Holy Day of the Week

!! Strong Arguments Against "Jewish law"

A classic antinomian viewpoint. These do seem to reenforce the antinomian interpretation of Romans and Galatians.

My basic position is that these are errors, even though they are very early. I know this is a long shot, but it is possible.

!!! Ignatius's Letter to the Magnesians

Ignatius (~35-108AD), bishop of Antioch, Paul's home church and appointed by John, in writing to the Magnesians in chapter 9 describes that even the converted Jews observe Sunday.

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.v.iii.ix.html

"Be not deceived with strange doctrines, nor with old fables, which are unprofitable. For if we still live according to the Jewish law, we acknowledge that we have not received grace...

"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, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death...

"It is absurd to profess Christ Jesus, and to Judaize. For Christianity did not embrace Judaism, but Judaism Christianity, that so every tongue which believes might be gathered together to God."

Ignatius' Letter to the Philadelphians 6:1 - "But if any one preach the Jewish law unto you, listen not to him."

!!! Justin Martyr's First Apology

Justin Martyr (100-165AD) is a famous early second century apologist whose various writings to Romans and Jews shed light on how Christianity contrasted with those two groups. He was later martyred by Rome.

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.v.iii.ix.html

And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. 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 Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.

!!! Justin Martry's Dialogue with Trypho the Jew

This is one of Justin's more famous writings. It is an alleged discussion between Justin and a Jewish man named Trypho discussing why Justin became Christian and why Christianity is the new covenant that supersedes the old covenant of Judaism.

At one point, Trypho explains the Jewish way to be accepted by God:

"First be circumcised, then observe what ordinances have been enacted with respect to the Sabbath, and the feasts, and the new moons of God; and, in a word, do all things which have been written in the law; and then perhaps you shall obtain mercy from God.... To keep the Sabbath, to be circumcised, to observe months, and to be washed if you touch anything prohibited by Moses, or after sexual intercourse..."

Trypho continues his criticism:

"You, professing to be pious, and supposing yourselves better than others, are not in any particular separated from them, and do not alter your mode of living from other nations, in that you observe no festivals or sabbaths and do not have the rite of circumcision.... Yet you expect to obtain some good thing from God, while you do not obey His commandments. Have you not read, that that soul shall be cut off from his people who shall not have been circumcised on the eighth day?"

And Justin replied that Christians were indeed obedient to God, even when obedience was extremely painful:

"We too would observe the fleshly circumcision, and the Sabbaths, and in short all the feasts, if we did not know for what reason they were enjoined you, -- namely, on account of your transgressions and the hardness of your hearts. For if we patiently endure all things contrived against us by wicked men...even as the new Lawgiver commanded us: how is it, Trypho, that we would not observe those rites which do not harm us, -- I speak of fleshly circumcision, and Sabbaths and feasts?"

Justin explained the reason Christians ignored the Jewish laws:

"We live not after the law, and are not circumcised in the flesh as your forefathers were, and do not observe sabbaths as you do.... An eternal and final law  --  namely, Christ  --  has been given to us.... He is the new law, and the new covenant.... The new law requires you to keep perpetual sabbath, and you, because you are idle for one day, suppose you are pious, not discerning why this has been commanded you.... If there is any perjured person or a thief among you, let him cease to be so; if any adulterer, let him repent; then he has kept the sweet and true sabbaths of God."

!!! Tertullian's Apology

Tertullian (160-225AD) - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tertullian - 3rd century church father who wrote extensively from Carthage. Towards the end of his life he became disillusioned with what he saw was corruption creeping in the church and joined the Montanists, but many of his earlier writings are still foundational in the study of the early church.

"These send us to the religion of Persia, though we are far from adoring a painted sun, like them who carry about his image everywhere upon their bucklers. This suspicion took its rise from hence, because it was observed that Christians prayed with their faces towards the east. But some of you likewise out of an affectation of adoring some of the celestial bodies wag your lips towards the rising sun; but if we, like them, celebrate Sunday as a festival and day of rejoicing, it is for a reason vastly distant from that of worshipping the sun; for we solemnize the day after Saturday in contradistinction to those who call this day their Sabbath, and devote it to ease and eating, deviating from the old Jewish customs, which they are now very ignorant of." - Chapter XVI

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