Was the Roman Church for the first three centuries, Christian?

Question

Did the Church of Rome worship on any certain day of the week?
What day of the week did the Christians of the first three centuries after Christ died, hold as God's Sabbath. Did they worship on the seventh day, or another day of the week? Did they follow the 4th Commandment of God, or did they abide by another's decree? Did they emmulate Christ and try to walk in His footsteps, or that of another?

Answer 1

Re the sabbath:


The Roman religion and Mithraism reserved Sunday as their day of religious observance. Many Christians were probably tempted to follow suit.

The Christians were also motivated to change the Sabbath day as a method of distancing themselves from the Jews. Two reasons were: The Government intermittently persecuted the Jews at this time; it was safer for Christianity to be considered as a separate religion rather than as a sect of Judaism. Relations between the Jews and Christians was hostile at this time. The early Christian church had suffered much persecution from the Jews.

In 321 CE, while a Pagan sun-worshiper, the Emperor Constantine declared that Sunday was to be a day of rest throughout the Roman Empire:>

Answer 2

I've answered this question, or variations of it, several times now, but here we go again...

For centuries before the Roman Catholic Church began, the early Christians met on the first day of the week.

Mark 16:9 - Jesus rose on the first day
Acts 2 - the church began on the first day.
Acts 20:7 - the disciples met on the first day.
1Cor 16:2 - the disciples gave on the first day.

While the Catholic Church claims that they changed the day of worship, they also claim thousands of other things. If you don't believe, for example, their claim that the pope has all power over things spiritual and things temporal, why would you accept their claim to have changed the day of worship? Secular Roman writers of the first three centuries recorded the early church meeting, not on Saturday (the seventh day) but on Sunday (the first day).

That's our example. That's why we do what we do.

Answer 3

It is clear from the early writings, including the Acts of the Apostle's, Colosians, 1 Corinthians, and Revelations that Christians worshipped on Sunday. The apostle's set aside the fourth commandment.

In addition, letters from Barnabus, Ignatius of Antioch (trained by Peter and Paul), the Didache and later letters by Justin Martyr make it clear that Sunday was to be the day of worship. It is referred to as the Lord's Day as opposed to the Sabbath.

Interestingly, the Catholic Church does in fact maintain the Sabbath, by not worshipping on it. It is the day of rest. The Saturday service occurs after sundown (except in societies with clocks where it is a fixed time) so is on the Jewish Sunday. Likewise, the Friday service is before sundown (except in societies with clocks where it tends to be a fixed time).

However, the liturgy of the hours do occur as usual. You can also find the scriptural references of what is now called the liturgy of the hours in the book of Acts as well.

Answer 4

Until 313 Christianity was outlawed in the Roman Empire. Constantine's Edict of Milan decriminalised Christianity.
The Christian Church is first mentioned by Ignatious of Antioch in the first few years of the second century AD. The first LAtin Pope was Victor I and his Papalcy was in last few years of the second century AD.
It is not to 382 BC when the Bible is completed and not until 400 is it translated into Latin (by Saint Jerome).
The early Christians would have followed the teachings of Jesus but were not a unified, organised religion like we have today. There were many scisms and variations in early Christianity and many conventions and interpretations were altered over time.

Answer 5

Up until the creation of Christianity in 329AD the Romans were pagans.

Many aspects and traditions of the pagan religions were incorporated into the Christian faith to make it more attractive and easier for the pagan converts.