What novel distinction do the Seventh-day Adventist sectarians have in comparison with the One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic (Orthodox) Church of Christ?
The Adventists have abolished the celebration of Sunday and celebrate Saturday, according to the Old Testament.
Did those before us celebrate Sunday?
Our fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, great-great-grandfathers, etc., celebrated it.
From what time has Sunday been celebrated in Rus'?
From the time when the Russians accepted the Christian faith from the Greeks.
Has Sunday been celebrated for a long time in the East, in the Greek kingdom?
It has been celebrated since the time when Christianity became the Greco-Roman state religion.
Is there evidence that Christians celebrated Sunday even before the Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine?
Yes, very much.
What documentary evidence of the celebration of Sunday has come down to us from the 3rd century, i.e., from the time of Constantine the Great?
The following persons testify to the celebration of Sunday by Christians: the teacher of the Church Origen, who died around 255; the Carthaginian teacher Tertullian (died around 220) in book 1, chapter 13, "To the Nations"; and St. Clement of Alexandria, who died in 220. The latter says: "He who fulfills the precept of the gospel makes that day the Lord's day, when, having cast away an evil thought of the soul and received the mind and knowledge of the Lord Himself, he glorifies the resurrection."
Is there evidence of the celebration of Sunday in the second century?
Yes. The historian Eusebius of Caesarea reports that he knows of a whole work on the celebration of Sunday, written by the apologist Melito of Sardis around 166.
St. Ignatius the God-bearer—the same Ignatius who lived in the time of Christ the Savior: when he was still a child, the Lord placed him among the Apostles and said: "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:1-4). St. Ignatius the God-bearer writes in his epistle to the Magnesians: "having become His (Christ's) disciples, let us learn to live according to Christianity... put away the evil leaven, which has become old and sour, and turn to the new leaven, which is Jesus Christ. Be salted in Him, lest any one among you be corrupted, for by your savor you shall be convicted. It is absurd to profess Jesus Christ, and to Judaize. For Christianity did not believe in Judaism, but Judaism in Christianity, in which every tongue believing in God was gathered together" (chapter X). "Those who lived according to the old order of things have come to a new hope, no longer keeping 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—whom some deny" (chapter IX). "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, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death" (chapter IX, different translation). "If we still live according to the Jewish law, we openly confess that we have not received grace" (chapter VIII).
The celebration of Sunday is also spoken of in the book "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles," which has come down to us from the beginning of the 2nd century.
Is there evidence of the celebration of Sunday in the first century of Christianity?
Yes. Canon 64 of the holy Apostles speaks of this. And the Apostle Barnabas writes in his epistle: "We keep the eighth day with gladness, in which Jesus also rose from the dead, and having appeared ascended into heaven."
Is there an indication in Holy Scripture of the celebration of Sunday?
Yes. In the book of Acts of the Holy Apostles, in chapter 20, verses 6-11, it is related that the Apostle Paul stayed in Troas for seven days. "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight." This gathering was solemn, festive, because "there were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together." Here the Apostle, "breaking bread and having eaten, he talked a long while, even till daybreak, and so departed" (Acts 20:6-11).
Out of all seven days of his stay in Troas, the Apostles with the Christians chose "the first day" for the solemn gathering, that is, Sunday; therefore, this day was set apart by them from the other days of the week.
From what time did they begin to set apart the first, or as they also called it, the eighth day of the week for celebration?
From the hour when on this day Christ the Savior rose from the dead. On this same day, the risen Lord especially appeared to the Apostles and the faithful women.
Where can we find testimonies of these appearances of the risen Christ Jesus?
In Holy Scripture. It is indicated there how the Lord, having risen, appeared on the first day of the week to the myrrh-bearing women (Matt. 28:1, 9), to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9), to the Apostle Peter (Luke 24:34), to Cleopas and Luke (Luke 24:13-32), to the eleven without Thomas (John 20:19), and to the eleven with Thomas (John 20:26).
Is there a prediction about the glorification of the day of the Lord's Resurrection?
The Psalmist and prophet David prayed to the Lord for salvation and predicted that the Lord had already determined this day. "I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity" (Ps. 118:21-25).
On which day did the Lord accomplish our salvation?
The Apostle Peter says that God "according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pet. 1:3), and Christ rose on the first day of the week (Mark 16:9), that is, according to our reckoning, on Sunday. The first day was the beginning of the creation of the world, and this day became the beginning of a new, grace-filled life.
Why then do the Seventh-day Adventists not celebrate Sunday, as all Christians have celebrated it since the time of the holy Apostles?
They say that there is no direct command for this in Holy Scripture.
What should be answered to the Adventists for this judgment of theirs?
We need to tell them that in Holy Scripture there is also no command to celebrate Holy Pascha (Easter) and the Nativity of Christ. Yet none of the Christians will refuse to celebrate these sacred days. Like these great feasts, Christians have always celebrated Sunday instead of Saturday. This is told to us by Christian Holy Tradition and the history of the Church of Christ.
On what basis, then, do the Adventists celebrate Saturday instead of Sunday?
They say that Saturday was celebrated from the very creation of the world and should be celebrated until the existence of the world ends.
Is it true that Saturday was celebrated from the very creation of the world, when "God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made" (Gen. 2:2-3)?
From this text cited by the sectarians, it is not at all evident that God commanded man to celebrate Saturday. And indeed, the celebration of Saturday began 3840 years after the creation of the world, only 1668 years before the birth of Christ.
On what occasion did people begin to celebrate Saturday?
The Israelites were in Egyptian bondage, and the Lord miraculously delivered them from captivity, led them out of Egypt and led them to the land of Canaan. God miraculously led them through the Red Sea and along the way, in the wilderness, gave the Israelites miraculous bread—manna from heaven—which fell on the earth daily and was gathered in the amount needed for daily sustenance. "And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating. And when the sun waxed hot, it melted. And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake today, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. (And when they left manna until the morning on a non-Sabbath day, it bred worms and stank Ex. 16:20). And Moses said, Eat that today; for today is a sabbath unto the Lord: today ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day" (Ex. 16:21-30).
This is the first indication in the Holy Bible of the celebration of the Sabbath.
Did the Lord legislate the celebration of the Sabbath for the Israelites?
He did. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God" (Ex. 20:8-10).
How was the Sabbath to be kept?
On the Sabbath, nothing could be done (Ex. 20:8-10), they could not boil or bake (Ex. 16:23), they could not kindle a fire in their dwellings (Ex. 35:3), they could not carry wood (Num. 15:32-33), they could not sell or buy (Neh. 10:31; 13:15-22), they could not carry burdens (Jer. 17:21), and they had to offer special sacrifices (Num. 28:9-10).
Why did the Lord strictly forbid the Jews to do any work on the Sabbath?
In Holy Scripture, the Lord thus explains this prohibition against working on the Sabbath. "but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it" (Ex. 20:10-11).
On what occasion and in memory of what did God command the Sabbath to be kept?
The Lord Himself thus explains to Israel: "And remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day" (Deut. 5:15).
For what time was the commandment to keep the Sabbath feast given?
For the time for which the entire Old Testament law was given, that is, until the establishment of the New Covenant by Christ the Savior. So it is said in Holy Scripture of the Old Testament law, that "it was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made" (Gal. 3:19).
How then is it said in Holy Scripture that the Sabbath was given to Israel as "a perpetual covenant" (Ex. 31:16-17)?
Here it is also explained how these words should be understood. The Lord says to "the children of Israel: 'Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you'" (Ex. 31:13); that is, the Lord makes a covenant for those ages during which the generations of Israel would be preserved, and they were preserved for 16-plus centuries, until Christ came and, instead of the ancient Israel, known by generations, established a new community of true believers in Him: formerly, the people of God were all born in the flesh from Abraham, but now Christ "gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12-13).
Could that which was established for ages be abolished?
It could. Thus, circumcision was also instituted as an "everlasting covenant" (Gen. 17:7). But Old Testament circumcision was replaced in the New Testament by Christian baptism (Col. 2:11), and the Old Testament Sabbath by the New Testament Sunday.
What is the meaning of replacing the Sabbath with Sunday?
The celebration of the Sabbath reminded Israel how it was in bondage to the Egyptians, and how God delivered it from this bondage. The celebration of Sunday reminds Christians how they were slaves to the devil, and how the Lord delivered them from this bondage by His resurrection from the dead.
On what basis do we not now celebrate the Sabbath as in Old Testament times?
On the basis that the Church of Christ abolished the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law, and consequently, the celebration of the Sabbath, at the first Apostolic Council, in the year 52.
How did this abolition occur?
In Jerusalem, "some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, 'It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.' Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And after there had been much dispute... it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well" (Acts 15:5-6, 28-29).
As can be seen, neither circumcision, nor sacrifices, nor other Old Testament sacred rites, nor distinctions of food, nor Old Testament feasts, nor the Sabbath—none of this is needed in the New Testament; all this was abolished by the Orthodox Church at the Apostolic Council.
What do the Seventh-day Adventists say when this clear command of the Council to abolish the Sabbath is shown to them?
The Adventists say that the Old Testament is divided into two parts: the law of God, consisting of the ten Sinaitic commandments of God, and the law of Moses, which contains all the other Old Testament ordinances. The law of Moses, as human, the Apostles abolished, but the law of God remains unchanged, and it is in this that the Sabbath is spoken of. Therefore, the Sabbath must be kept.
What should be said to the Adventists for these arguments of theirs?
First of all, these arguments of the Adventists are pure invention of theirs, and nowhere is it written about them: neither about the division of the Old Testament, nor about the affirmation of God's commandments with the abolition of the law of Moses.
Secondly, the Adventists completely incorrectly divide the Old Testament law into Commandments of God and the law of Moses, because the entire Old Testament law, without exception, was given by the Lord, and Moses was only the transmitter. So it is said in Holy Scripture: "And the Lord said to Moses, 'Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them'" (Ex. 24:12). And in the book of Nehemiah, it is said that at the request of the people of Israel, the priest Ezra "brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding... So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God" (Neh. 8:2, 8). It is clear that the books of Moses were always considered the law of God.
What else do the Adventists take from the Old Testament law, besides the celebration of the Sabbath?
The Adventist "clergy"—falsely ordained preachers and others—take from all belonging to the Adventist heresy a tithe, that is, a tenth part of their annual income; besides, the Adventists distinguish animals into clean and unclean, permitted and forbidden for food: for some reason they do not eat pork or hare.
Were there in ancient times heretics who, like the Seventh-day Adventists, imposed on Christians the observance of the Sabbath and other ordinances of the Old Testament law?
There were, and the Apostle Paul warned Christians against them. "But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days and months and seasons and years. I am afraid for you, lest I have labored for you in vain" (Gal. 4:9-11).
Among the Colossian Christians, such Judaizing heretics also appeared and also wanted to lead them astray from the path of truth and incline them to fulfill the law of Moses; when the Christians refused to celebrate the Sabbath and fulfill other ordinances of the ancient law, the heretics reproached them for this. The Apostle writes concerning this: "So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ" (Col. 2:16-17); that is, all these things listed by the Apostle were a shadow, a prefiguration of Christ and His work, and now all this has been fulfilled.
Could the celebration of the Sabbath be abolished?
It could. Christ the Savior Himself began this abolition even before His sufferings and resurrection from the dead. He, contrary to the command of the Jews, performed miracles on the Sabbath and even commanded the paralytic He had healed, who had lain by the sheep pool, to take up his bed and carry it, although it was the Sabbath, and on the Sabbath day, as said by the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 17:21), no burdens could be carried. The Jews were very indignant at Christ for His command to the healed paralytic, as they were indignant in other similar cases; but the Savior said of Himself: "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Matt. 12:8; Mark 2:27-28; Luke 6:6-11), indicating that the Sabbath would be replaced by another joyful festive day. The Jews were so angry with Christ that "they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus" (Luke 6:11), and even "plotted how they might destroy Him" (Matt. 12:14).
Like the ancient Jews, the Seventh-day Adventists rage against Christians for the Sabbath, thereby proving that they are the same enemies of the salvation of Christ as the ancient tormentors of Christ were.
Do the Adventists correctly say that the celebration of Sunday is the covenant of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine?
No, they do not, because we have already adduced proofs that Sunday has always been celebrated from the time of Christ's resurrection; but before Constantine, Christianity was a persecuted faith, persecuted in the Greco-Roman kingdom, which had pagan laws, and therefore Sunday was not honored; when Emperor Constantine himself accepted Christianity, he decided to make the entire Greco-Roman state Christian, and over time he issued a law by which all his subjects were to conform in their civil life to this Christian feast, i.e., to Sunday, just as now in Russia, even though not all subjects are of the Orthodox faith, yet all are obliged to respect the Christian celebration of Sunday.
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