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139-568: The second and third centuries saw a sharp divorce of Christianity from its early roots. There was an explicit rejection of then-modern Judaism and Jewish culture by the end of the second century, with a growing body of adversus Judaeos literature. Fourth- and fifth-century Christianity experienced pressure from the government of the Roman Empire and developed strong episcopal and unifying structure. Many variations in this era defy neat categorizations, as various forms of Christianity interacted in

278-542: A Conservative Mennonite congregation in the Beachy Amish Mennonite tradition, is reflective of traditional Anabaptist teaching on the Lord's Day: The Lord's Day shall be observed in a godly way, with no unnecessary buying, selling or other Sunday burdens. Our children need to be taught to respect the Lord's Day. God's people must gather with the brethren in the spirit of reverence and worship before God. It

417-505: A break from work, or to impose an obligation to meet at a particular time. Their influential reasoning spread to other denominations also, and it is primarily through their influence that "Sabbath" has become the colloquial equivalent of "Lord's Day" or "Sunday". The most mature expression of this influence survives in the Reformed Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), Chapter 21, "Of Religious Worship, and

556-505: A clearly defined way,. The process of determining orthodoxy (right belief) began with the writings of the New Testament and continued through the period of the first seven ecumenical councils . Orthodox teachings were those that claimed to have the authentic lineage of Holy Tradition . All other teachings were viewed as deviant streams of thought that were sometimes viewed as heretical . Early attacks upon alleged heresies formed

695-410: A complex fashion to form the dynamic character of Christianity in this era. The Post-Apostolic period was extremely diverse both in terms of beliefs and practices. In addition to the broad spectrum of general branches of Christianity, there was constant change and diversity that variably resulted in both internecine conflicts and syncretic adoption. These various interpretations were called heresies by

834-472: A complex fashion. One variation was proto-orthodoxy which became the international Great Church and in this period was defended by the Apostolic Fathers . This was the tradition of Pauline Christianity , which placed importance on the death of Jesus as saving humanity, and described Jesus as God come to Earth. Another major school of thought was Gnostic Christianity , which placed importance on

973-569: A day , "on rising, at the lighting of the evening lamp, at bedtime, at midnight" and "the third, sixth and ninth hours of the day, being hours associated with Christ's Passion." Christians attended two liturgies on the Lord's Day , worshipping communally in both a morning service and evening service, with the purpose of reading the Scriptures and celebrating the Eucharist . Throughout the rest of

1112-412: A day of worship, the biblical basis for the seventh-day Sabbath remains clear. It is a day set apart for rest, worship, and spiritual renewal. The 1st-century or 2nd-century Epistle of Barnabas or Pseudo-Barnabas on Is. 1:13 stated "Sabbaths of the present age" were abolished in favor of one millennial seventh-day Sabbath that ushers in the "eighth day" and commencement of a new world. Accordingly,

1251-451: A defense of the physical resurrection and eternal judgement. Other early premillennialists included Pseudo-Barnabas , Papias , Methodius , Lactantius , Commodianus Theophilus , Tertullian , Melito , Hippolytus of Rome and Victorinus of Pettau . By the third century there was growing opposition to premillennialism. Origen was the first to challenge the doctrine openly. Dionysius of Alexandria stood against premillennialism when

1390-471: A dispute between Cyprian of Carthage and Pope Stephen . A bishop from Caesarea named Firmilian sided with Cyprian in his dispute, seething against Stephen's "insulting arrogance" and claims of authority based on the See of Peter . Cyprian's argument won out the day, with Pope Stephen's claims meeting rejection. Cyprian's claim was that bishops held the keys to the forgiveness of sins , with all bishops being

1529-476: A dwelling was used to mark the eastward direction of prayer . Instituted in the New Testament, in the early Church, "the verbal exchange of 'peace' with a kiss appears to be a Christian innovation, there being no clear example in pre-Christian literature." The Holy Kiss was thus followed as a Christian teaching, not a cultural practice. The early Christian apologist Tertullian wrote that before leaving

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1668-451: A holy rest, all the day, from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations, but also are taken up, the whole time, in the public and private exercises of his worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy. Anabaptists hold that the Lord's Day should be commemorated through the attendance of church services, along with works of mercy such as "witnessing for God in one of many ways, visiting someone who

1807-543: A house, Christians are to give the Holy Kiss and say "peace to this house". In early Christianity, "the kiss was shared in conjunction with the benedictions at the conclusion of worship services" though it soon "became associated with the Eucharist" and thus "its location during the worship service moved forward in time to the celebration of Communion." The Holy Kiss was seen as an essential part of preparing to partaking in

1946-487: A line tracing back to the apostles themselves. Over the course of the second century, this organizational structure became universal and continues to be used in the Catholic , Orthodox and Anglican (Anglican churches are Protestant) churches as well as in some Protestant denominations. Jerusalem was an important church center up to 135. It had the prestige of being the city of Jesus's death and reported resurrection , and

2085-415: A minority of heretics. Walter Bauer, drawing upon distinctions between Jewish Christians , Pauline Christians , and other groups such as Gnostics and Marcionites , argued that early Christianity was fragmented, with various competing interpretations, only one of them eventually coming to dominate. While Bauer's original thesis has been criticised, Elaine Pagels and Bart Ehrman have further explicated

2224-551: A prescribed space, nor finding delight in dancing and plaudits which have no sense in them. And after the observance of the Sabbath, let every friend of Christ keep the Lord’s Day as a festival, the resurrection-day, the queen and chief of all the days." Other early church fathers similarly saw weekly observance of seventh-day Sabbath sometimes followed the next day by Lord's Day assembly. The first undisputed reference to Lord's Day

2363-478: A repudiation of legalistic Sabbath as a Judaizing error: "Let us therefore no longer keep the Sabbath after the Jewish manner, and rejoice in days of idleness .... But let every one of you keep the Sabbath after a spiritual manner, rejoicing in meditation on the law, not in relaxation of the body, admiring the workmanship of God, and not eating things prepared the day before, nor using lukewarm drinks, and walking within

2502-497: A special role for the faithful. Many parishes and monasteries will serve the Divine Liturgy on both Saturday morning and Sunday morning. The church never allows strict fasting on any Saturday (except Holy Saturday ) or Sunday, and the fasting rules on those Saturdays and Sundays which fall during one of the fasting seasons (such as Great Lent , Apostles' Fast , etc.) are always relaxed to some degree. During Great Lent, when

2641-653: A spiritual cleansing by Jesus . Eastern and Western Mediterranean Christians had a history of differences and disagreements dating back to the second century. Among the most significant early disagreements is the Quartodecimanism controversy. Until the late second century there was a difference in dating the celebration of the Christian Passover / Easter between Western churches and those of Asia Minor . The churches in Asia Minor celebrated it on

2780-465: A unified "proto-orthodox" viewpoint had existed from the early days of Christianity when no such unified group existed even in contrast with Ebionites, Marcionites, and Valentinian Christians: Lord%27s Day In Catholicism , the Lord's Day refers to Sunday , the principal day of communal worship . It is the first day of the week in the Hebrew calendar and traditional Christian calendars, with

2919-462: Is clearer, with both Origen (calling infant baptism "according to the usage of the Church") and Cyprian advocating the practice. Tertullian acknowledges the practice (and that sponsors would speak on behalf of the children), but, holding an unusual view of marriage, argues against it, on the grounds that baptism should be postponed until after marriage. Interpretation of the baptismal practices of

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3058-424: 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

3197-416: 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

3336-757: Is expected that all members are regularly present and participate in the services. Likewise, the Church Polity of the Dunkard Brethren Church , a Conservative Anabaptist denomination in the Schwarzenau Brethren tradition, teaches that "The First Day of the week is the Christian Sabbath and is to be kept as a day of rest and worship. (Matt. 28:1; Acts 20:7; John 20:1; Mark 16:2)" Martin Luther , in his work against

3475-410: Is in the apocryphal Gospel of Peter (verse 34,35 and 50 ), probably written about the middle of the 2nd century or perhaps the first half of that century. The Gospel of Peter 35 and 50 use kyriake as the name for the first day of the week, the day of Jesus' resurrection. That the author referred to Lord's Day in an apocryphal gospel purportedly written by St. Peter indicates that the term kyriake

3614-540: Is no scholarly consensus as to when the Jewish canon was set . For example, some scholars argue that the Jewish canon was fixed earlier, by the Hasmonean dynasty (140–137 BC). There is a lack of direct evidence on when Christians began accepting their own scriptures alongside the Septuagint. Well into the second century Christians held onto a strong preference for oral tradition as clearly demonstrated by writers of

3753-513: Is prohibited as well. The Second Vatican Council , in the Apostolic Constitution Sacrosanctum Concilium , asserted that "the Lord's day is the original feast day" and the "foundation and kernel of the whole liturgical year." The apostolic letter of Pope John Paul II entitled Dies Domini charged Catholics to remember the importance of keeping Sunday holy and not to confuse the holiness of

3892-488: Is sick or discouraged, widows, orphans, or older people, spending time with the family, studying some subject of interest in the Bible that some are wondering about, reading upbuilding literature, etc." In the view of Anabaptist Christianity, "worldly entertainment that would draw our minds away from Christ would be a poor way to commemorate His resurrection". The Statement of Faith and Practice of Salem Amish Mennonite Church,

4031-438: Is the tri-partite form of church leadership consisting of episkopoi (overseers); presbyteroi (elders), as was the case with Jewish communities; and diakonoi (ministerial servants). Presbyters were ordained and assisted the bishop; as Christianity spread, especially in rural areas, the presbyters exercised more responsibilities and took distinctive shape as priests. Deacons also performed certain duties, such as tending to

4170-520: Is to be heard; there is an abstinence from servile work, legal acts, and likewise, unless there is a special indult or legitimate customs provide otherwise, from public trade, shopping, and other public buying and selling." Examples of servile works forbidden under this injunction include "plowing, sowing, harvesting, sewing, cobbling, tailoring, printing, masonry works" and "all works in mines and factories"; commercial activity, such as "marketing, fairs, buying and selling, public auctions, shopping in stores"

4309-580: The Antinomians who he saw as heretical, Luther rejected the idea of the abolition of the Ten Commandments. They also viewed Sunday rest as a civic institution, which provided an occasion for bodily rest and public worship. Laestadian Lutherans teach that the Lord's Day should be devoted to God and that engaging in recreational activities on Sundays is sinful. The 1917 Code of Canon Law ¶1248 stipulated that "On feast days of precept, Mass

Christianity in the ante-Nicene period - Misplaced Pages Continue

4448-493: The Dura-Europos synagogue , to have had images of religious figures, the traditional Mosaic prohibition of " graven images " no doubt retained some effect. This early rejection of images, although never proclaimed by theologians, and the necessity to hide Christian practice in order to avoid persecution, leaves few archaeological records regarding Early Christianity and its evolution. The oldest Christian paintings are from

4587-677: The First Council of Nicaea . Today, the date still varies between West and East , but this is because the West later adopted the Gregorian calendar over the Julian calendar . Institutional Christian monasticism seems to have begun in the deserts in third century Egypt as a kind of living martyrdom . Anthony the Great (251-356) was the first to specifically leave the world and live in

4726-717: The Oriental Orthodox communion, having about 40 million members) observes both Saturday and Sunday as holy, but places extra emphasis on Sunday. The Richmond Declaration , a confession of faith held by the Orthodox branch of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakerism), teaches with regard to the First Day of the Week: Whilst the remembrance of our Creator ought to be at all times present with

4865-873: The Reformed Churches founded by John Calvin , teaches that the moral law as contained in the Ten Commandments is binding for Christians and that it instructs Christians how to live in service to God in gratitude for His grace shown in redeeming mankind. The doctrine of the Christian Reformed Church in North America thus stipulates "that Sunday must be so consecrated to worship that on that day we rest from all work except that which charity and necessity require and that we refrain from recreation that interferes with worship." Sunday Sabbatarianism became prevalent amongst both

5004-557: The Roman Catacombs , dated to about 200, and the oldest Christian sculptures are from sarcophagi , dating to the beginning of the third century. The development of doctrine, the position of orthodoxy , and the relationship between the various opinions is a matter of continuing academic debate. Since the Nicene Creed came to define the Church, the early debates have long been regarded as a unified orthodox position against

5143-633: The Russian Orthodox Church Sunday is always observed with an All-Night Vigil on Saturday night, and in all of the Orthodox Churches it is amplified with special hymns which are chanted only on Sunday. If a feast day falls on a Sunday it is always combined with the hymns for Sunday (unless it is a Great Feast of the Lord). Saturday is celebrated as a sort of leave-taking for the previous Sunday, on which several of

5282-702: The Vetus Latina translations in Carthage . Beyond the Torah (the Law ) and some of the earliest prophetic works (the Prophets ), there was not agreement on the canon , but this was not debated much at first. Some theorize that the split of early Christianity and Judaism in the mid-second century eventually led to the determination of a Jewish canon by the emerging rabbinic movement , though, even as of today, there

5421-418: The resurrection and ascension of Christ signals the renewal of creation, making the day on which God accomplished it a day analogous to the first day of creation when God made the light. Some of these writers referred to Sunday as the "eighth day”. The Bible clearly establishes the seventh-day Sabbath as a holy day instituted by God. Here's a breakdown of biblical references: Genesis 2:1-3: God rested on

5560-476: The second century that Peter and Paul had been the founders of the Church in Rome and had appointed Linus as succeeding bishop . The four Eastern patriarchs affirmed Saint Peter 's ministry and death in Rome and the apostolic succession of Roman bishops. However, they perceived this as a mark of honor rather than an overarching authority over belief and practices, as they still considered themselves to be

5699-452: The "eighth day" with the term "Lord's Day" in a letter concerning baptism. 'For in respect of the observance of the eighth day of the Jewish circumcision of the flesh, a sacrament was given beforehand in shadow and in usage; but when Christ came, it was fulfilled in truth. For because the eighth day, that is, the first day after the Sabbath, was to be that on which the Lord should rise again, and should quicken us, and give us circumcision of

Christianity in the ante-Nicene period - Misplaced Pages Continue

5838-591: The 14th of the Jewish month of Nisan, the day before Jewish Passover , regardless of what day of the week it fell on, as the Crucifixion had occurred on the day before Passover according to the Gospel of John . The Latins called them Quartodecimans , literally meaning 14'ers . At the time, the West celebrated Easter on the Sunday following the Jewish 14th of Nisan. Victor , the bishop of Rome, attempted to declare

5977-655: The 2nd-century apologist Justin Martyr . The claimed institutional unity of the Christian Church was propaganda constantly repeated by orthodox Christian writers, rather than a genuine historical reality. In order to form a New Testament canon of uniquely Christian works , proto-orthodox Christians went through a process that was complete in the West by the beginning of the 5th century . Athanasius , bishop of Alexandria, Egypt , in his Easter letter of 367, listed

6116-600: The 4th century, held by people before the 4th century." Ehrman expands on the thesis of German New Testament scholar Walter Bauer (1877–1960), laid out in his primary work Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity (1934). Bauer hypothesised that the Church Fathers, most notably Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History , "had not given an objective account of the relationship of early Christian groups." Instead, Eusebius would have "rewritten

6255-462: The 5th and 6th centuries, is said by Bernhard Schimmelpfennig to illustrate the generally limited scope of the Roman bishops' authority but acknowledged the authority nonetheless. William Kling states that by the end of second century that Rome was a significant, if not unique, early center of Christianity , but held no convincing claim to primacy . The Petrine proof text first occurs historically in

6394-522: The Ante-Nicene period was Premillennialism , the belief of a visible reign of Christ in glory on earth with the risen saints for a thousand years, before the general resurrection and judgment. Justin Martyr and Irenaeus were the most outspoken proponents of premillennialism. Justin Martyr saw himself as continuing in the “Jewish” belief of a temporary messianic kingdom prior to the eternal state. Irenaeus devoted Book V of his Against Heresies to

6533-649: The Bible that describe the baptized households as believing, which infants are incapable of doing. In the second century , Irenaeus , bishop of Lyons, may have referred to it. Additionally, Justin Martyr wrote about baptism in First Apology (written in the mid-second century), describing it as a choice and contrasting it with the lack of choice one has in one's physical birth. However, Justin Martyr also seems to imply elsewhere that believers were "disciples from childhood", indicating, perhaps, their baptism. The so-called Apostolic Tradition says to "Baptize first

6672-635: The Christian communities became larger, more numerous and farther apart geographically. The passage of time also moved some Christians farther from the original teachings of the apostles giving rise to teachings that were considered heterodox and sowing controversy and divisiveness within churches and between churches. Classical writers mistook early congregations for burial or fraternal societies which had similar characteristics like divine worship, common meals, regular meetings, initiation, rules for conduct, and their own burial grounds. The Ante-Nicene period saw

6811-530: The Christian movement. That is, proto-orthodox faith tended to affirm and develop devotional and confessional tradition [...] Arland Hultgren has shown that the roots of this appreciation of traditions of faith actually go back deeply and widely into first-century Christianity. Conversely, David Brakke argues that the "proto-orthodox" category tends to obscure the diversity of views among the very Christian thinkers and groups that are categorized as "proto-orthodox," sustaining an erroneous backward-looking view that

6950-404: The Christian, we would express our thankfulness to our Heavenly Father that He has been pleased to honor the setting apart of one day in seven for the purposes of holy rest, religious duties, and public worship; and we desire that all under our name may avail themselves of this great privilege as those who are called to be risen with Christ, and to seek those things that are above where He sitteth at

7089-692: The Eucharist: Peace, reconciliation, and unity were the very essence of the church's life; without them communion would have been a sham. Bestowed by the Spirit and experienced in prayer, their liturgical expression—which pointed forward to the eucharist—was the holy kiss. For the early Christians, the Holy Kiss "was associated with the peace and unity given by the Holy Spirit to the congregation." To guard against any abuse of this form of salutation, women and men were required to sit separately, and

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7228-760: The Great legislated rest on the pagan holiday Sunday ( dies Solis ). Before the Early Middle Ages , the Lord's Day became associated with Sabbatarian (rest) practices legislated by Church Councils . Christian denominations such as the Reformed Churches , Methodist Churches , and Baptist Churches regard Sunday as the Christian Sabbath , a practice known as first-day Sabbatarianism . First-day Sabbatarian (Sunday Sabbatarian) practices include attending morning and evening church services on Sundays, receiving catechesis in Sunday School on

7367-653: The Jewish interpretation of the Old Testament was improperly literal, and the Epistle offered metaphorical interpretations as the truth, such as on the laws concerning diet, fasting, and the Sabbath. Also, the Old Testament was specifically written to presage the coming of Jesus, Christ's covenant superseded the Mosaic covenant, but also, "the Jews had always adhered to a false religion". Those themes were also developed by

7506-471: The Lord's Day "be observed by cessation from all unnecessary labor, and that the day be devoted to divine worship and rest." In explicating the Fourth Commandment, a prominent Methodist catechism states: To keep holy means that no unnecessary work or travel be done on this day. It is a day of rest and worship, a day of Bible reading and prayer. We must not buy, sell, or bargain on Sunday, which

7645-423: The Lord's Day celebration with the common notion of the weekend as a time of simple rest and relaxation. The Catholic Church teaches that "The Day of the Lord, after the public worship, should be spent in works of piety and charity, in peaceful relaxation, in the happy union of family life." The Eastern Orthodox Church distinguishes between "Sabbath" (Saturday) and "Lord's Day" (Sunday), and both continue to play

7784-456: The Lord's Day, taking the Lord's Day off from servile labour, not eating at restaurants on Sundays, not Sunday shopping , not using public transportation on the Lord's Day, not participating in sporting events that are held on Sundays, as well as not viewing television and the internet on Sundays; Christians who are Sunday Sabbatarians often engage in works of mercy on the Lord's Day, such as evangelism , as well as visiting prisoners at jails and

7923-414: The Lord's life ..." ( kata kyriaken zoen zontes ). A medieval Latin translation indicates an alternate textual reading of kata kyriaken zontes , informing Roberts's translation, "no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's [Day]". In the expanded version of Magnesians, this passage to make "Lord's Day" a clear reference to Sunday, as Resurrection Day. This version adds

8062-713: The Lord's own day". The first clause in Greek, " κατά κυριακήν δέ κυρίου ", literally means "On the Lord's of the Lord", a unique and unexplained double possessive, and translators supply the elided noun, e.g., "day" ( ἡμέρα hemera ), "commandment" (from the immediately prior verse 13:7), or "doctrine". This is one of two early extrabiblical Christian uses of "κυριακήν" where it does not clearly refer to Sunday because textual readings have given rise to questions of proper translation. Breaking bread (daily or weekly) may refer to Christian fellowship , agape feasts , or Eucharist (cf. Acts 2:42 , 20:7 ). Didache 14

8201-450: The Lord’s Day, and inasmuch as possible shall attend all services for hearing read the Word of God, singing spiritual songs and hymns, Christian fellowship, and giving of tithes and offerings (John 20:19, 1 Corinthians 16:2, Hebrews 10:25). 2. Members are admonished to neither buy nor sell needlessly on the Lord’s Day. These standards expect the faithful to honour the Lord's Day by attending

8340-552: The New Testament , which includes the Canonical Gospels , Acts , letters of the Apostles , and Revelation were written before 120 AD, but not defined as "canon" by the orthodox mainstream until the 4th century. The writings attributed to the apostles circulated amongst the earliest Christian communities. The Pauline epistles were circulating in collected forms by the end of the 1st century AD. The earliest mention of

8479-665: The Nisan 14 practice heretical and excommunicate all who followed it. On this occasion Irenaeus and Polycrates of Ephesus wrote to Victor. Irenaeus reminded Victor of his predecessor's more tolerant attitude and Polycrates emphatically defended the Asian practice. Victor's "excommunication" of the Asians was apparently rescinded, and the two sides reconciled as a result of the intervention of Irenaeus and other bishops, including Tertullian. Both Tertullian and Irenaeus were pupils of Polycarp , who

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8618-470: The Roman Empire during the 4th and 5th centuries. The term "proto-orthodox" was coined by Bentley Layton , a scholar of Gnosticism and a Coptologist at Yale, but is often attributed to New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman , who has popularized the term by using it in books for a non-academic audience. Ehrman argues that when this group became prominent by the end of the third century , it "stifled its opposition, it claimed that its views had always been

8757-457: The Roman day of rest [CJ3.12.2]: On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country however persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits because it often happens that another day is not suitable for grain-sowing or vine planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations

8896-465: The Sabbath Day" . Section 7-8 reads: 7. As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in his Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, he hath particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him: which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ,

9035-405: The Sabbath as a creation ordinance, stating that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. This indicates that the Sabbath is a gift from God for humanity's benefit. Isaiah 58:13-14: Describes the blessings of keeping the Sabbath as a delight. It emphasizes the importance of refraining from worldly pursuits and focusing on spiritual activities. While some denominations observe Sunday as

9174-544: The Sabbath commandment is a moral requirement along with the other nine. Thus Sunday rest and Sabbath became increasingly associated. Following Aquinas' decree, Christian Europeans could now spend less time denouncing the Judaistic method of observing the Sabbath, instead establishing rules for what one "should" and "should not" do on the Sabbath. For example, while the Medieval Church forbade most forms of work on

9313-460: The Sabbath, it allowed "necessary works", and priests would allow their peasants to perform the needed agricultural work in the field. Though Sunday Sabbatarian practice declined in the 18th century, the evangelical awakening in the 19th century led to a greater concern for strict Sunday Sabbatarian observance. The founding of the Lord's Day Observance Society in 1831 was influenced by the teaching of Daniel Wilson. The Heidelberg Catechism of

9452-454: The Sabbath, nor are circumcised, nor observe the feasts. 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

9591-469: The ante-Nicene period continued the practice of female Christian headcovering (from the age of puberty onward), with early Christian apologist Tertullian referencing 1 Corinthians 11:2–10 and stating "So, too, did the Corinthians themselves understand [Paul]. In fact, at this day the Corinthians do veil their virgins. What the apostles taught, their disciples approve." Hippolytus of Rome specified

9730-476: The beginning of the second century. Imperial authorities arrested him "evidently for Christian activities" and condemned him as fodder for wild beasts. He expressed eagerness to die, expecting thus to "attain to God". Following Ignatius, many proto-orthodox theorists saw it as a privilege to die for faith. In fact, martyrdom became a way to tell the true believers from the heretics. Those who were not willing to die for what they believed were seen as not dedicated to

9869-440: The bounty of heaven should be lost. Augustine of Hippo followed the early patristic writers in spiritualizing the meaning of the Sabbath commandment, referring it to eschatological rest rather than observance of a literal day. However, the practice of Sunday rest increased in prominence throughout the early Middle Ages. Thomas Aquinas taught that the decalogue is an expression of natural law which binds all men, and therefore

10008-521: The celebration of the Liturgy is forbidden on weekdays, there is always Liturgy on Saturday as well as Sunday. The church also has a special cycle of Bible readings ( Epistle and Gospel ) for Saturdays and Sundays which is different from the cycle of readings allotted to weekdays. However, Lord's Day, being a celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus , is clearly given more emphasis. For instance, in

10147-415: The children, and if they can speak for themselves let them do so. Otherwise, let their parents or other relatives speak for them." If it was written by Hippolytus of Rome , Apostolic Tradition could be dated about 215, but recent scholars believe it to be material from separate sources ranging from the middle second to the fourth century, being gathered and compiled about 375–400. The third century evidence

10286-748: The chiliastic work, The Refutation of the Allegorizers by Nepos, a bishop in Egypt , became popular in Alexandria , as noted in Eusebius 's, Ecclesiastical History . Eusebius said of the premillennialian, Papias, that he was "a man of small mental capacity" because he had taken the Apocalypse literally. Christian communities came to adopt some Jewish practices while rejecting others. Only Marcion proposed rejection of all Jewish practice, but he

10425-466: The commandment…We are clearly obligated to look upon the bishop as the Lord himself ... You should do nothing apart from the bishop." The role of the bishop paved the way for hierarchies in churches that is often seen today. Another important aspect about proto-orthodox Christianity involves its views on Jews and Jewish practices. An important book for them was the Epistle of Barnabas , which taught that

10564-403: The continental and English Protestants over the following century. A new rigorism was brought into the observance of Lord's Day among the 17th-century Puritans of England and Scotland, in reaction to the laxity with which Sunday observance was customarily kept. Sabbath ordinances were appealed to, with the idea that only the word of God can bind men's consciences in whether or how they will take

10703-440: The cross, as most Gnostics believed). For Ehrman, in the canonical gospels , Jesus is characterized as a Jewish faith healer who ministered to the most despised people of the local culture . Reports of miracle working were not uncommon during an era "in the ancient world [where] most people believed in miracles, or at least in their possibility." The traditional Christian view is that orthodoxy emerged to codify and defend

10842-461: The day of the sun" (τῇ τοῦ ῾Ηλίου λεγομένη ἡμέρᾳ, recalling both the creation of light and the resurrection). He argued that Sabbath was not kept before Moses, and was only instituted as a sign to Israel and a temporary measure because of Israel's sinfulness, no longer needed after Christ came without sin. He also seems to draw a typological link between the Israelite practice of circumcision on

10981-482: The desert as a monk. Anthony lived as a hermit in the desert and gradually gained followers who lived as hermits nearby but not in actual community with him. One such, Paul the Hermit (also known as Paul of Thebes , c.226/7-c.341) lived in absolute solitude not very far from Anthony and was looked upon even by Anthony as a perfect monk. Paul had gone into the desert before Anthony, but to escape persecution rather than for

11120-497: The early Christian period, being founded officially in 330, five years after the First Council of Nicaea, though the much smaller original city of Byzantium was an early center of Christianity largely due to its proximity to Anatolia . The community and seat of the patriarchate according to Orthodox tradition was founded by St Peter and then given to St. Ignatius , in what is now Turkey. Irenaeus of Lyon believed in

11259-553: The early Church Fathers Augustine of Hippo and John Chrysostom held that footwashing is done in imitation of Jesus , a rite also being encouraged by Origen . The early Church Father Clement of Alexandria linked the new sandals given by to Prodigal Son with feetwashing, describing "non-perishable shoes that are only fit to be worn by those who have had their feet washed by Jesus, the Teacher and Lord." The early Church thus saw footwashing to be connected to repentance , involving

11398-578: The early Egyptian churches were largely Gnostic, the 2nd-century churches in Asia Minor were largely Marcionist, and so on. But because the church in the city of Rome was "proto-orthodox", in Ehrman's terms, Bauer contended they had strategic advantages over all other sects because of their proximity to the Roman Empire 's centre of power. As the Roman political and cultural elite converted to

11537-534: The early church is important to groups such as Baptists , Anabaptists , and the Churches of Christ who believe that infant baptism was a development that occurred during the late second to early third centuries. The early Christian writings mentioned above, which date from the second and third century indicate that Christians as early as the second century did maintain such a practice. In Apostolic Tradition , Hippolytus instructed Christians to pray seven times

11676-485: The early church." While Clement and New Testament writers use the terms overseer and elder interchangeably, an episcopal structure becomes more visible in the second century. Roger Haight posits the development of ecclesiology in the form of "Early Catholicism" as one response to the problem of church unity. Thus, the solution to division arising from heterodox teaching was the development of "tighter and more standardized structures of ministry. One of these structures

11815-529: The eighth day, and the resurrection of Jesus on the "eighth day." Baptism, having been prefigured by circumcision, represents a participation in the 'new birth' of Christ which takes place at the resurrection. But the Gentiles, who have believed on Him, and have repented of the sins which they have committed, they shall receive the inheritance along with the patriarchs and the prophets, and the just men who are descended from Jacob, even although they neither keep

11954-430: The eighth-day assembly (Saturday night or Sunday morning) marks both the resurrection and the new creation. Thus first-day observance was a common regional practice at that time. By the mid-2nd century, Justin Martyr wrote in his apologies about the cessation of Sabbath observance and the celebration of the first (or eighth) day of the week (not as a day of rest, but as a day for gathering to worship): "We all gather on

12093-502: The exception of European ( workweek ) calendars. It is observed by most Christians as the weekly memorial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ , who is said to have been raised from the dead early on the first day of the week. The phrase appears only once in Rev. 1:10 of the New Testament . According to Beckwith , Christians held corporate worship on Sunday in the 1st century ( First Apology , chapter 67 ). On 3 March 321, Constantine

12232-432: The existence of variant Christianities in the first centuries. They see early Christianity as fragmented into contemporaneous competing orthodoxies. Eamon Duffy notes that Christianity throughout the Roman Empire was "in a state of violent creative ferment" during the second century. Orthodoxy , or proto-orthodoxy , existed alongside forms of Christianity that they would soon consider deviant " heresy ". Duffy considers

12371-457: The faith. Another facet of the faith was the structure of the church. It was common, as it is today, for a church to have a leader . Ignatius wrote several letters to several churches instructing them to let the leaders, usually the bishops , handle all the problems within the church. He exhorted church members to listen to the bishops since they were the leaders: "Be subject to the Bishop as to

12510-415: The final authorities in their own regions, see for example Metropolitan bishops and Pentarchy , yet still under the overall guidance of the bishop of Rome. Other patriarchs did turn to Rome for support in settling disputes, but they also wrote to other influential patriarchs for support in the same fashion. Outside of a few notable exceptions, the body of literature left from this period, and even as late as

12649-411: The first known document considered to be describing apostolic succession , including the immediate successors of Peter and Paul: Linus , Anacleutus , Clement , Evaristus , Alexander , and Sixtus . The Catholic Church considers these men to be the first popes , through whom later popes would claim authority. In apostolic succession, a bishop becomes the spiritual successor of the previous bishop in

12788-529: The form of episkopos (overseers, bishops), presbyters ( elders ), and then deacons (servants). A hierarchy within Pauline Christianity seems to have developed by the late 1st century and early second century. (see Pastoral Epistles , c. 90–140) Robert Williams posits that the "origin and earliest development of episcopacy and monepiscopacy and the ecclesiastical concept of (apostolic) succession were associated with crisis situations in

12927-635: The gospels is found in the First Apology (c155) of Justin Martyr , who mentions the "memoirs of the apostles" which Christians called "gospels" and which were regarded as on par with the Old Testament. A four gospel canon (the Tetramorph ) was asserted by Ireanaeus, who refers to it directly. Debates about scripture were underway in the mid- second century , concurrent with a drastic increase of new scriptures, both Jewish and Christian. Debates regarding practice and belief gradually became reliant on

13066-539: The history of early Christian conflicts, so as to validate the victory of the orthodox party that he himself represented." Eusebius claimed that orthodoxy derived directly from the teachings of Jesus and his earliest followers, and had always been the majority view; by contrast, all other Christian views were branded as "heresies", that is to say, willful corruptions of the truth, held by small numbers of minorities. In modern times, many non-orthodox early Christian writings were discovered by scholars, gradually challenging

13205-457: The hymns from the previous Sunday are repeated. In part, the reason Orthodox Christians continue to celebrate Saturday as Sabbath is because of its role in the history of salvation: it was on a Saturday that Jesus "rested" in the tomb after his work on the cross . For this reason also, Saturday is a day for general commemoration of the departed , and special requiem hymns are often chanted on this day. The Ethiopian Orthodox church (part of

13344-441: The kiss of peace was given only by women to women and by men to men, with closed mouths. Apostolic Tradition specified with regard to catechumens: "When they have prayed they shall not give the kiss of peace for their kiss is not yet holy" (18:3). As such, the Holy Kiss was distinguished as a ritual only to be partaken of by baptized Christians , with catechumens and non-Christians not being greeted this way (18:4). Christianity in

13483-486: The leaders of the proto-orthodox church, but many were very popular and had large followings. Part of the unifying trend in proto-orthodoxy was an increasingly harsh anti-Judaism and rejection of Judaizers . Some of the major movements were: In the middle of the second century, the Christian communities of Rome, for example, were divided between followers of Marcion, Montanism, and the gnostic teachings of Valentinus. Many groups were dualistic , maintaining that reality

13622-587: The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus" and "handed down to us the entire New Testament, twenty-seven books". Similar to later Chalcedonian views about Jesus, the proto-orthodox believed that Christ was both divine as well as a human being, not two halves joined. Likewise they regarded God as three persons; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; but only one God. Martyrdom played a major role in proto-orthodox Christianity, as exemplified by Ignatius of Antioch in

13761-663: The locally held form of Christianity, they started exercising their authority and resources to influence the theology of other communities throughout the Roman Empire, sometimes by force. Bauer cites the First Epistle of Clement as an early example of the bishop of Rome interfering with the church of Corinth to impose its own proto-orthodox doctrine of apostolic succession , and to favour a certain group of local church leaders over another. According to Ehrman, proto-orthodox Christianity bequeathed to subsequent generations "four Gospels to tell us virtually everything we know about

13900-459: The majority position and that its rivals were, and always had been, ' heretics ', who willfully 'chose' to reject the 'true belief'." Although early Christianity had many diverse sects and doctrines, critics of the stance of downplaying the proto-orthodox's prominence (such as Larry W. Hurtado ), generally argue that the writings of the Catholic anti-heresiologists condemning others as heretics

14039-534: The matter of Tertullian 's Prescription Against Heretics (in 44 chapters, written from Rome), and of Irenaeus' Against Heresies (c. 180, in five volumes), written in Lugdunum (modern Lyon) after his return from a visit to Rome. The letters of Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna to various churches warned against false teachers, and the Epistle of Barnabas warned about mixing Judaism with Christianity , as did other writers. The First Council of Nicaea

14178-537: The moral law contained in the Ten Commandments, and enforced by the prophets, He did not take away .... The moral law stands on an entirely different foundation from the ceremonial or ritual law .... Every part of this law must remain in force upon all mankind and in all ages." This is reflected in the doctrine of Methodist denominations, such as the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection , which in its 2014 Discipline teaches that

14317-697: The morning service of worship and the evening service of worship on the Lord's Day, in addition to not engaging in Sunday trading . The General Rules of the Methodist Church requires "attending upon all the ordinances of God" including "the public worship of God". Methodist churches have historically observed the Lord's Day devoutly with a morning service of worship , along with an evening service of worship. The founder of Methodism, John Wesley , stated "This 'handwriting of ordinances' our Lord did blot out, take away, and nail to His cross ( Col. 2:14 ). But

14456-637: The opportunity either for public worship or for private retirement and devotional reading. The Church of the United Brethren in Christ , in its membership standards codified in the Book of Discipline , teaches in its position on the Lord’s Day Observance: 1. Following the example of the early disciples and New Testament church, everyone should make provision for exercises of devotion on Sunday,

14595-437: The orthodox and unorthodox were sometimes difficult to distinguish during this period, and simply says that early Christianity in Rome had a wide variety of competing Christian sects. Some orthodox scholars argue against the increasing focus on heterodoxy. A movement away from presuming the correctness or dominance of the orthodoxy is seen as neutral, but criticize historical analysis that assumes heterodox sects are superior to

14734-406: The orthodox movement. Rodney Stark estimates that the number of Christians grew by approximately 40% a decade during the first and second centuries. This phenomenal growth rate forced Christian communities to evolve in order to adapt to their changes in the nature of their communities as well as their relationship with their political and socioeconomic environment. As the number of Christians grew,

14873-577: The poor and sick. Much of the official organizing of the ecclesiastical structure was done by the bishops of the church. This tradition of clarification can be seen as established by the Apostolic Fathers, who were bishops themselves. The Catholic Encyclopedia argues that although evidence is scarce in the second century, the primacy of the Church of Rome is asserted by Irenaeus of Lyons' document Against Heresies (AD 189). In response to second century Gnostic teaching, Irenaeus created

15012-477: The purpose of pursuing God. This type of monasticism is called eremitical or "hermit-like." Pachomius of Thebes (c. 292–348) is traditionally considered the founder of cenobitic monasticism , in which monks live in communities isolated from the world but not from each other. As monasticism spread in the East from the hermits living in the deserts of Egypt to Palestine, Syria, and on up into Asia Minor and beyond,

15151-475: The right hand of God. (Col 3:1) May the release thus granted from other occupations be diligently improved. On this day of the week especially ought the households of Friends to be assembled for the reading of the Scriptures and for waiting upon the Lord; and we trust that, in a Christianly wise economy of our time and strength, the engagements of the day may be so ordered as not to frustrate the gracious provision thus made for us by our Heavenly Father, or to shut out

15290-501: The rise of a great number of Christian sects , cults and movements with strong unifying characteristics lacking in the apostolic period. They had different interpretations of Scripture , particularly different Christology —questions about the divinity of Jesus and salvation from the consequences of sin—and the nature of the Trinity . Many variations in this time defy neat categorizations, as various forms of Christianity interacted in

15429-430: The same period of time, the apocryphal Acts of Paul describe St. Paul praying "on the Sabbath as the Lord's Day ( kyriake ) drew near." In the first centuries, Sunday, being made a festival in honor of Christ's resurrection, received attention as a day of religious services. Over time, Sunday thus came to be known as Lord's Day (some patristic writings termed it as "the eighth day"). These early Christians believed that

15568-656: The same twenty-seven New Testament books as found in the Canon of Trent . The first council that accepted the present canon of the New Testament may have been the Synod of Hippo Regius in North Africa (393). The acts of this council are lost. A brief summary of the acts was read at and accepted by the Council of Carthage (397) and the Council of Carthage (419) . To Ehrman, "Proto-orthodox Christians argued that Jesus Christ

15707-522: The sayings ( apophthegmata ) and acts ( praxeis ) of the Desert Fathers came to be recorded and circulated, first among their fellow monastics and then among the laity as well. Christian art emerged only relatively late. According to art historian André Grabar , the first known Christian images emerge from about AD 200, though there is some literary evidence that small domestic images were used earlier. Although many Hellenised Jews seem, as at

15846-508: The second century who were later declared by the developing proto-orthodoxy to be heretics were Marcion , Valentinus , and Montanus . Although the use of the term Christian is attested in the Acts of the Apostles (80–90 AD), the earliest recorded use of the term Christianity (Greek: Χριστιανισμός ) is by Ignatius of Antioch about 107 AD. The predominant eschatological view in

15985-441: The seventh day after creating the world. He blessed the seventh day and made it holy. Exodus 20:8-11: The Ten Commandments explicitly state to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. It is a day of rest, a sign of the covenant between God and His people. Deuteronomy 5:12-15: Reiterates the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. It emphasizes the importance of resting and focusing on spiritual matters. Mark 2:27-28: Jesus affirms

16124-478: The sick at hospitals and nursing homes. A Sunday custom present in many Christian countries is the "hearing" (abhören) of children at dinnertime, in which the parents listen while the children recall what their pastor preached about in the Sunday sermon; if any corrections are needed, the parents instruct them. The phrase "the Lord's day" appears only one time in the New Testament, in Revelation 1:10 which

16263-478: The spirit, the eighth day, that is the first day after the Sabbath, and the Lord's Day, went before in the figure; which figure ceased when by and by the truth came and spiritual circumcision was given to us. Though Christians widely observed Sunday as a day of worship by the 2nd century, the origin of Sunday worship remains a debated point: scholars promote at least three positions: On 3 March 321, Constantine I decreed that Sunday ( dies Solis ) will be observed as

16402-402: The successors of Saint Peter. Jerome later took up the argument for the primacy of the Roman bishop in the 5th century , a position adopted by Pope Leo I . By the end of the early Christian period, the church within the Roman Empire had hundreds of bishops, some of them (Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, "other provinces") holding some form of jurisdiction over others. The books of the canon of

16541-460: The time, such as Papias . Proto-orthodox Christianity The term proto-orthodox Christianity or proto-orthodoxy describes the early Christian movement that was the precursor of Christian orthodoxy . Older literature often referred to the group as "early Catholic" in the sense that their views were the closest to those of the more organized "Catholic" Church that was the State church of

16680-502: The traditional Eusebian narrative. Bauer was the first to suggest that what later became known as "orthodoxy" was originally just one out of many early Christian sects, such as the Ebionites , Gnostics , and Marcionists , that was able to eliminate all major opposition by the end of the 3rd century, and managed to establish itself as orthodoxy at the First Council of Nicaea (325) and subsequent ecumenical councils . According to Bauer,

16819-426: The traditions inherited from the Apostles themselves. Hurtado argues that Ehrman's "proto-orthodox" Christianity was rooted into first-century Christianity : ...to a remarkable extent early-second-century protoorthodox devotion to Jesus represents a concern to preserve, respect, promote, and develop what were by then becoming traditional expressions of belief and reverence, and that had originated in earlier years of

16958-459: The type of veil: "And let all the women have their heads covered with an opaque cloth, not with a veil of thin linen, for this is not a true covering." The early Christian apologist Tertullian recorded that footwashing was a regular part of Christian worship in the ante-Nicene period. Footwashing was done with a basin "of water for the saints' feet" and a "linen towel". Being commanded in John 13 ,

17097-640: The use of scripture other than what Melito referred to as the Old Testament , as the New Testament canon developed . Similarly, in the third century a shift away from direct revelation as a source of authority occurred, most notably against the Montanists . "Scripture" still had a broad meaning and usually referred to the Septuagint among Greek speakers or the Targums among Aramaic speakers or

17236-717: The week") both for the early morning (Mary Magdalene John 20:1 ) and evening (the disciples in John 20:19) of Resurrection Sunday , as well as for the breaking of bread at Troas (Acts 20:7) and the day for the collection at Corinth (1 Co 16:2). The term "Lord's" appears in The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles or Didache , a document dated between 70 and 120 . Didache 14:1a is translated by Roberts as, "But every Lord's day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving"; another translation begins, "On

17375-467: The week, Christians assembled at the church every day for morning prayer (which became known as lauds ) and evening prayer (which became known as vespers ), while praying at the other fixed prayer times privately. This practice of seven fixed prayer times was done in the bodily positions of prostration and standing. Derived from the writings of Saint Paul , Christians employed the orans position in prayer too. A Christian cross on an eastern wall of

17514-570: The wisdom of Jesus saving humanity, and described Jesus as a human who became divine through knowledge. While the Jewish Christian church was centered in Jerusalem in the first century, Gentile Christianity became decentralized in the second century. Various local and provincial ancient church councils were held during this period, with the decisions meeting varying degrees of acceptance by different Christian groups. Major figures of

17653-403: The world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. Tertullian (early 3rd century), writing against Christians who participated in pagan festivals (Saturnalia and New-year), defended the Christian festivity of Lord's Day amidst the accusation of sun-worship, acknowledging that "to [us] Sabbaths are strange" and unobserved. Cyprian , a 3rd-century church father, linked

17792-608: Was excommunicated in Rome c. 144 and declared heretical by the growing proto-Orthodoxy . According to Bauckham, the post-apostolic church contained diverse practices as regards the Sabbath. It seems clear that some of the Early Church considered, in addition to keeping the weekly Sabbath, the importance of also worshipping on the Lord's Day . In the Didache , it states "But every Lord's day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving." Infant baptism

17931-514: Was a student of the Apostle John and, according to Polycarp's own written words, was also a "hearer" of the other Apostles. Polycarp was a bishop in Smyrna. Eusebius later claimed that synods and conferences of bishops were convened, which ruled "without a dissenting voice" in support of Easter on Sunday. A uniform method of computing the date of Easter was not formally addressed until 325 at

18070-690: Was apparently understood by the writers of the Didascalia and Apostolic Constitutions as a reference to Sunday worship. Around 110 AD, St. Ignatius of Antioch used "Lord's" in a passage of his letter to the Magnesians. Ambiguity arises due to textual variants. The only extant Greek manuscript of the letter, the Codex Mediceo-Laurentianus, reads, "If, then, those who had walked in ancient practices attained unto newness of hope, no longer observing Sabbath, but living according to

18209-706: Was both divine and human, that he was one being instead of two, and that he had taught his disciples the truth." This view that he is "a unity of both divine and human" (the Hypostatic union ) is opposed to both Adoptionism (that Jesus was only human and "adopted" by God, as the Ebionites believed), and Docetism (that Christ was only divine and merely seemed to be human, as the Marcionists believed), as well as Separationism (that an aeon had entered Jesus' body, which separated again from him during his death on

18348-608: Was composed into two radically opposing parts: matter , usually seen as evil, and spirit, seen as good. Proto-orthodox Christianity, on the other hand, held that both the material and spiritual worlds were created by God and were therefore both good, and that this was represented in the unified divine and human natures of Christ . Trinitarianism held that God the Father, God the Son , and the Holy Spirit were all strictly one being with three hypostases . Christianity differed from Roman religions in that it set out its beliefs in

18487-399: Was convoked by Emperor Constantine at Nicaea in 325 in response to disruptive polemical controversies within the Christian community over the nature of the Trinity caused by Arius , who denied the eternal nature of Christ as put forth in the Gospel of John . In the post-Apostolic church, bishops emerged as overseers of urban Christian populations, and a hierarchy clergy gradually took on

18626-464: Was still essentially accurate: that of all the Christian groups, the "proto-orthodox" has the most common ground with the immediate followers of Jesus in the Apostolic Age and Christianity in the 1st century , and were indeed the most common variety of Christianity even then. According to Ehrman, " 'Proto-orthodoxy' refers to the set of [Christian] beliefs that was going to become dominant in

18765-526: Was the center of the Apostolic Age , but it experienced decline during the years of the Jewish–Roman wars (66-135). The First Council of Nicaea recognized and confirmed the tradition by which Jerusalem continued to be given "special honour", but did not assign to it even metropolitan authority within its own province, still less the extraprovincial jurisdiction exercised by Rome and the other sees mentioned above. Constantinople came into prominence only after

18904-506: Was the last day of the week; and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which, in Scripture, is called the Lord’s day, and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath. 8. This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe

19043-472: Was very widespread and had been in use for some time. Around 170 AD, Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth , wrote to the Roman Church , "Today we have kept the Lord's holy day ( kyriake hagia hemera ), on which we have read your letter." In the latter half of the 2nd century, the apocryphal Acts of Peter identify Dies Domini (Latin for "Lord's Day") as "the next day after the Sabbath," i.e., Sunday. From

19182-432: Was widely practised at least by the third century , but it is disputed whether it was in the first centuries of Christianity. Some believe that the Church in the apostolic period practised infant baptism, arguing that the mention of the baptism of households in the Acts of the Apostles would have included children within the household. Others believe that infants were excluded from the baptism of households, citing verses of

19321-548: Was written near the end of the first century . It is the English translation of the Koine Greek Kyriake hemera . The adjective kyriake ("Lord's") often elided its noun, as in the neuter kyriakon for "Lord's [assembly]", the predecessor of the word " church "; the noun was to be supplied by context. The New Testament also uses the phrase te ... mia ton sabbaton (τῇ ... μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων, "the first day of

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