Did Roman Emperor Constantine issue the first Roman law commanding Sunday observance on March 7, A.D. 321?

Question

How did this change from the seventh-day Sabbath to Sunday come about? Roman Emperor Constantine issued the first Roman law commanding Sunday observance on March 7, A.D. 321. His edict began, "On the venerable day of the Sun, let magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed." (Codex Justinianus, lib. 3, tit. 12, 3 trans. By Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, vol. 3, p. 380, note 1.)


This man-made change of the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first was predicted by the prophet Daniel. The beast power and the subsequent "little horn" of Daniel 7:7,8 representing the combination of church (papal Rome) and state (civil Rome), would "intend" or "think to change times and laws" (Daniel 7:25). As you can see this is exactly what happened! Notice one can only "think" to change God's law. God's law is eternal; it never changes.

www.discoveronline.org

http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/sunday.htm
http://bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.show/CT/BOOK/k/961
http://sabbath.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/BOOK/k/961
http://bibleprobe.com/sundayworship.htm
http://www.biblerevelations.org/sabbath/the_origin_of_sunday_observance.htm

Answer 1

It was actually the edict issued in 323 I have sometimes made that mistake myself. The edict of 321 gave the Christians back land that was previously conviscated, the edict of 323 made it illegal to work on Sunday.

Now is the part where you have to make a choice, do you want to follow the Bible or what man made traditon says.

If you follow tradition you may freely worship on Sunday.

BUT... if you side with God's word it is clear that the early church worshiped on the Sabbath, this includes the Apostles who walked with Christ, the Jews, and the Gentiles who became believers in Christ. It can be seen from these verses they kept the Sabbath.
Acts 13:14
Acts 13:42
Acts 13:44
Acts 16:13
Acts 17:1-4
Acts 18:4



Jesus Said
"Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition." Mark 7:7-9

check out
http://sabbathtruth.com

It will give you more information


You an email me if you have other questions




[Addition]

I like the response Cachanilla gave I just have a few points I would like to add on

Acts 20:7
1)Where in this verse does it say Sunday worship was a common practice or always done?
2)Where in this verse does it say that this is the new day of joint worship?
3)Where in this verse does it say that the Sabbath(Saturday) is no longer binding?
4)Where in this verse does it say that the New Holy day is Sunday?

Acts 20:7 never says that this was a continual, common, perpetual event. Instead Acts 20:7 goes out of its way to explain why they met on Sunday

Acts 20:7
"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."

Why did they meet on that Sunday Because Paul was leaving the next day.


"Breaking bread"
Cachanilla already talked about Acts 2:46


"Paul only worshiped on Sabbath because of the Jews"
1) Do a yahoo search on Paul and the phrase that will pop up over and over again is "Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles."
and yet this "Apostle to the Gentiles" always taught them on the Sabbath. Was Paul worshiping on Sabbath because of the Jews. No he did it because it was a command of God. Exodus 20:8, Malachi 3:6

2) Acts 13:42 says the Jews left and the Gentiles said teach us next Sabbath, and Paul comes back and teaches them on the next Sabbath. The Jews left and Paul still taught on the Sabbath

3) When the Gentiles came to Paul and said teach us these things next Sabbath did Paul say "No, I only teach on the Sabbath because of the Jews. We need to start worshiping on Sunday." No, what Paul does is he comes back the next Sabbath an teaches the Gentiles


"Praying everyday"
Many people say that we don't have to keep the Sabbath if we pray everyday. Please provide a list of People in the Bible who prayed everyday and did not keep the Sabbath.

Adam walked and talked with God
Moses talked to God face to face
David talked to God all the time
Daniel prayed 3 times a day everyday
John the Baptist preached and worshiped God all the time
The disciples spent every waking moment with Jesus
Jesus (God made flesh) woke up early in the morning and talked to His Father
And last but not least GOD Himself keeps the Sabbath Genesis 2:2

All these people prayed every day and yet they all kept the Sabbath, everyone without exception. The Bible pattern is if you pray, worship or talk to God everyday you will keep the Sabbath.

If we all want to walk and talk with God like Adam, see Him face to face like Moses, be a man after God's own heart like David, have the faith of Daniel, proclaim the news of His soon coming like John while spreading the good news of the gospel like the apostles and the hope of All christians is to one day be like Christ our God, shouldn't we keep the Sabbath like they all did?


There are 6 clear verses of the early church keeping the Sabbath CONTINUALLY and 1 verse where they met on "A" Sunday. Do we throw out the 6 and keep one.
If you were in court and 6 witnesses all testify they "KNOW" the defendant is innocent because they were at the scene of the crime, would you ignore the 6 and and accept the 1 witness who says he "THINKS" the defendant is guilty because someone told him.

Finally Jesus expected His followers to be keeping the Sabbath after He went to Heaven
Jesus speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D.

"Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath." Matthew 24:20

By 70 AD almost all of the Apostles were dead except John and yet The Sabbath was still being kept, meaning NONE of the people who Jesus taught violated the Sabbath.


And there is no such thing as the Jewish day of worship, christian day of worship or the Jewish Sabbath there is only one day of worship which is Sabbath. The Sabbath of the LORD. Exodus 208


Didache
"But every Lord's day, do ye gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure"

1) In the original Greek the word day does not appear it is added by translators
2) Even if it did say Lord's day, The Bible says the Sabbath is the Lord's Day. Exodus 20:8, Isaiah 58:13, . Jesus 3 times in the NT says "I am LORD of the Sabbath."

Ignatius
"no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's Day, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death."

This is a common translation .Again the word day is missing from the text it was also added by translators. In addition it is often misquoted.


The Letter of Barnabas
Scholars (including Non-Sabbath keepers) do not believe this is authentic, it is a forgery written after the death of Barnabas, the companion of Paul


And while Justin Matyr did say things that are Biblical there are whole host of things he said that were not only misleading but unbiblical. Not to mention this is no longer first hand information we are recieving information from someone who lived 120 yrs after Christ ascended.

Answer 2

Answering your question, according to Justinian's collection of laws, Constantine's law did not command Sunday observance, but opened the opportunity for those who wished to take Sunday off to do so. Laws in the US are quite similar in that employers are required to allow people to observe whatever religious holiday they choose, be it Sunday, Saturday, or Tuesday (as long as the employees religions doesn't forbid them from ever working!). We must remember that Constantine was a supporter of freedom of religion, and that he never forced religion on anyone. He legalized Christianity, but it did not become the state sponsored religion until the end of the 4th century. And because it had been illegal to practice any form of Christianity on any day of the week just ten years before the edict you inquire about was promulgated, Constantine was just getting to the point of fixing a new religious system into the society that he was running; Roman religions were very irregular in their days of worship.

As far as your discussion in which you attempt to discredit the practice of Sunday worship and show that it is a creation of Rome, it is clear that early Christians worshipped on Sunday.

See the following ancient writings and approximate dates:

A.D. 70 - The Didache 14
A.D. 74 - The Letter of Barnabas 15:6–8
A.D. 110 - Letter to the Magnesians 8 (Ignatius of Antioch)
A.D. 155 - Dialogue with Trypho the Jew 18, 21 (Justin Martyr)
A.D. 155 - First Apology 67 (Justin Martyr)
A.D. 203 - An Answer to the Jews 2 (Tertullian)
A.D. 225 - The Didascalia 2
A.D. 229 - Commentary on John 2:28 (Origen)
(For translations of these go to: www.earlychristianwritings.com)

All of these are pre-Constantinian, and these early Christians were practicing criminal acts (in the eyes of Rome). So your assertion that civil Rome changed God's law is flawed. Clearly the change was made by many Christians prior to legalized Christianity and so your interpretation of Daniel cannot be correct. The early church fathers compared the observance of the Sabbath to the observance of the rite of circumcision, and from that they demonstrated that if the apostles inspired by Christ and the Holy Spirit abolished circumcision (Gal. 5:1-6), so also the observance of the Sabbath could have been abolished. And this is demonstrated by the previously noted passage of Justin Martyr: "But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead."

Answer 3

The role of the Roman Emperor Constantine in Christianity is best understood if we recognize "The City of God" differs from "The City of Man." Also, read in the letters of John where it says do not love the world or anything in the world for man who loves the world has not the love of the Father in him. I believe Constantine used Christianity to help hold the Roman Empire together. It worked in the short run. I question his convienient conversion at Milan. The Empire of Rome was still in shambles less than a few decades later. He is not the only politician to try and manipulate Christianity for political benefit. There is not space here for a discussion of how the embracing of the Roman Empire brought in distorted teachings on Easter, Christmas, the priesthood, confession, transubstation, a man forgiving sin and assigning penance--Jesus is the only one who can do this. Frankly, I think the Christian Church would and is stronger without these mispractices. Therefore, the Church would be stronger and purer if Constantine had never ruled. The Model Church was the Church of Acts. It had tremendous spiritual power and growth, and no political power. Praise God in the 16th Century Martin Luther tried to bring us back to this simplier and more Biblical Church, nonpolitical but very holy Acts.

Answer 4

In response to Conundrum: yes, in the verses you mention in Acts 13 the Christians were worshipping on the Sabbath, but it should also be stressed that they were doing so in the Jewish synagogue. Paul and the others were coming to the Jewish services in order to engage them in conversation about Jesus. In Acts 16, they are going out to pray on the Sabbath, but since Paul tells us to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) it wouldn't be surprising to see it say that they were going out on everyday of the week to pray. As the passage later discusses, they come in contact with a possessed woman who follows them for a number of days, and the Greek implies that these were consecutive days. So they were praying on consecutive days. In the opening verses of Acts 17, we again see Paul joining the Jews in their worship, and in Acts 18 we see that Paul's primary purpose in joining the Jews at the synagogue was to convert them. So the passages you mention show Christians who are worshipping specifically with Jews.

Later in Acts 20:7, however, we do see the Christian worship of breaking bread taking place on the first day of the week not on the Sabbath. This is the gathering of Christians doing a uniquely Christian form of worship, not Christians joining with Jews on their day of worship for the purpose of evangelizing them.

Answer 5

I 'gree with puddin'.
I just started reading these answers and it baffles me that they always stray from answering the original question. Papa S seems to answer the question, whatever the exact date, Constantine's law didn't command Sunday worship, but made it available to Christians who wanted to worship on that day. Papa S, thanks for the ancient writings, which clearly show that Christians worshipped on Sunday before Constantine, and clearly debunks the original interpretation of the book of Daniel. And Cachanilla, I think you are really stretching the new testament texts and really reading a lot into them. When it talks about Paul going to the synagogue, "as was his custom", it doesn't say "as is our custom." The author of Acts, shows that Paul was doing something that might have seemed strange to his readers.

Answer 6

Hi,

Hello, Puddin'

You may be kind of right. Paul asks us to pray everyday. It seems that they were not keeping Sabbath holy, but just gathering to preach to the Jews. But when we realize where the Sabbath comes from, what it means, and what is done on that day, the normal thing is to think that Paul was not praying on the Sabbath as he did any other day, but they were keeping the Sabbath because that's what God commanded us to do in the Ten Commandments. You may tell me that the Mosaic laws do not longer apply. You're right: the Mosaic laws do not longer abide for today, but the Ten Commandment Law is not part of the Mosaic law. The fact that they were given in Mt. Sinai does not mean they came into existance at that momment, because the Bible says that where there's not Law there's not sin, because sin is the transgression of the Law. If sin existed before the Law was given, written in the tables of stone at Mt. Sinai, then so the Law existed before it was given in tables of stone.

How do we know the Ten Commandments still apply for today?

The Bible tells us that the Law is eternal and perfect. Even the New Testament writers still quote the Ten Commandments, and talk about the Law as a Law of liberty (see, for example, these Bible verses: 1 John 3:4; Romans 3:20;7:7; James 2:10-12; Romans 3:20; Hebrews 8:10; Romans 8:3-4; 6:14,15; 3:31; Matthew 19:18-19; Romans 13:9; Hebrews 4:4,9,10; Ephesians 6:1-3; James 1:23-25; you may read the whole letter of James and 1 John too).

Did the apostles keep the Sabbath?

Acts 17: 2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,

Acts 13: 13,14 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down"

Acts 16: 13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.

Acts 18: 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

Did the Gentiles keep the Sabbath? Was the Sabbath also for the Gentiles?

Isaiah 56:2,6,7 --"Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil"..."Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people."

"And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath"... "And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God." (Acts 13:42,44)

Acts 18: 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

In Acts 13, when the Gentiles ask the Apostles to preach them on the next Sabbath, why didn't the Apostles tell them that now they would gather on sunday? But instead, "the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God" (verse 44). The apostles taught the Gentiles to keep the Sabbath.

Let's think about it, who wrote the book of Acts?

We know it was Luke, and he was a Gentile. Luke never calls the Seventh-day Sabbath "the old Sabbath", or "it was back then before Jesus' sacrifice, now we keep the first day in honor of His resurrection". The first day of the week just appears 8 times in the New Testament, and it's never considered a holy day.

Let's look through some thought questions:

"Isn't Acts 20:7-12 proof that the disciples kept Sunday as a holy day?"

"According to the Bible, each day begins at sundown and ends at the next sundown (Genesis 1:5,8,13,19,23,31; Leviticus 23:32) and the dark part of the day comes first. So Sabbath begins Friday night at sundown and ends Saturday night at sundown. This meeting of Acts 20 was held on the dark part of Sunday, or on what we now call Saturday night. The New English Bible begins Acts 20:7 like this: 'On the Saturday night in our assembly...' It was a Saturday-night meeting, and it lasted until midnight. Paul was on a farewell tour and knew he would not see these people again before his death (verse25). No wonder he preached so long! (No regular weekly service would have lasted all night.) Paul was 'ready to depart on the morrow.' The 'breaking of bread' has no 'holy day' significance whatever, because they broke bread daily (Acts 2:46). There is not the slightest indication in this Scripture passage that the first day is holy, nor that these early Christians considered it so. Nor is there the remotest evidence that the Sabbath had been changed. Incidentally, this meeting is probably mentioned in the Scripture only because of the miracle of raising Eutychus back to life after he fell to his death from a third-floor window. In Ezekiel 46:1, God refers to Sunday as one of the six 'working days' " (Amazing Facts Study Guide: The Lost Day of History, page 12).

1 Corinthians 16:1,2 -- Sunday school offerings?

"No, there is no reference here to a public meeting. The money was to be laid aside privately at home. A famine was raging in Judea (Romans 15:26; Acts 11:26-30), and Paul was writing to ask the churches in Asia Minor to assist their famine-stricken brethren. These Christians all kept Sabbath holy, so Paul suggested that on Sunday morning (which was the time they paid bills and settled accounts), after the Sabbath was over, they put aside something for their needy brethren so it would be on hand when he came. It was to be done privately or, as La Santa Biblia (a Spanish translation) says, "at home." Notice also that there is no reference here to Sunday as a holy day. In fact, the Bible nowhere commands or even suggests Sundaykeeping." (Ibid, page 12)

"Doesn't Colossians 2:14-17 do away with the seventh-day Sabbath?"

"Not at all. It refers only to the sabbaths which were "a shadow of things to come" and not to the seventh-day Sabbath. There were seven yearly holy days, or holidays, in ancient Israel which were also called sabbaths. These were in addition to, or "beside the sabbaths of the Lord" (Leviticus 23:38), or seventh-day Sabbath. These all foreshadowed, or pointed to, the cross and ended at the cross. God's seventh-day Sabbath was made before sin entered, and therefore could foreshadow nothing about deliverance from sin. That's why Colossians chapter 2 differentiates and specifically mentions the sabbaths that were "a shadow." These seven yearly sabbaths which were abolished are listed in Leviticus chapter 23." (Ibid, page 13)

"According to Romans 14:5, the day we keep is a matter of personal opinion, isn't it?"

"Notice that the whole chapter is on judging one another (Verses 4, 10, 13). The issue here is not over the seventh-day Sabbath, which was a part of the great moral law, but over the yearly feast days of the ceremonial law. Jewish Christians were judging Gentile Christians for not observing them. Paul is simply saying, 'Don't judge each other. That ceremonial law is no longer binding.' " (Ibid, page 13)

Whenever we are doubting about someghing, we should ask ourselves that popular question WWJD? (What Would Jesus Do?). Did Jesus keep the Sabbath?

"And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read." Luke 4:16.

Have the Ten Commandments been changed?

"Jesus says: 'And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.' Luke 16:17. God says: 'My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.' Psalms 89:34. Notice, the Ten Commandments came from His lips. Exodus 20:1 says, 'And God spake all these words, saying ... [the Ten Commandments follow in verses 2-17].' " (Ibid, page 4)

Did Jesus changed the Sabbath day after His sacrifice?

Honestly, no. The Scriptures never say that the Sabbath was abolished either changed. Jesus Himself expected His people to keep the Sabbath on the year 70 A.D.

Matthew 24: 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

"Christ's follower, Luke, wrote two books of the Bible--Luke and Acts. He says that in the book of Luke he wrote about "all" of Jesus' teachings (Acts 1:1-3). But he never wrote about Sundaykeeping or a change of the Sabbath." (Ibid, page 6)

Here's a popular argument using Matthew 5:17-18 -- "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Some people claim that the Law does not longer abide because Jesus already fulfilled it.

"Speaking of the law, Jesus said, 'I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.' He here used the word 'fulfill' in the same sense as when He declared to John the Baptist His purpose to 'fulfill all righteousness' (Matthew 3:15); that is, to fill up the measure of the law's requirement, to give an example of perfect conformity to the will of God.
His mission was to 'magnify the law, and make it honorable.' Isaiah 42:21. He was to show the spiritual nature of the law, to present its far-reaching principles, and to make plain its eternal obligation." (http://www.whiteestate.org/books/mb/mb3.html)


Also, some people claim that Jesus predicted the Law would pass once it is fulfilled. Did Jesus really mean that?

" 'Till heaven and earth pass,' said Jesus, 'one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.' By His own obedience to the law, Christ testified to its immutable character and proved that through His grace it could be perfectly obeyed by every son and daughter of Adam. On the mount He declared that not the smallest iota should pass from the law till all things should be accomplished--all things that concern the human race, all that relates to the plan of redemption. He does not teach that the law is ever to be abrogated, but He fixes the eye upon the utmost verge of man's horizon and assures us that until this point is reached the law will retain its authority so that none may suppose it was His mission to abolish the precepts of the law. So long as heaven and earth continue, the holy principles of God's law will remain. His righteousness, 'like the great mountains' (Psalm 36:6), will continue, a source of blessing, sending forth streams to refresh the earth." (http://www.whiteestate.org/books/mb/mb3.html)

Will the Sabbath be kept on Heaven?

"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD." (Isaiah 66:22,23)


What is the New Covenant about?

"But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:" (Hebrews 8:6-10)

Are we saved by the Law?

"By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight." (Romans 3:20)

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8, 9)

Why should we keep the Law then?

"Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." (Ecclesiates 12:13)

"By the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20)

"What enables a truly converted Christian to follow the pattern of God's law?"

" 'I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts.' Hebrews 8:10. 'I can do all things through Christ.' Philippians 4:13. 'God sending his own Son ... That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us.' Romans 8:3, 4."

"Answer: Christ not only pardons repentant sinners, but He restores in them the image of God. He brings them into harmony with His law through the power of His indwelling presence. "Thou shalt not" then becomes a promise that the Christian will not steal, lie, murder, etc., because Jesus lives inside and is in control. God could not change His law, but He made a blessed provision through Jesus to change the sinner so he can measure up to that law." (Amazing Facts Study Guide: Written in Stone!, pag. 7)

The role of God's Law is to tell us we're sinners --just the way a mirror shows us that we have a spot on our face--, and that we need a Saviour. That's why the Bible tells us that Christ is the end of the Law. He's the Person the Law points to. God's Law reflects His own character, it's as perfect as He is.

For more information, see:

http://www.sabbathtruth.com/

http://www.amazingfacts.org/items/study_guides.asp?tTitle=New%20Revelation

http://www.amazingfacts.org/items/Read_Media.asp?ID=523&x=31&y=32

We can talk too and study the Word "together".


To the first question --which, by the way, is a good one--: Yes, Constantine changed the day of worship. He just made it "official", because until then it was not supported by any civil law though some Christians already worshiped on sunday; there were some who worshiped on sundays besides Saturday.

May God bless all of you!