The People to Whom Paul Wrote Were Sabbath Keepers

THIS is a fact which none will deny. Even ecclesiastical history, much of which seems to be written with a single eye to maintaining the Sunday institution, makes no denial of the fact that the Hebrew church not only observed the Sabbath in apostolic times, but continued to do this for centuries, even as long as we can trace the existence of a church of this nationality. When Paul wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, Jerusalem was still standing, and that church was praying in obedience to their Lord's direction that their flight out of Judea might not be upon the Sabbath day. Matt. 24:20. If the Hebrew church did not understand the teaching of the apostles, what church did or could? If the Sabbath was changed to Sunday, what portion of the early church would stand the best chance to know it? Certainly that part whose nationality furnished all the apostles. But it may be replied that the Hebrews had so strong an attachment to the ancient Sabbath that they would not change to Sunday though such was the instruction of the apostles; but that the Gentiles, having no such partiality for the seventh day, were quite ready to accept the first-day observance.

But it should be observed, 1. That there is no evidence that they ever taught the change of the Sabbath. 2. That even in this epistle, which is addressed to a church which did retain the original Sabbath, and did not recognize this alleged apostolic change of the day, not one word is uttered by way of reproving them or setting them right. 3. That in the early ages no one supposed Sunday to be a Sabbath. It was simply a festival voluntarily observed as a day for more or less of religious meetings, and as being of the same rank with holy Thursday and good Friday. 4. And there is another way to account for the Gentiles observing Sunday as a festival so much more readily than the Hebrews. Sunday was the good day of Gentile observance while yet under the worship of false gods, as the sun and moon and stars. It was no very difficult thing for them to make a festival of such a day. It was no very strange thing that such a day should, on the score of convenience, have great advantage over the rest-day of the Creator.

It is worthy of observation that the apostle Paul in writing to a church that did not deviate from the ancient Sabbath, should not say one word exhorting them to such a change. Certainly the observance of Sunday was no matter of obedience to God when Paul could thus lightly pass over it in the case of those still clinging, with steadfast observance, to the ancient rest-day of the Lord.

If the Sabbath had been changed in honor of the resurrection, then it was positive disobedience in the Hebrews not to recognize that change. But Paul does not thus treat their case.