In the year
321 A.D., Constantine decreed, "On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing
in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed"
It appears that the early Christians, before
Constantine, were already meeting and worshiping the lord on Sunday as early as 107 AD before Constantine;
Ignatius
of Antioch, 107 AD: let every friend of Christ keep the Lord's Day as a festival, the resurrection-day,
the queen and chief of all the days of the week.
- Epistle to the Magnesians, chp 9. Ante-Nicene Fathers , vol. 1, pg.
62-63.
The Epistle of Barnabas, 70-120 AD: Wherefore we Christians keep the eighth day
for joy, on which also Jesus arose from the dead and when he appeared ascended into heaven. - The Epistle of Barnabas,
section 15, 100 AD, Ante-Nicene Fathers , vol. 1, pg. 147
Justin Martyr, 150 AD: But
Sunday is the day on which we hold our common assembly, because it is the first day of the week and Jesus our saviour on the
same day rose from the dead. - First apology of Justin, Ch 68
***
A little history,
Question: "Did Constantine change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday?"
Answer: In the year 321 A.D.,
Constantine decreed, "On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let
all workshops be closed" (Codex Justinianus lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church,
Vol. 3, p. 380, note 1).
Constantine seems to have made this change himself and not through the papacy, since
the papacy had not really come in to being at that time. The papacy grew gradually out of the office of Bishop and for many
years this was centered in Rome. In any case, it should be noted that in doing this, Constantine is not changing the Sabbath;
he is merely making Sunday the official day of rest for the Roman Empire. His motivation was probably not born out of hatred
for the Jews (it's hard to say for sure why Constantine or any historical figure did what they did) but out of a desire
to adopt what the Christians had practiced for nearly two and a half centuries.
It is well documented that the
early church adopted Sunday as their day of worship. Acts 20:7 speaks of this,
"On the first day of
the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people ..."
and 1 Corinthians 16:2, "On
the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so
that when I come no collections will have to be made."
These passages indicate that Christians were
probably meeting regularly on Sunday (the first day of the week). They did this most likely because Christ rose on the first
day of the week. It wasn't until hundreds of years later that the death of Christ became the focal point of Christian
worship services. That is not to say they thought it unimportant; but they were primarily concerned with His victory over
death realized in His resurrection.
It is important to remember that corporate worship with other believers is
necessary and part of obedience, but the day that your church body chooses to worship on is not really that significant. The
New Testament addresses this in a couple of different passages.
Colossians 2:14-17 says, "He canceled the
record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers
and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. So don't let anyone condemn you for what
you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows
of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality."
Also see Romans 14:5-6, "One man considers
one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and
he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God."
