Sabbath.....Constantine?

[ConfederateTheocrat]

My Southern Baptist/Campbellite Dad told me a while back that keeping the Sabbath was stupid since........get this........Constantine invented it! Maybe this is an old claim, but it sounds ridiculous to me. Is it true? Why would someone say that?

I am still keeping the Sabbath, I just want to know what you think.

 

[Puritan Sailor]

The Sabbath was "invented" in Genesis 1.

 

[Scott Bushey]

I believe he meant "SunDay". Wasn't it constantine who implemented the term?

 

[matthew11v25]

Do you mean the sunday sabbath?
if so...

Ignatius, Irenaeus, Athanatius, Ambrose, Tertollian, Justin Martyr (just a few)...all mention the Christian sabbath.

here is a few...

Ignatius (35-107):

"This is the Lord's Day, the day consecrated to the resurrection, the chief queen of all days."

Irenaeus (125-202)

"On the Lord's Day everyone of us Chrisitans keeps the Sabbath, meditating on the law and rejoicing in the works of God."

 

[Puritanhead]

Saturday is the Sabbath... darn Pope moved it.
:bigsmile:

 

[Scott Bushey]

Ryan,
Do you subscribe to the LBC 1689?

22.7 As it is the law of nature that a portion of time by God's appointment should be set apart for the worship of God, so in his Word he has given a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment, binding all people in all ages. In particular he has appointed one day in seven as a sabbath to be kept holy to him.1 From the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ this was the last day of the week, but from the resurrection of Christ it was changed to the first day of the week which is called the Lord's Day. This is to be continued to the end of the world as the Christian Sabbath, the observation of the last day of the week being abolished.2

(1) Gen 2:3; Exo 20:8-11; Mar 2:27-28; Rev 1:10
(2) Joh 20:1; Act 2:1; 20:7; 1Co 16:1; Rev 1:10; Col 2:16-17

22.8 People keep the sabbath holy to the Lord when (after appropriate preparation of their hearts and prior arrangement of their everyday affairs) they observe all day a holy rest from their own works, words, and thoughts1 about their secular employment and recreations, but also devote the whole time to public and private acts of worship, and to carrying out duties of necessity and mercy.2

(1) Exo 20:8-11; Neh 13:15-22; Isa 58:13-14; Rev 1:10
(2) Mat 12:1-13; Mar 2:27-28

[Edited on 2-22-2005 by Scott Bushey]

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Originally posted by puritansailor
The Sabbath was "invented" in Genesis 1.

Constantine didn't invent the Sabbath. He was merely the first (professedly) "Christian" civil magistrate to enforce the Fourth Commandment.

Constantine's decree: "On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed." (Constantine, March 7, 321. Codex Justinianus lib. 3, tit. 12, 3; trans. in Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3, p. 380, note 1)

 

[ConfederateTheocrat]

I meant the Sunday Sabbath guys, sorry.

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Constantine's Sabbath decree referred to the first day of the week, Sunday, or the "day of the Sun (Son)."

 

[ConfederateTheocrat]

But he did not invent the Sunday Sabbath.

 

[matthew11v25]

Originally posted by ConfederateTheocrat
But he did not invent the Sunday Sabbath.

Correct. There were Pre-Nicene fathers that held to the Christian Sabbath (Lord's Day) before Constantine.

 

[Abd_Yesua_alMasih]

This is not much better than someone I heard say Constantine wrote the Bible... but much better than someone else who in a debate accused the Medieval Church inventing the history of Christianity and writting the Bible...

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Originally posted by matthew11v25

Originally posted by ConfederateTheocrat
But he did not invent the Sunday Sabbath.

Correct. There were Pre-Nicene fathers that held to the Christian Sabbath (Lord's Day) before Constantine.

Right. The Lord of the Sabbath is He who changed the day while retaining for us the Fourth Commandment and Sabbath rest.

The preservation of the Fourth Commandment and the changing of the day it is to be kept holy is articulated best, perhaps, by A.A. Hodge: http://apuritansmind.com/TheLordsDay/AAHodgeSabbath.htm