Which is to be observed as the Sabbath day?
Media
Part of The Cabletow
- Title
- Which is to be observed as the Sabbath day?
- Language
- English
- Year
- 1964
- Rights
-
- Abstract
- Continued from April 1964 issue.
- Fulltext
- Which Is To Be Observed As The Sabbath Day? (Continued from April 1964 issue.) In the Year of the Crucifixion NISAN (March-April) Sunset (Jewish day I Midnight (our day befirst month of the begins) to midnight gins) to sunset Sacred Year ! 6 hours 18 hours 11th day of the month Gill day of the week (Day of Preparation) PASSOVER 15th day of the month 7th day of thc week (Actually a Sabbath) UNLEAVENED BREAD Kith day of the month 1st day of the week — Paschal (not necessarily) full moon. HOLY THURSDAY 1 GOOD FRIDAY I— (Never falls before March 21, Vernal Eopiinox, intercalary month Vc Adar is inserted when necessary.) GOOD FRIDAY HOLY SAI URDAY IIOLY SATURDAY EASTER SUNDAY z\s given in the Baltimore Cate chism and as generally learned by Catholics the wording of the com mandments differs slightly from the Biblical text and is somewhat short er. As given in the Cathechism the third commandment says: “Remem ber thou keep holy thc LORD’s day.” It is clear, however, that the com mandment as stated in Exodus (20:3) prescribes the seventh day, which corresponds to Saturday, as the day of rest. Why do the Christian Churches, except the Seventh Day Adventists, celebrate Sunday, the first day of the week, rather than Satur day, the seventh day of the week? To find an answer, if not the answer, let us take a rapid glance at history. During the second century A.D., Mithraism, an outgrowth of Zoroas trianism, was the prevailing religion in the Roman Empire. Mithras, be ing a sun-god, Sunday, that is, Sun’s day, was sacred to him as the Lord’s day. During the time of Constan tine the Great (288,-337), the Chris tians having been officially tolerated in 313 by thc Edict of Milan, eandcavored to proselytize the non Christians by "Christianizing” their festivals, that is, by having the feast day of some saint of the Church to coincide with each of their festivals. Constantine, who had already been converted to Christianity by seeing the labaruni — the monogram of Jesus in Greek, XPIETOE, Christos, consisting of the first two letters. X (chi) and P (rho), , which he saw in thc sky, on the eve of a Turn to page 392 388 The Cabletow WHICH IS TO BE OBSERVED. . . (From page 388) battle with Maxentius actually ac cording to an account, in a dream ac cording to another. About the la barum was an inscription in Greek: “En toto nika“, by this conquer. Thc Latin version: “In hoc signo vinces”, by this sign you will conquer, is thc motto of the Order of thc Temple (Knights Templar) and of thc Order of the Red Cross of Constantine. Although he was not actually bap tized until he was already on his death-bed in 337, stll he exerted a great influence on the early Chris tian Church to the extent of calling the first ecumenical council, that held in Nicaea in 325, which decreed the celebration of Easter in commemora tion of the Resurrection. Constan tine wanted thc union of, not a com petition between, Christianity and sun-worship. Among the results of his influence Sunday (sun’s day), the first day of the week, sacred to thc sun-god rather than Saturday, thc seventh day as commanded (I.iviticus 23:3), has been consecrated as the LORD’S Day or Christian Sab bath. On this matter it is interesting to note what the Catholic Home En cyclopedia, appended to the Con fraternity Edition of the Bible, says (page 251): 'The observance of the first day of the week as one con secrated in a special way to Chris tian worship has no intrinsic connec tion with thc Jewish Sabbath, lhe observation of which was abrogated WHICH IS TO BE OBSERVED By the Law of Christ. It is an Ecclesias tical Institute due to thc Apostols them selves. The Church’s Law now involves the Obligation of assisting at mass and resting from service work (bodily, mannual or mechanical) on this day; over and above this, The day should be kept holy by attending other church services, spiritual readings, etc., games and re creations are a natural relaxation on this day of rest and only cease to be commendable when they interfere with deving worship and time which should be given directly to God Sunday is a weekly commemoration of the resurrec tion and is in a fast day. (Emphasis supplied) A A THE CASE FOR KING . . . (From p.ge 383) millenium of the ancients; and God is there watching and protecting us in our will to live that every beat cf our heart pulses with the love of God. Let him who could not com prehend this thought be cast away — if it be thc decree of Fate — but let him have the chance. Life is still very beautiful, as beautiful as thc era of King Solomon which was noted for a philosophy of culture and famous for the building of his temple — the Temple of Freemasonry - which architecture will, philoso phical as it may seem, pass on to the next ages. 392 The Cabletow