Test 23: The Historical Change of the Sabbath

Phase 6: Present Application

⚠️ Note: This content is currently in review and available for public examination.

The Central Question Before Us

When and how did the change from seventh-day Sabbath observance to first-day (Sunday) observance occur? Was this change made by Christ, the apostles, or by later church authority? What does the historical record reveal?

This question moves from biblical exegesis to historical investigation. If Christ or the apostles changed the Sabbath, we would expect to find this in Scripture (we have already examined this and found no such evidence). The historical question is: when did Sunday observance begin, how did it develop, and who claims responsibility for the change?

⚖️ Preliminary Matter: The Value of Historical Evidence

The applicable legal principle:

UK — Historical Evidence:

Documentary evidence from the period in question is admissible to establish facts about that period.

US — Federal Rules of Evidence, Rule 803(16) — Ancient Documents:

Statements in a document that is at least 20 years old and whose authenticity is established are admissible.

Application:

The question of when Sunday observance began is a historical question. It can be answered by examining:

The testimony of early church writers
Church council decisions
Roman imperial edicts
The claims of churches regarding their own history

Historical documents — even those not Scripture — are relevant evidence for establishing historical facts.

The Two Positions Under Examination

Position A (Apostolic Change): The apostles, guided by the Holy Spirit, changed the day of worship from Sabbath to Sunday to commemorate Christ's resurrection. This change occurred in the first century and is reflected in New Testament practice. Position B (Later Church Change): Scripture contains no evidence of apostolic Sabbath change. The shift to Sunday observance occurred gradually over centuries, driven by church authority, not biblical command. The Catholic Church claims responsibility for this change.

Establishing the Burden of Proof

The applicable legal principle:

*UK — Woolmington v DPP [1935]:

The burden of proof lies on the party asserting the positive claim.
Application:
The seventh-day Sabbath was established at creation, codified at Sinai, observed by Christ, and continued by the apostles (as shown in previous tests). The presumption is continuity.

Position A claims a change occurred by apostolic authority. Position A bears the burden of proving:
When the change occurred
Who authorised it
What biblical/apostolic evidence supports it

PART 1: THE BIBLICAL SILENCE

Section 1.1: What Scripture Does Not Contain
The applicable legal principle:

UK — Morgan Grenfell [2002] — Clear Statement Rule:

Expected Evidence (if change was apostolic)	Present in Scripture?
A command to observe Sunday	No
A command to cease Sabbath observance	No
An apostolic teaching that the Sabbath was changed	No
An explanation of why Sunday replaced Sabbath	No
The term "Christian Sabbath" for Sunday	No
Any transfer of sanctity from seventh to first day	No
Christ commanding Sunday observance	No
The Holy Spirit revealing a day change	No

Evidence for Seventh-Day Sabbath	Scripture References
God blessed and sanctified the seventh day	Genesis 2:2-3
The seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD	Exodus 20:8-11
Christ kept the Sabbath as His custom	Luke 4:16
Paul kept the Sabbath as his custom	Acts 17:2
Gentiles worshipped on the Sabbath	Acts 13:42-44
James assumed Sabbath observance	Acts 15:21
Hebrews says a Sabbath-rest remains	Hebrews 4:9
Revelation's saints keep the commandments	Revelation 14:12

Date	Event	Significance
Creation	God sanctifies seventh day	Sabbath established
Sinai (c. 1446 BC)	Fourth Commandment given	Sabbath codified in moral law
Christ's ministry	Jesus keeps Sabbath "as his custom"	Sabbath continued
Apostolic era	Paul keeps Sabbath "as his manner"	Sabbath continued
AD 70	Jerusalem destroyed	Jewish-Christian tensions increase
c. AD 110	Ignatius mentions "Lord's Day"	Earliest Sunday reference
c. AD 150	Justin Martyr describes Sunday meetings	Sunday observance in Rome
AD 321	Constantine's Sunday law	First civil Sunday legislation
c. AD 364	Council of Laodicea Canon 29	Sabbath-keeping condemned
Middle Ages	Sunday established, Sabbath forgotten	Church authority dominates
1517+	Protestant Reformation	Scripture authority recovered — but Sunday retained
19th century	Sabbath reform movements	Biblical Sabbath restored

Significant changes require clear statement.
A survey of what Scripture does NOT contain:
Expected Evidence (if change was apostolic) Present in Scripture?
A command to observe Sunday No
A command to cease Sabbath observance No
An apostolic teaching that the Sabbath was changed No
An explanation of why Sunday replaced Sabbath No
The term "Christian Sabbath" for Sunday No
Any transfer of sanctity from seventh to first day No
Christ commanding Sunday observance No
The Holy Spirit revealing a day change No
The silence is comprehensive. Not one verse in all of Scripture commands Sunday observance or declares the Sabbath changed. Finding: Position A cannot point to any biblical text establishing apostolic Sabbath change. The biblical evidence is entirely absent.
Section 1.2: What Scripture DOES Contain
Contrast with the biblical evidence for the Sabbath:
Evidence for Seventh-Day Sabbath Scripture References
God blessed and sanctified the seventh day Genesis 2:2-3
The seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD Exodus 20:8-11
Christ kept the Sabbath as His custom Luke 4:16
Paul kept the Sabbath as his custom Acts 17:2
Gentiles worshipped on the Sabbath Acts 13:42-44
James assumed Sabbath observance Acts 15:21
Hebrews says a Sabbath-rest remains Hebrews 4:9
Revelation's saints keep the commandments Revelation 14:12
The contrast is stark: abundant evidence for the seventh-day Sabbath; no evidence for Sunday.
PART 2: THE GRADUAL HISTORICAL SHIFT

Section 2.1: The First and Second Centuries
The applicable legal principle:
UK — Contemporanea Expositio:

Evidence from those closest in time illuminates understanding.
The Didache (late 1st/early 2nd century):
The Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles) contains an ambiguous reference:

"But every Lord's day gather yourselves together, and break bread."
Note: This document also prescribes fasting on Wednesday and Friday (not Sunday), and makes no mention of Sabbath abolition. The term "Lord's day" is not explained. As shown in Test 20, this phrase does not necessarily mean Sunday. Ignatius of Antioch (c. AD 110):
"If, therefore, those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's Day..."
Note: This is the earliest clear reference to Sunday observance as distinct from Sabbath. Significantly:
Ignatius does not cite apostolic authority
He does not quote Scripture for the change
He appeals to "newness" — suggesting the change was recent and controversial
Justin Martyr (c. AD 150):
"And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place..."
Note: Justin writes to pagans, using the pagan name "Sunday." He gives reasons for Sunday observance:
Christ rose on Sunday
God began creation on "Sunday" (a novel interpretation)
Significantly, Justin does NOT say:
Christ commanded Sunday observance
The apostles changed the Sabbath
Scripture authorises the change
Finding: The earliest post-biblical references show Sunday observance emerging in the second century, but without apostolic or scriptural authority cited.
Section 2.2: Factors Contributing to the Change
The applicable legal principle:
UK — Establishing Causation:

When seeking to explain how an event occurred, examine contributing factors.
Several historical factors contributed to the shift from Sabbath to Sunday:
Factor 1: Anti-Jewish Sentiment

After the Jewish revolts (AD 66-70, 132-135), anything associated with Judaism became suspect in the Roman Empire. The Sabbath was distinctly Jewish.
Ignatius of Antioch (c. AD 110):
"It is absurd to speak of Jesus Christ with the tongue and to cherish in the mind a Judaism which has now come to an end."

Some Christians distanced themselves from Sabbath observance to avoid association with Jews.

Factor 2: Roman Sun Worship

Sunday was the day dedicated to the sun god in Roman paganism. As Christianity spread in the Roman Empire, adopting Sunday worship facilitated conversion and reduced persecution.
The Romans already had a "day of the sun" — making Sunday observance culturally compatible with paganism.
Factor 3: The Influence of Rome and Alexandria

The churches of Rome and Alexandria led the shift to Sunday. Other regions (particularly the East) maintained Sabbath observance longer.
Socrates Scholasticus (5th century):
"For although almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this."
Note: Even in the 5th century, "almost all churches throughout the world" still observed the Sabbath. Only Rome and Alexandria had ceased doing so.
Section 2.3: Constantine's Sunday Law (AD 321)
The applicable legal principle:
UK — Legislative Authority:

Laws establish obligations; their text reveals the authority claimed.
The first civil Sunday law — Constantine's Edict (March 7, AD 321):
"On the venerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed."
Critical observations:
The day is called "Day of the Sun" — not Sabbath, not Lord's Day
This is a civil/imperial law — not a church decree
The law mandates rest — not worship
The basis is the pagan sun day — not the resurrection
Constantine, though nominally Christian, maintained sun worship. His Sunday law reflected Roman sun-day tradition, not biblical Sabbath theology. Finding: The first Sunday law was a civil edict by a Roman emperor, using pagan terminology, three centuries after Christ. This is not apostolic authority.
Section 2.4: The Council of Laodicea (c. AD 364)
The applicable legal principle:
UK — Church Councils as Evidence:

Council decisions reveal what was controversial and what authority was claimed.
Canon 29 of the Council of Laodicea:
"Christians shall not Judaize and be idle on Saturday [the Sabbath], but shall work on that day; but the Lord's day they shall especially honour, and, as being Christians, shall, if possible, do no work on that day. If, however, they are found Judaizing, they shall be shut out [anathema] from Christ."
Critical observations:
The canon condemns Sabbath-keeping — proving Christians were still keeping it
The penalty is anathema — proving it was controversial
The authority is the church council — not Scripture
The language "Judaize" — reveals anti-Jewish motivation
This canon proves:
Christians were still observing the Sabbath in AD 364
The church used its authority (not Scripture) to suppress Sabbath observance
The change was enforced, not voluntary or apostolic
Finding: Church councils in the 4th century enforced Sunday observance by condemning Sabbath-keeping. This ecclesiastical authority, not apostolic teaching, drove the change.
PART 3: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH'S CLAIMS

Section 3.1: The Church Claims Responsibility
The applicable legal principle:
US — Federal Rules of Evidence, Rule 804(b)(3) — Admission Against Interest:

A statement against the declarant's interest is particularly reliable.
The Catholic Church explicitly claims to have made the change: The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine (1957):
"Q. Which is the Sabbath day?

A. Saturday is the Sabbath day.

Q. Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?

A. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday."
Cardinal James Gibbons, Faith of Our Fathers (1876):
"You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify."
Mgr. Louis Segur, Plain Talk About the Protestantism of Today (1868):
"The observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the [Catholic] Church."
Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism (1876):
"Q. Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?

A. Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her — she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority."

Section 3.2: The Church Claims This as Its "Mark"
The Catholic Record (London, Ontario, September 1, 1923):
"Sunday is our mark of authority... The church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact."
H.F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons:
"Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change was her act... And the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical power."
The Catholic Mirror (September 23, 1893):
"The Catholic Church for over one thousand years before the existence of a Protestant, by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday."
The applicable legal principle:
UK — Admissions:

When a party admits facts contrary to their interest, those facts are established.
The Catholic Church admits:
✓ Saturday is the biblical Sabbath
✓ Scripture does not authorise Sunday
✓ The Church changed the day
✓ This change is a mark of Church authority
✓ This proves the Church is "above the Bible"
Finding: The party claiming responsibility for the change admits it was not biblical or apostolic but ecclesiastical. This admission is decisive evidence.
Section 3.3: The Challenge to Protestants
The Catholic Church has issued a consistent challenge: Cardinal Gibbons:
"Reason and common sense demand the acceptance of one or the other of these alternatives: either Protestantism and the keeping holy of Saturday, or Catholicity and the keeping holy of Sunday. Compromise is impossible."
The Catholic Mirror (September 1893):
"The Bible says, 'Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.' The Catholic Church says, 'No, by my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week.' And lo! the entire civilized world bows down in reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic Church."
The logic is clear:
If Scripture alone is the authority (Protestant principle), keep the Sabbath
If Church tradition is the authority (Catholic principle), keep Sunday
Protestants who keep Sunday while claiming sola scriptura face a logical contradiction.
PART 4: TIMELINE OF THE CHANGE

Section 4.1: Summary Timeline
The applicable legal principle:
UK — Chronological Analysis:

Establishing a timeline clarifies how events developed.

Date Event Significance
Creation God sanctifies seventh day Sabbath established
Sinai (c. 1446 BC) Fourth Commandment given Sabbath codified in moral law
Christ's ministry Jesus keeps Sabbath "as his custom" Sabbath continued
Apostolic era Paul keeps Sabbath "as his manner" Sabbath continued
AD 70 Jerusalem destroyed Jewish-Christian tensions increase
c. AD 110 Ignatius mentions "Lord's Day" Earliest Sunday reference
c. AD 150 Justin Martyr describes Sunday meetings Sunday observance in Rome
AD 321 Constantine's Sunday law First civil Sunday legislation
c. AD 364 Council of Laodicea Canon 29 Sabbath-keeping condemned
Middle Ages Sunday established, Sabbath forgotten Church authority dominates
1517+ Protestant Reformation Scripture authority recovered — but Sunday retained
19th century Sabbath reform movements Biblical Sabbath restored
Finding: The timeline shows a gradual shift over centuries, driven by anti-Jewish sentiment, Roman influence, and church authority — not by apostolic command.
Section 4.2: What the Timeline Proves
The applicable legal principle:
UK — Inference from Evidence:

When evidence consistently points in one direction, that direction is established.
The timeline proves:
No apostolic origin: The apostles kept the Sabbath; Sunday observance appears later
Gradual development: The change was progressive, not sudden
Non-biblical factors: Anti-Judaism and Roman culture drove the change
Church authority claimed: The Catholic Church claims responsibility
Scripture silent: No biblical text commands or explains the change
Finding: The historical evidence conclusively establishes that the Sabbath-to-Sunday change was not apostolic but developed over centuries through church authority.
PART 5: FINAL ASSESSMENT

The Evidence Weighed
The applicable legal principle:

UK — Re H (Minors) [1996]:

Issue	Position A (Apostolic Change)	Position B (Later Church Change)
Biblical evidence	None	Sabbath commanded; Sunday not mentioned
Apostolic practice	Claims apostolic origin	Acts shows apostolic Sabbath observance
Early history	Cannot explain gradual emergence	Documents show centuries-long shift
Constantine's law	Cannot explain pagan terminology	Explains Roman sun-day influence
Council of Laodicea	Cannot explain need to condemn Sabbath	Proves Christians still kept Sabbath
Catholic admission	Cannot explain Church claiming credit	Church claims responsibility
Protestant challenge	Cannot answer Catholic logic	Sabbath-keeping answers the challenge

Issue	Finding
Biblical evidence for Sunday	None exists
Biblical evidence for Sabbath	Abundant — creation, commandment, Christ, apostles
Earliest Sunday references	2nd century — without apostolic authority
Factors driving change	Anti-Judaism, Roman culture, church authority
Constantine's role	First civil Sunday law (AD 321) — pagan basis
Council of Laodicea	Condemned Sabbath-keeping (AD 364) — proves it continued
Catholic admission	Church claims responsibility for change
Protestant inconsistency	Sunday observance contradicts sola scriptura

The balance of probability — more likely than not.
Summary:
Issue Position A (Apostolic Change) Position B (Later Church Change)
Biblical evidence None Sabbath commanded; Sunday not mentioned
Apostolic practice Claims apostolic origin Acts shows apostolic Sabbath observance
Early history Cannot explain gradual emergence Documents show centuries-long shift
Constantine's law Cannot explain pagan terminology Explains Roman sun-day influence
Council of Laodicea Cannot explain need to condemn Sabbath Proves Christians still kept Sabbath
Catholic admission Cannot explain Church claiming credit Church claims responsibility
Protestant challenge Cannot answer Catholic logic Sabbath-keeping answers the challenge
Finding: Position A has no evidence. Position B is established by overwhelming historical documentation, including the admission of the party that made the change.
The Burden of Proof Revisited
Position A bore the burden of proving:
When the change occurred ❌ Cannot specify — because it was gradual
Who authorised it ❌ Cannot cite apostles — because they didn't
What biblical evidence supports it ❌ Cannot cite Scripture — because there is none
Position A has completely failed to discharge its burden.
# CONCLUSION AND VERDICT

Summary of Findings

Issue Finding
Biblical evidence for Sunday None exists
Biblical evidence for Sabbath Abundant — creation, commandment, Christ, apostles
Earliest Sunday references 2nd century — without apostolic authority
Factors driving change Anti-Judaism, Roman culture, church authority
Constantine's role First civil Sunday law (AD 321) — pagan basis
Council of Laodicea Condemned Sabbath-keeping (AD 364) — proves it continued
Catholic admission Church claims responsibility for change
Protestant inconsistency Sunday observance contradicts sola scriptura

The Verdict
The historical evidence is conclusive: The apostles did not change the Sabbath — they observed it (Acts 17:2; 18:4)
Scripture does not authorise Sunday — even the Catholic Church admits this
The change occurred gradually — over centuries, driven by non-biblical factors
The Catholic Church claims responsibility — and calls it a "mark of authority"
The Protestant position is inconsistent — sola scriptura logically requires Sabbath observance
The seventh-day Sabbath remains the biblically commanded day of rest and worship. Sunday observance is a tradition of men, not a commandment of God.
Mark 7:7-9 — "Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men... Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition."

Key Texts Reference

Topic Text/Source
Sabbath established Genesis 2:2-3
Fourth Commandment Exodus 20:8-11
Christ's custom Luke 4:16
Paul's manner Acts 17:2
Catholic admission Convert's Catechism (1957)
Church authority claim Catholic Mirror (1893)
Constantine's law Codex Justinian III.12.3 (AD 321)
Council of Laodicea Canon 29 (c. AD 364)

Legal Authorities Cited

United Kingdom

Authority Citation Principle
Woolmington v DPP [1935] AC 462 Burden of Proof
Morgan Grenfell v Special Commissioner [2002] UKHL 21 Clear Statement Rule
Re H (Minors)* [1996] AC 563 Standard of Proof

United States

Authority Citation Principle
Federal Rules of Evidence, Rule 803(16) — Ancient Documents
Federal Rules of Evidence, Rule 804(b)(3) — Admission Against Interest
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Topic	Text/Source
Sabbath established	Genesis 2:2-3
Fourth Commandment	Exodus 20:8-11
Christ's custom	Luke 4:16
Paul's manner	Acts 17:2
Catholic admission	Convert's Catechism (1957)
Church authority claim	Catholic Mirror (1893)
Constantine's law	Codex Justinian III.12.3 (AD 321)
Council of Laodicea	Canon 29 (c. AD 364)

Authority	Citation	Principle
Woolmington v DPP	[1935] AC 462	Burden of Proof
Morgan Grenfell v Special Commissioner	[2002] UKHL 21	Clear Statement Rule
Re H (Minors)*	[1996] AC 563	Standard of Proof

Authority	Citation	Principle
Federal Rules of Evidence, Rule 803(16)	—	Ancient Documents
Federal Rules of Evidence, Rule 804(b)(3)	—	Admission Against Interest

Test 23: The Historical Change of the Sabbath

The Central Question Before Us

⚖️ Preliminary Matter: The Value of Historical Evidence

The Two Positions Under Examination

Establishing the Burden of Proof

Section 1.1: What Scripture Does Not Contain

Section 1.2: What Scripture DOES Contain

Section 2.1: The First and Second Centuries

Section 2.2: Factors Contributing to the Change

Factor 1: Anti-Jewish Sentiment

Factor 2: Roman Sun Worship

Factor 3: The Influence of Rome and Alexandria

Section 2.3: Constantine's Sunday Law (AD 321)

Section 2.4: The Council of Laodicea (c. AD 364)

Section 3.1: The Church Claims Responsibility

Section 3.2: The Church Claims This as Its "Mark"

Section 3.3: The Challenge to Protestants

Section 4.1: Summary Timeline

Section 4.2: What the Timeline Proves

The Evidence Weighed

The Burden of Proof Revisited

Summary of Findings

The Verdict

Key Texts Reference

Legal Authorities Cited

United Kingdom

United States

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