Did Catholics change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday?

Question

The Catholic Encyclopedia (as well as other Catholic publications) state that the Catholic Church changed the day of worship from the seventh day to the first day. The heirarchy is quite proud of this fact, even if their parishiners sometimes deny it.

"The Church, on the other hand, after changing the day of rest from the Jewish Sabbath, or seventh day of the week, to the first, made the Third Commandment refer to Sunday as the day to be kept holy as the Lord's Day." Catholic Encyclopedia (Article: Ten Commandments, second paragraph)

There is absolutely no Biblical proof of a change.

My question is, why do non-Catholics worship God on Sunday even though they know this?

Being the first large organized church (Catholics were not the first Christian church. That honor goes to the converts of Jesus' disciples, some 300+ years before the Catholic church came into existence) does not necessarily give you the power to change something as immutable as the Ten Commandments. I don't have anything against Catholics. And I fully believe that God is passionately in love with EVERYONE! And I think there will be people from many religions in heaven as they will be judged by the light that they were given. This is not an attack on the Catholics. My question was meant literally at face value.

OK - more details. Some of you say that the calendar was changed. But the names of the days do not matter. It is the number that matters. The Jews have been keeping the seventh day holy since Old Testament times. They are still keeping the seventh day holy to this day. That has not changed.

Even more details. The commandments that Jesus "nailed to the cross" were the HANDWRITTEN ordinances. This did not include the Ten Commandments. Revelation states that all those who will enter the gates of heaven will be those that keep the commandments of God. Is it OK to kill or to commit adultery or to take the name of the Lord in vain? All of the other commandments still seem to be in effect. Why the change of the fourth?

Thank you all for your answers.

Bama - all of your texts were satisfactorily addressed on the Sabbath Truth website that was recommended. That is one EXCELLENT website! I've never found a website that answered so many of my Sabbath questions before!

The Sabbath is the SEVENTH DAY, SATURDAY!

I praise God for each of you who helped me find the TRUE answer!

Answer 1

It was actually brought into law by Ceasar Constantine as a political ploy - Christianity was on the rise and he alot of pagans too so he tried to bridge the gap and allow all of them to worship on a common day which worked out to be the pagan sun god day - Sunday. Initially the christians worshipped on both the Sabbath (Saturday) and Sunday but little by little it was dropped and Sunday became main stream.

For further info visit link below:

Answer 2

I am assuming you are a seventh day adventist..........so it is the book of Hebrews 7 :9 well all of chapters 7,8,9&10 especially chapter 10, and you may miss it's relevance to the sabbath question... Keep in mind that in explaining the meaning of a testament as in the Old Testament and the law and the word meaning, a will ,as in last will and testament, that when you come to that and it explains the doing away with the law and the old way , that by the death of Jesus a new way was made because the Old way was ineffectual and made no one Holy or right with God ........This is not only in reference to the sabbath to which had been added an extraordinary number of man-made rules and ordinances but also in reference to the entire practice of sacrifices for sins and the ten commandments as a way to draw near to God .....God no longer writes his commandments on tablets of stone but upon our hearts.So the New Testament Church began to meet on the "lord's" day the day the Lord rose from the dead. Because it was such a big deal. But seriously not everyone is good at reading and understanding the Bible,I don't think if worse scenario a whole congregation didn't get this as long as they get that nothing you can do makes you a better christian than the next guy, nothing but accepting what Jesus did on the cross. And the day of the week you get together with other believers and celebrate this and worship together and encourage one another just dosn't matter.

Answer 3

--is Catholic--

Follow this link to many references from the Bible and from the Early Church.
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/sunday_worship.html

The Sabbath is the 7th day and last day of the week. The early Christians before they were kicked out of the temple by the Jewish Authorities practiced the Sabbath. Then on the first day of the week, or the 8th day, they held their Eucharist.

Christianity is a new Creation and a new thing arising out of and fulfilling the Old Covenant. It is not simply that Christ rose on the first day of the Jewish week, but rather that he rose on the 8th day, which is to say that the Jewish weekly and yearly liturgical cycle became something new. Instead of the week starting over, Christ rose from the dead and there was an 8th day of creation. The resurrection not only transforms the destiny of man but it transformed creation itself. Christianity is a new day, and the rising of the Son rising is the rising of that sun. If you read the writings of the early Church Father's it is rife with such allusions.

When the early Catholics (and they were Catholic. There are writings from the 1st century that show that both the Church and the Bible is Catholic. People who say it is not, have never read the context of history) were forced out of the Synagogue very early on, the Sabbath worship was abandoned as the Catholics (especially St. Paul) saw how one had to embrace the transformation of the Law and not simply follow the precepts of the Law as if they were not transformed by the resurrection.

So Christian's worship on the day after the Sabbath, which for us is called Sunday, but it is also the first day of a new week, or the 8th day of the old.

Answer 4

Acts 20:7 says the early church met "On the first day of the week...." to partake of the Lord's supper. In this example they also heard preaching.

In 1 Corinthians 16:2, the church was commanded to give their offering "on the first day of the week" when they were gathered together.

Both the New Testament and history show that the early church met upon the first day of the week for their primary worship.

In fact, the church had its beginning on Pentecost, which ALWAYS was on the first day of the week; the morrow after the seventh Sabbath from passover.

The Lord's supper was taken on the first dayof the week, the offering was given on the first day of the week, the church was established on the first day of the week, and Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week (Mark 16:1-2).

No this did not originate from the Catholic church, but a careful study of the New Testament shows examples and instructions to meet on Sunday.

Sabbath worship was an Old Testament law. This was "nailed to the cross". Now no man can judge us based on the Sabbath (Col. 2:14-16). We now live under the authority of the New Testament which shows that we are to worship on the first day of the week.

Answer 5

Yes!
http://community.webshots.com/photo/370320470/1370381936049373547XecLCp

Evidence: (Catholics know when the seventh day is)
"1. Is Saturday the 7th day occording to the Bible & the 10 Commandments.
"I answer yes.
"2. Is Sunday the first day of the week & did the Church change the 7th day--Saturday---for Sunday, the 1st. day:
"I answer yes.
"3. Did Christ change the day
"I anser no! Faithfully yours,
"J. Card. Gibbons"
--Gibbon's Autograph letter.
"Ques.--Which is the Sabbath day?
"Ans.--Saturday is the Sabbath day.
"Ques.--Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
"Ans.--We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday."--Peter Geiermann, The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine (1946 ed.), p.50. Geiermann received the "apostolic blessing" of Pope Pius x on his labors, Jan.25,1910.
Bible Readings pg.194.

(Dan.7:25 tells us "he will think to change laws and times")

"Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act...And the act is a Mark of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things." ---H.F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons.
_______________________________________________
WHY DO MOST STILL KEEP SUNDAY ?

Look what EZEKIEL 22:26,28 say about these people. These are some excuses for Sunday Worship.

'One says the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh to the first day of the week.'

'Another says that the Sabbath commandment requires only one day of rest after six of labor, and hence there has been no change.'

'Some reason that all ought to keep Sunday, because although, as they affirm, God did not appoint a particular day, yet aggreement is necessary; and to have any or every day a sabbath would be equal to no sabbath at all.'

'Others, to avoid the claim of God's law, assert that the Sabbath precept is one of those ordinances which was against us, contrary to us, blotted out, and nailed to the cross. Still they admit a day of rest and convocation is necessary, and therefore the day of Christ's resurrection, they say has been chosen.'

'Another class say they believe it is impossible to know which is the seventh day, although they have no difficuty in locating the first.'

'Some are so bold as to declare that Sunday is the original seventh day.'

'Others, with equal certainity, say that those who keep the seventh day are endeavoring to be justified by the law, and are fallen from grace.'

'Another class, with more liberal views, say they believe that every one should be fully persuaded in his own mind, whether he keep this day, or that, or none at all.'

'Still again, as if having found the great disideratum or missing link in the argument, men credited with even more than ordinary intelligence, will sometimes declare that it is impossible to keep the seventh day on a round and rolling earth; yet, strangely, they find no difficulty in keeping Sunday anywhere, and believe that this day should be observed the world over!'

Answer 6

As the church gradually become an entirely Gentile-run organization (after the year 100 CE), they started incorporating many Greek ideas (seen most notably in the later-written Gospel of John), and they sought to do away with any Jewish vestiges left within the Church.

One such measure was to "change" the day of rest to Sunday. Although I think most Sunday-worshipping Christians still understand that Saturday is the actual Sabbath Day (the 7th day).

Answer 7

Sort of......The Sabbath was the old rule under the old covenant. The Lord's day is the new rule and His day is Sunday, the day of His resurrection.

At first Christians went to temple on Saturday and had communion on Sundays. When the Jews banned them from the temples, they rolled everything to Sunday. That is why the Mass still, to this day, has two parts, The Liturgy of the Word and The Liturgy of the Eucharist!

Hope this helps.

BTW - The apostles are the ones who first called themselves the Catholic Church - referring to the Church "according to the whole" There is a quote from St Ignatius of Antioch, (who was a desciple of the apostle, John, was known to have travelled with Sts Peter and Paul, and was appointed bishop of Antioch by St Peter, himself) which instructs us to follow our bishop in the Catholic Church.

Answer 8

The first Christians were Jews. They went to temple or synagogue on the Sabbath (Saturday) with fellow Jews.

Then they gathered on the first day of the week, the day on which Jesus rose from the dead (Sunday), with fellow Christians to tell stories of Jesus and share Eucharist.

Later Gentiles joined Christianity. It was decided by the Apostles who were filled with the Holy Spirit that they did not have to covert to Judaism. So they only attended on Sundays.

It has been this way ever since.

With love in Christ.

Answer 9

Non-Catholics worship or go to church on Sundays because A.) All Christian religions stemmed from Catholicism and B.) In America, because of work and school, our week seems more to start on Monday and end on Sunday.

The original Sabbath was, in fact, on Saturday being that that is the last day of the week, but I do not believe it was Catholics who changed this. I believe is was American culture that changed this.

I was raised Catholic my entire life and went to Catholic school and always went to church on Saturday. It was the Baptists and other Non-Catholics that I always saw going to church on Sundays. Catholic churches have church or 'mass' everyday of the week, it is up to the individual as to what day they choose to go and America as a whole tends to go to church on Sunday. Catholic churches are one of the only Christian churches that still have church on Saturdays. So don't try to blame Catholics for "changing the Sabbath and being proud of it" when they are one of the only ones who still have church or mass on the actual Sabbath.

It's American culture that changed the Sabbath, not Catholics. And besides, why does it even matter what day you go to church on anyway??

Answer 10

Saturday means sabbath. Catholics never kept the Sabbath. Catholics never changed the Sabbath; they ignored it. Catholics keep Sunday as the Lords day...different fron the Jewish sabbath. they did so because Jesus rose on a Sunday.