CHAPTER IV
Did Sunday-Keeping Originate At Jerusalem?
The vast majority of Christians don’t know the real reason they worship on Sunday! They have been deceived by thousands of Sunday-keeping preachers and writers who argue that Jesus’ followers began meeting on the first day of the week immediately after His resurrection.
Nothing could be further from the truth! The Bible record makes it obvious that there is simply no way that the Apostles abandoned the keeping of the Sabbath as commanded by God in the Ten Commandments. Wherever and however the Sabbath was changed to Sunday, it was not changed by Christians at Jerusalem during the first century.
Here’s The Proof
The Jews at the time of Christ believed that God was concerned with only one nation on earth - Israel. The promises were for Israel. All other people were simply heathen Gentiles. They were dogs who God would begin dealing with only if they were circumcised and became Jewish proselytes.
With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), the Apostles began to realize the spiritual nature of the Kingdom of God; but they still saw Jesus as the Savior of God’s people Israel. They understood their commission basically in terms of bringing salvation to Israel. Those who repented and accepted Jesus had no thoughts of abandoning Judaism. They continued to meet in the synagogues and worship in the Temple. In fact, when Paul was going to Damascus to look for Christians to persecute, he was going to go to the synagogues (Acts 9:2). Even the Romans, at first, considered the Christians as simply a sect of the Jews, like the Pharisees or Sadducees. The early Church viewed salvation strictly within the context of God’s dealings with Israel.
It was only when God sent a special revelation that one of the Apostles first conceived of the idea that the Gospel might be for the Gentiles too (Acts 10). Through a vision, Peter was instructed by God to preach to Cornelius, a Roman Centurion. Peter was shocked, but he went; and, in addressing Cornelius’ household, he revealed the prevailing Jewish attitude of his day as well as the message he received from God. "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean " (Acts 10:28. NIV).
This was indeed something totally foreign to the Jewish mind. It was the first major break with the "Israel only" concept - and it took a supernatural vision to get Peter to do it. Up until that time and even long afterward, salvation through Jesus was regarded as "for Israel only" by many of the Jewish believers. In fact, when Peter returned to Jerusalem after preaching to Cornelius, he was severely criticized for having gone to a Gentile (Acts. 11:3).
In view of this strong attachment to Judaism, can we possibly believe that the Christians had already abandoned the Sabbath for Sunday? Unthinkable!
As the years went by, Paul and others began to preach more and more to the Gentiles, hundreds of whom believed. However, many, if not most of the Jewish Christians just assumed that these Gentiles would be circumcised and become proselytes. They simply could not conceive of anyone coming into a relationship with God apart from becoming an Israelite.
When Paul insisted that the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised and come under the national (OLD) covenant with Israel, a tremendous controversy arose in the Church. It grew to such proportions that a major conference was held at Jerusalem around 49 A.D. to settle the question (Acts 15). And the conclusion of that meeting was that Paul was right; circumcision was unnecessary for the Gentiles. However, the leaders did write letters instructing the Gentile Christians to abstain from fornication, from blood, from things strangled, and from foods polluted by idols. These were laws that they apparently considered particularly important for the Gentiles (Acts 15:20). Remember, the whole conference had to do with Gentiles There was absolutely no thought of Jews forsaking the law of Moses.
However, the controversy didn’t end in 49 A.D. The "Israel only" concept was so strong that it continued long afterwards, For example, some time later at Antioch, Peter was eating with - Gentiles - until certain men from Jerusalem came. He was intimidated by their presence and withdrew from the Gentiles, as did Barnabas and others (Gal. 2:11-13). The attachment to Moses was that great! Can we possibly suppose that they had already abandoned the Sabbath almost 20 years prior to these events? Ridiculous!
Through the preaching of Paul and others, Gentiles continued to turn to Jesus without becoming Jewish proselytes. At the same time, however, thousands of Jews continued to be "zealous for the law" (Acts 21:20-21); and many of them kept on harassing the Gentiles about being circumcised (see Paul’s letter to the Galatians). Rumors began to spread at Jerusalem that Paul was even beginning to teach the scattered Jews to abandon Moses (Acts 21:21) So when Paul returned to Jerusalem, the Apostles there asked him to cooperate with them in proving that these rumors were false. He was to go into the Temple and join in a purification ceremony. ‘Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law" (Acts 21:23-24, NIV).
Of course, the plan "backfired" and Paul ended up in prison. But that incident demonstrates clearly that the Apostles - and even Paul - were still very much in tune with their Jewish heritage. There is simply no way they were keeping Sunday!
Further proof that the early Jewish Christians did not abandon the Sabbath can be seen from a number of references in the New Testament.
First, Jesus instructed His disciples, "Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath" (Matt. 24:20, NIV). Whether He was referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. or to the end of the age or both, it is clear that Jesus expected that His followers would continue keeping the Sabbath after His death. He gave no hint that it was to be abandoned.
Throughout the book of Acts, Paul consistently used the Sabbath for teaching both Jews and Gentiles "as was his custom" (Acts 17:2; l8:4). In Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas went into the synagogue on the Sabbath, where they were asked to speak (Acts 13:14-15). When they had finished, some of the listeners asked them to come back again the next Sabbath at which time ". . . almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord" (vv. 42-44). Again, there is no hint that they were using Sunday for worship or meetings. On the contrary, this passage shows the orientation of both Jews and Gentiles - yes, even "the whole city" to the Sabbath.
Following the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and the death or scattering of many of the Apostles, the churches of Judea continued to be administered by Jewish Christians. Post-Biblical church writers Eusebius (A.D. 260-340) and Epiphanius (A.D. 315-403) both record that the church at Jerusalem was led by 15 bishops "of the circumcision" until 135 A.D. when Emperor Hadrian besieged the city. The strong Jewish leadership continued at least until then. And in that context, there is simply no way that Sunday-keeping could have arisen among Christians there during the first century.
Of course, Sunday-keeping did arise in the church - but not because of Apostolic teaching. Rather, it began in post-Biblical times at Rome. It began in the church because of severe anti-Jewish attitudes in the Roman world, because of pagan influences, and because of political pressures under the godless emperors. Those pressures caused the early post-Apostolic church leaders to move as far away as possible from anything they had in common with the Jews and to move toward the customs and concepts of the pagan Roman world. In that process, the simple teachings of Scripture were severely compromised.
Back to Restoring Knowledge -- On to chapter 5
The vast majority of Christians don’t know the real reason they worship on Sunday! They have been deceived by thousands of Sunday-keeping preachers and writers who argue that Jesus’ followers began meeting on the first day of the week immediately after His resurrection.
Nothing could be further from the truth! The Bible record makes it obvious that there is simply no way that the Apostles abandoned the keeping of the Sabbath as commanded by God in the Ten Commandments. Wherever and however the Sabbath was changed to Sunday, it was not changed by Christians at Jerusalem during the first century.
Here’s The Proof
The Jews at the time of Christ believed that God was concerned with only one nation on earth - Israel. The promises were for Israel. All other people were simply heathen Gentiles. They were dogs who God would begin dealing with only if they were circumcised and became Jewish proselytes.
With the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), the Apostles began to realize the spiritual nature of the Kingdom of God; but they still saw Jesus as the Savior of God’s people Israel. They understood their commission basically in terms of bringing salvation to Israel. Those who repented and accepted Jesus had no thoughts of abandoning Judaism. They continued to meet in the synagogues and worship in the Temple. In fact, when Paul was going to Damascus to look for Christians to persecute, he was going to go to the synagogues (Acts 9:2). Even the Romans, at first, considered the Christians as simply a sect of the Jews, like the Pharisees or Sadducees. The early Church viewed salvation strictly within the context of God’s dealings with Israel.
It was only when God sent a special revelation that one of the Apostles first conceived of the idea that the Gospel might be for the Gentiles too (Acts 10). Through a vision, Peter was instructed by God to preach to Cornelius, a Roman Centurion. Peter was shocked, but he went; and, in addressing Cornelius’ household, he revealed the prevailing Jewish attitude of his day as well as the message he received from God. "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean " (Acts 10:28. NIV).
This was indeed something totally foreign to the Jewish mind. It was the first major break with the "Israel only" concept - and it took a supernatural vision to get Peter to do it. Up until that time and even long afterward, salvation through Jesus was regarded as "for Israel only" by many of the Jewish believers. In fact, when Peter returned to Jerusalem after preaching to Cornelius, he was severely criticized for having gone to a Gentile (Acts. 11:3).
In view of this strong attachment to Judaism, can we possibly believe that the Christians had already abandoned the Sabbath for Sunday? Unthinkable!
As the years went by, Paul and others began to preach more and more to the Gentiles, hundreds of whom believed. However, many, if not most of the Jewish Christians just assumed that these Gentiles would be circumcised and become proselytes. They simply could not conceive of anyone coming into a relationship with God apart from becoming an Israelite.
When Paul insisted that the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised and come under the national (OLD) covenant with Israel, a tremendous controversy arose in the Church. It grew to such proportions that a major conference was held at Jerusalem around 49 A.D. to settle the question (Acts 15). And the conclusion of that meeting was that Paul was right; circumcision was unnecessary for the Gentiles. However, the leaders did write letters instructing the Gentile Christians to abstain from fornication, from blood, from things strangled, and from foods polluted by idols. These were laws that they apparently considered particularly important for the Gentiles (Acts 15:20). Remember, the whole conference had to do with Gentiles There was absolutely no thought of Jews forsaking the law of Moses.
However, the controversy didn’t end in 49 A.D. The "Israel only" concept was so strong that it continued long afterwards, For example, some time later at Antioch, Peter was eating with - Gentiles - until certain men from Jerusalem came. He was intimidated by their presence and withdrew from the Gentiles, as did Barnabas and others (Gal. 2:11-13). The attachment to Moses was that great! Can we possibly suppose that they had already abandoned the Sabbath almost 20 years prior to these events? Ridiculous!
Through the preaching of Paul and others, Gentiles continued to turn to Jesus without becoming Jewish proselytes. At the same time, however, thousands of Jews continued to be "zealous for the law" (Acts 21:20-21); and many of them kept on harassing the Gentiles about being circumcised (see Paul’s letter to the Galatians). Rumors began to spread at Jerusalem that Paul was even beginning to teach the scattered Jews to abandon Moses (Acts 21:21) So when Paul returned to Jerusalem, the Apostles there asked him to cooperate with them in proving that these rumors were false. He was to go into the Temple and join in a purification ceremony. ‘Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law" (Acts 21:23-24, NIV).
Of course, the plan "backfired" and Paul ended up in prison. But that incident demonstrates clearly that the Apostles - and even Paul - were still very much in tune with their Jewish heritage. There is simply no way they were keeping Sunday!
Further proof that the early Jewish Christians did not abandon the Sabbath can be seen from a number of references in the New Testament.
First, Jesus instructed His disciples, "Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath" (Matt. 24:20, NIV). Whether He was referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. or to the end of the age or both, it is clear that Jesus expected that His followers would continue keeping the Sabbath after His death. He gave no hint that it was to be abandoned.
Throughout the book of Acts, Paul consistently used the Sabbath for teaching both Jews and Gentiles "as was his custom" (Acts 17:2; l8:4). In Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas went into the synagogue on the Sabbath, where they were asked to speak (Acts 13:14-15). When they had finished, some of the listeners asked them to come back again the next Sabbath at which time ". . . almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord" (vv. 42-44). Again, there is no hint that they were using Sunday for worship or meetings. On the contrary, this passage shows the orientation of both Jews and Gentiles - yes, even "the whole city" to the Sabbath.
Following the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and the death or scattering of many of the Apostles, the churches of Judea continued to be administered by Jewish Christians. Post-Biblical church writers Eusebius (A.D. 260-340) and Epiphanius (A.D. 315-403) both record that the church at Jerusalem was led by 15 bishops "of the circumcision" until 135 A.D. when Emperor Hadrian besieged the city. The strong Jewish leadership continued at least until then. And in that context, there is simply no way that Sunday-keeping could have arisen among Christians there during the first century.
Of course, Sunday-keeping did arise in the church - but not because of Apostolic teaching. Rather, it began in post-Biblical times at Rome. It began in the church because of severe anti-Jewish attitudes in the Roman world, because of pagan influences, and because of political pressures under the godless emperors. Those pressures caused the early post-Apostolic church leaders to move as far away as possible from anything they had in common with the Jews and to move toward the customs and concepts of the pagan Roman world. In that process, the simple teachings of Scripture were severely compromised.
Back to Restoring Knowledge -- On to chapter 5