Saturday being knowingly or unknowingly substituted for Sabbath is found in the cannons of the Council of Laodicea. . 31-33, Vol 17 (1869 ed. If, however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be shut out [anathema excommunicated] from Christ. Council of Laodicea, c. A.D. 337, Canon 29, quoted in C.J. Nowhere in the Bible is it stated that worship should be changed from Saturday to SundayNow the Churchinstituted, by Gods authority, Sunday as the day of worship. But this theory is entirely abandoned. But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. Sunday is expressly distinguished from the Sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the Sabbath The Sabbath, which represented the completion of the first creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation, has been replaced by Sunday which recalls the new creation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ In respecting religious liberty and the common good of all, Christians should seek recognition of Sundays and the Churchs holy days as legal holidays. The Catechism of the Catholic Church Section 2 Article 3 (1994), The (Catholic) Church changed the observance of the Sabbath to Sunday by right of the divine, infallible authority given to her by her Founder, Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church protests that it transferred Christian worship from the biblical Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday, and that to try to argue that the change was made in the Bible is both dishonest and a denial of Catholic authority. The holy day, the Sabbath, was changed from Saturday to Sunday not from any directions noted in the Scriptures, but from the Churchs sense of its own power People who think that the Scriptures should be the sole authority, should logically become 7thDay Adventists, and keep the Saturday holy. Saint Catherine Catholic Church Sentinel, May 21, 1995, It is evident that the popes can neither be bound nor unbound by any earthly power, nor even by that of the apostle [Peter], if he should return upon the earth; since Constantine the Great has recognized that the pontiffs held the place of God upon earth, divinity not being able to be judged by any living man. Any honest and thinking Bible scholars will tell you that the official Sabbath Day in the Bible is Saturday and not Sunday. 1, pp. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday. Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of our Father, p. 89, The Bible says remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. Is not the observance of this law among the most prominent of our sacred duties? Preferentes autem in veneratione Dominicum diem si vacre voluerint, ut Christiani hoc faciat; quod si reperti fuerint Judaizere Anathema sint a Christo. In the beginning, He created a time-keep, A little late, but still important! from the Churchs sense of its own power. Roman Catholic bishop, Karl Josef von Hefele (1809-1893), states that the word Saturday is supplied in modern translations. . By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week. And lo! Quick Q&A: Why or how important is it to keep the Sabbath? Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change (Saturday Sabbath to Sunday) was her actAnd the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things. H. F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons. The bishops wanted to destroy any ties to Judaism. ), Fourteenth Session: Sacrament of Penance, The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent (Rockford, IL: TAN Books 1978): 92, The Bible says remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day. now keep holy (Roman Catechism, 1985, emphasis supplied). "And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men (Matthew 15:9). Is not every Christian obliged to sanctify Sunday and to abstain on that day from unnecessary servile work? Matt. (8) Catholic Encyclopedia, Eusebius of Caesarea, www.NewAdvent.org. We have already mentioned earlier that it was Constantine who made it official to make Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire. How to Say Happy Sabbath in Different Languages. ), pp. on: function(evt, cb) { Question - Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday? (10) Pope Sylvester I (d. December 31, 335), Catholic Encyclopedia, www.newadvent.org. There is, in truth, something royal, kingly about the sun, making it a fit emblem of Jesus, the Sun of Justice. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York, To such extent did Mary suffer and almost die with her suffering and dying Son; to such extent did she surrender her maternal rights over her Son for : mans salvation . 0000002474 00000 n 2, p. 174. And they wanted to show that Christianity was distinct from Judaism. } 0000011056 00000 n 0000001738 00000 n Today, great - Also in the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1899 Edition, Vol. Slowly, but surely, Sabbath-keepers were driven into hiding while Sunday-keepers were out in the open. 86 0 obj <> endobj We have the commandment of God given to Moses to keep holy the Sabbath Day, that is the 7th day of the week, Saturday. Every place is the right place, and every time is the right time." But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all the workshops be closed. Constatine, 321 A.D. The popular complaint against the Christians was- they despise our sun-god, they have divine services on Saturday, they desecrate the sacred earth by burying their dead in it. Truth Triumphant, p. 170, Persia 335-375 AD (40 years persecution under Shapur 11th). They have no other reason . Some theologians have held that God likewise directly determined the Sunday as the day of worship in the New Law, that He Himself has explicitly substituted the Sunday for the Sabbath. ---> A Non-WLC Article: "14 Reasons Why I Wont Watch The Chosen", Faith is the victory! . . (1). (2). faithful will understand why it is Sunday and not the Sabbath day that we and this transference of sabbath observance is proof of that fact. The Saint Catherine Catholic Church Sentinel, May 21, 1995 "The authority of the Church could, therefore, not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed the Sabbath into Sunday, not by the command of Christ, but by its own authority." Canon on Tradition, p. 263 "Sunday is our mark of authority SABBATH DAY QUOTES: You cant find the Sabbath being changed in scriptures so how did the change to Sunday happen? or disregard for that day? of the Redemptoral College, Kansas City, in a lecture at Hartford, Kansas, February 18, 1884, printed in History of the Sabbath, p. 802. (4) Letter by T. Enright, Bishop of St. Alphonsus Church, St. Louis, Missouri, June, 1905, emphasis supplied. In keeping the Sunday they are following a law of the Catholic Church. [Home] [TheControversy] [OnlineBooks] [StudytheWord!] The information is easy to find. Furthermore, for Jews and Saturday sabbatarians to insist that The Precise, Correct Day does matter to Yahuwah, and then keep the seventh-day by the pagan, planetary calendar is even more inconsistent! The official day of worship for Mithraism was Sunday. . MANY CHURCH LEADERS and politicians are unified on the He is also called ordinary of ordinaries. . Today most Christians keep Sunday because it has been revealed to us by the [Roman Catholic] church outside the Bible. Catholic Virginian, October 3, 1947, p. 9, article To Tell You the Truth.. The Sabbath was Saturday, not Sunday. forms: { Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act. The Catholic Church protests that it transferred Christian worship from the biblical Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday, and that to try to argue that the change was made in the Bible is both dishonest and a denial of Catholic authority. Even Constantine the Great has been reported to say these words at the Council of Nicaea: It appeared an unworthy thing that in the celebration of this most holy feast [Passover] we should follow the practice of the Jews . The Catholic Church has always been very open about her role in changing the calendar. 86 26 Compromise is impossible. God's Law. Your sins are forgiven by the priest the same as if you knelt before Jesus Christ and told them to Christ Himself. Quoted in Lorraine Boettner, Roman Catholicism, p. 197. By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week. St. Catherine of Siena Church is a community parish which walks the line between the traditional Catholicism and the modern day world. In this same letter, Enright offers $1000 to any one who can prove to me from the Bible alone that I am bound, under grievous sin, to keep Sunday holy. There is no denying that the Catholic Church is responsible for the change: The Commandments, or Decalogue . VI, can. People who think that the Scriptures should be the sole authority, should logically . In this matter, the Seventh-day Adventist is the only consistent Protestant. The Catholic Universe Bulletin, August 14, 1942, But since Saturday, not Sunday, is specified in the Bible, isnt it curious that non-Catholics who profess to take their religion directly from the Bible and not from the Church, observe Sunday instead of Saturday? Does the Bible support the change to Sunday? It was the Catholic church whichhas transferred this rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. II, pp. 2. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify. James Cardinal Gibbons, It is well to remind the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and all other Christians, that the Bible does not support them anywhere in their observance of Sunday.