The Sabbath is recognized as important by both Judaism and Christianity. Speculation as to why the Christians hold their Sabbath on Sunday, the first day of the week, rather than on Saturday, the seventh day of the week as it is laid forth in the Ten Commandments is blurred and varied. However I found a very interesting article that addresses this question.
For the Jews, the Sabbath is observed as it is commanded in the Ten Commandments, on the seventh day. It represents God’s rest and satisfaction after creating the world and humans.
After the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE., the rabbis whose interest was to preserve Judaism in general placed great emphasis on the Sabbath as a lasting sign of God's unique covenant with Israel.
Today, Sabbath is observed in the home as well as in the synagogue. Families gather around a Sabbath meal on Saturday evening marking the end of the Sabbath. The old folk saying, "The Sabbath has kept the Jews more than the Jews have kept the Sabbath," is a good summation of what the Sabbath means to Jews today.
One of the things that Jesus did that made the Jews of his day question and condemn him was a miraculous act of healing done on the Sabbath. Jesus made a salve with dirt and rubbed it on a blind man’s eyelids, thus healing him of blindness. The Jews observed this and accused him of breaking the Commandment that forbids work on the Sabbath.
For Christians, the Sabbath holds a very different meaning than it does for Jews. One of the scriptures that reflects the Christian attitude regarding the laws set forth in the Ten Commandments and the Torah is Romans 14:3-6:
“3; Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him which eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him.
4; Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
5; One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day [alike]. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6; He that regardeth the day, regardeth [it] unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard [it]. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.”
http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Rom&c=14&v=1&t=KJV#top
The idea is that with the sacrifice that Jesus made by dying on the cross for the sins of the world, Christians need no longer be concerned with following the letter of the Law in the Old Testament. Jesus replaced all of the laws with two simple commandments, to Love the Lord your God and to love your neighbor as yourself.
In an article, “Christian formation in and for sabbath rest” in the journal Interpretation 59 no 1 Ja 2005, p 25-37, which can be found at http://search.ebscohost.com.dml.regis.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rfh&..., Dorothy C. Bass gives a very detailed explanation of how the Christian holy day evolved.
She points at that Sunday was the day that Jesus’ disciples first encountered the resurrected Jesus. She states that “The earliest Christians were Jews who observed the Sabbath on the seventh day of each week and then celebrated the resurrection of their Lord on the subsequent day.” She describes the Christian observance of the Sabbath as a celebration of Jesus Christ.
She explains that as Christianity spread among the gentiles (non-Jews) and gained distinction from Judaism, it gradually grew to emphasize the Lord's day, the first day of the week, the Christians' day of worship. She points out that “In 321 CE. the emperor Constantine declared this day to be the empire's official day of rest. This imperial act expressed what had become and would remain a collapse of the Sabbath into the Lord's day in dominant Christian culture. Apart from some relatively small bodies of dissenting Christians, the first day of the week has been widely accepted by Christians as the day of rest and worship mandated by the Sabbath commandment throughout the intervening centuries.”
The holy day from that point on was not the seventh but the eighth day. The appropriate response was to celebrate each Sunday with a feast of communion—one that looked back to Jesus' passion and resurrection and forward to the great banquet that would occur at the end of time. This observance is considered one of the most sacred practices in Christianity, along with baptism.
In Islam, Friday is the public day of prayer. On other days Muslims may perform their prayers at the five appointed times anywhere they wish. Originally this day of public prayer was on Saturday, following Jewish practice, however, Muhammed received a revelation that God’s will was to make Friday the public day of prayer. This is another example of the need for each religion to establish distinction from one other. Also, for Muslims, the Public Day of Prayer does not require rest and people do work during that day.
This was really interesting, turtlesuds! Have you ever seen the movie (based on the play) "Fiddler on the Roof"? It has some good insight into Jewish traditions and it's really neat : D
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I can't believe I have never wondered why the Jewish Sabbath and the Christian Sabbath are held on different days. I assumed that according to the Christian calandar, Sunday was the seventh day of the week. Those are some really good points.
Like what you've read? Well, then here's more:
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/tricia0711
I really don't understand why our calendars start with Sunday and end with Saturday. It always just seemed like a random printing convention that has become a tradition.
In my mind, Sunday is part of the weekEND, It should be at the END of the week.
Our calendars would make a lot more sense to me if they started with Monday and ended with Sunday.
I suppose you could argue that Sunday is at the front-END or beginning of the week and that Saturday is at the tail-END of the week and that the other five days are between the two ENDs.
I'm frankly surprised now that I think about it that somebody is not pushing for a new secular calendar because there seems to be an unconstitutional mixing of church and state the way our government has set aside these holy days. Why isn't the Post Office opened on Saturday and Sunday and randomly closed two other days of the week?
I actually have a couple of calendar/planner things that start with monday. I actually Sunday to be first so I can no what I can cram for that is due on that monday without flipping a page or forgetting.
Maybe somebody already really has lobbied for this seperation
Love is like a box of chocolates; if you chose wisely you won’t be disappointed and have to spit it out. ~T
You're actually wrong - Tuesday is the first day of the week. I don't know what to tell you.
1 - Tuesday
2 - Wednesday
3 - Thursday
4 - Friday
5 - Saturday
6 - Sunday
7 - Monday
It all comes down to what your first assumption is; the first day of the week is ____________. Fill in the blank with one of the seven choices and count. In some European contries, Sunday IS the last day of the week because Monday is the first.
-acertainsaint-
That is exactly what i was going to mention, but you beat me to it.
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