Traditionally, Christians, except for certain Protestant currents, consider Sunday to be the Lord’s day. It is on this day that it is customary to visit the temple of God and dedicate the day to God according to the Decalogue (Ten Commandments of God).
But, reading the Commandments of God, we do not see any mention of “Sunday day”, but we meet a mention of “Sabbath day”. Accordingly, questions arise: why do Christians celebrate Sunday and is this not considered a violation of the commandment? There are several reasons here and we will try to understand them.
This is partly related to the numbering of the days of the week in Greco-Roman culture, when the days of the week were dedicated to a certain deity: Sunday – Dies Solaris/Day of the Sun (Sunday – English, Sonntag – German). Old English Mōnandæg (pronounced [mon.nan.dæg] or [mon.nan.dæj’) означає «день місяця» і т.д.
Існують також особливості перекладу – слово, яке перекладачі Біблії переклали як «день», давньоєврейською мовою звучить «йом» й означає також період, етап, тобто шестиднев творіння світу міг розтягнутися на період, який тривав мільйони років:
«…у Господа один день, як тисяча років, і тисяча років, як один день…»,
а слово, яке в традиційних Бібліях передане як «субота», насправді це «шаббат», що означає «спокій».
Тоді ця заповідь звучала б так: «Пам’ятай день спокою, щоб святити його. Шість днів працюй і роби [в них] all your work, and the seventh day is a day of rest to the Lord, your God… Therefore, the Lord blessed the day of rest and sanctified it…”.
In the literal sense, the commandment does not speak about the calendar Sabbath, but about the “seventh day”, which corresponds to Sunday.
In the first centuries, Sunday became a holiday in honor of Christ’s resurrection, which was given attention as a day of religious services and rest.
On March 7, 321, the Roman emperor Constantine the Great declared Sunday a day of rest. According to his decree, all worldly affairs had to be postponed on this day: markets were closed, state institutions stopped their work.
The importance of Sunday was also confirmed by subsequent decrees. In 337, a law was passed on the mandatory participation of Christian soldiers in the Sunday Holy Liturgy.
Later, Emperor Theodosius issued an edict forbidding public spectacles on Sundays. Since apostolic times, the day of the Resurrection of Christ was considered the Lord’s Day
“And on the first day of the week, when the disciples gathered for the breaking of bread, Paul had a speech to them, because he was going to leave in the morning, and he delayed his speech until midnight (Acts 7:11).
In some nations, Sunday is considered the beginning of the week. In the writings of early Christians, honoring the “Lord’s Day”, i.e. Sunday, becomes a universal tradition. St. Ignatius the God-bearer (II century) wrote:”
If we still live according to the Jewish law, then we openly admit that we have not received grace.” Tertullian in his epistle “says to the pagans that some believe that the Christian God is the sun, that our custom is known… to celebrate the day of the sun.”
Here it can be assumed that Christians gathered on Sunday for the Eucharist and this particular day was declared a day of rest as Dies Solaris / Day of the Sun. Saint Justin the Philosopher (II century) testified:
“On the day of the sun (Sunday), we tell the gathering that this is the first day on which God, changing the darkness, created the world, and Jesus Christ, our Savior, rose from the dead on the same day.”
Reading the pages of the Gospel, we can conclude that Christ was preparing people for the celebration of Sunday, because we see how Christ called himself the Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5) and often violated it in the eyes of the Jews, healing on the Sabbath like a paralytic who carried his bed (John 5 :10-11).
He also did not forbid his students to pluck ears of corn, grind them and eat them on the Sabbath. With the Resurrection of Christ, a new life began: circumcision, sacrifices, Sabbaths remained in the past.
The celebration of the “Lord’s Day” on Sunday was so obvious to the early Christians that it was not even mentioned much in the councils. Sometimes the references were of a disciplinary nature, for example, rule 20 of the First Ecumenical Council forbids kneeling on Sunday. And the 29th rule of the Council of Laodicea (360) says
“Christians do not like to practice Judaism and celebrate on Saturday, but they work on this day, and preferably celebrate Sunday, if they can, as Christians.
If it turns out that they are practicing Judaism, let there be anathema from Christ.»Therefore, the celebration of Sunday by Christians, and not the Old Testament Sabbath, is not considered a violation of the fourth commandment, because the “Lord’s Day” and the “day of rest” mentioned in the Decalogue do not fall on a calendar Saturday, but on a calendar Sunday in commemoration of the Resurrection of Christ.
So in “Day of rest”we offer you to refresh in your memory a number of God’s commandments, which will protect you and your descendants from mistakes, set you up for work, constructiveness and peace:
1. I am the Lord, your God; may you have no other gods besides Me.
This is a commandment that one should worship only one God and not have other gods.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. Do not bow down to them or serve them.
It is forbidden to create idols or images for worship.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
The commandment forbids the misuse of God’s name in vain or disrespectful contexts.
4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
This commandment obliges to devote one day a week (Saturday) to rest and worship God.
5. Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long on the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
This commandment calls for respect and honoring parents.
6. don’t kill
It is forbidden to kill another person.
7. Do not commit adultery.
Commandment against adultery and any form of adultery.
8. Don’t steal.
It is forbidden to take what belongs to another.
9. Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Perjury or lying against others is prohibited.
10. Do not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.
This commandment warns against envying what belongs to others.
These commandments are the basis for many ethical norms and laws in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
The eleventh commandment given by Jesus Christ is often called the “New Commandment”. It is recorded in the Gospel of John 13:34-35:
“I give you a new commandment: Love one another! As I have loved you, so love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love among yourselves.”
This commandment emphasizes love as the main principle that should govern the relationship between Jesus’ disciples. Christ called his followers to love each other unconditionally, as he himself loved people. This commandment became a key moral and ethical principle in the Christian faith.
We wish each of you God’s blessing!
