Technically I believe Paul is (an others also) now, quite literally, this very day (Tuesday, the 2nd day of the week, 27th day of the month), celebrating the Lord’s Sabbath Rest:
Here’s one reason why:
Heb 4:3,4,9-10 (LEB) For we who have believed enter into rest, …, For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all his works,” … Consequently a Sabbath rest remains for the people of God. For the one who has entered into his rest has also himself rested from his works, just as God did from his own works.
In the fragments of Polycrates that I referenced in my earlier post, I intentionally …’d a lot of what the author/translator of the fragment said about John, Polycarp and the others continuing to observe the Sabbath and the Passover Feast(s). But if you go read what else was said there we find:
1. The author said the reason John the Apostle and the other martyrs mentioned (who were all dead ‘resting’ as the author pointed out, except for the author Polycrates (of course) who was just about to die when he wrote it, continued to observe the Passover on the 14th of the month was due to their ‘Jewishness’ and their continued fellowship with their Jewish brothers/sisters/aunts/uncles, etc.. Some of which didn’t even believe that Jesus was The Christ yet they observed Passover together, none-the-less. My guess is John and the others used it (as they did all occasions) as a time of witnessing to their relatives about the Christ (the real Passover Lamb). Kind of like an atheist uncle coming over for Christmas dinner.
2. Polycarp said that John (before he died) had predicted that an end would one-day come to the observance of the traditional Jewish Passover among Christians. And it did yet it seem to be coming back.
3. Polycarp and the others he mentioned (including John) not only continued to celebrate the Jewish Passover with their families during their lifetimes, they celebrated a “weekly Easter” they called it “The Lord’s Day”. They celebrated it on the 1st day of the week (Sunday).
it may at first seem surprising that this Apostle can be claimed by Polycrates in behalf of the Eastern custom
to keep Easter, with the Jews, on the fourteenth day of the moon.
But to the Jews the Apostles became "as Jews" in all things tolerable, so long as the Temple stood, and while the bishops of Jerusalem were labouring to identify the Paschal Lamb with their Passover.The long survival of St. John among Jewish Christians led them to prolong this usage, no doubt, as sanctioned by his example.
He foreknew it would quietly pass away. The wise and truly Christian spirit of Irenaeus prepared the way for the ultimate unanimity of the Church in a matter which lies at the base of "the Christian Sabbath," and of our own observance of the first day of the week as a weekly Easter.
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/polycrates.html
Additionally, in this ECF’s writings (
Ignatius, 105-115 A.D.) in
Chapter IX-Let us live with Christ, there’s some relevant historical discussion to the topic of this thread concerning how (and when
and why) the Jewish Sabbath observance on Saturday started to become the ‘ancient order of things’ and a new hope began that was/is “The Lord’s Day”. Obviously, none of this is Scripture but interesting history, none-the-less:
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..
Let us therefore no longer keep the Sabbath after the Jewish manner, and rejoice in days of idleness; for "he that does not work, let him not eat." For say the [holy] oracles, "
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread." 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 a prescribed space, nor finding delight in dancing and plaudits [Enthusiastic expression of praise or approval, I had to look it upJ ] 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 [of the week].
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/ignatius-magnesians-longer.html
In other words, similar to what Paul says about continuing the law of circumcision (for the purposes of making yourself righteous that is, if you’re going to do it (cut your foreskin off), then just go all the way and cut it all off); Ignatius points out that if you’re gonna ‘rest-up’ on the Jewish Sabbath each week (Saturday) for the purpose of fulfilling the ancient order of things, then go ahead and go all the way. Don’t eat anything (“let him not eat”)! Not a bad point, in my opinion.
But he goes on to say, regardless, after you do all that ancient stuff, then celebrate The Lord’s Days , the resurrection day, the chief of all the days of the week if you are a friend of Christ.
If you want to lay aside the sour leaven and eat unleavened bread fine, have at it. But for Christ’s sake, eat the new leaven (Christ) on the day after that day, Sunday. It’s my observation that most Sabbath (Saturday) keepers celebrate and/or rest on Saturday but just ignore the Sunday celebration (or worse, preach against us that do celebrate the chief day, the resurrection day), for some odd reason.
Maybe Ignatius had in mind the following point from the sermon to the Hebrews when he made his commentary, quoted above:
Hebrews 7:18-21 (LEB) For on the one hand a preceding commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness. (for the law made nothing perfect), but on the other hand there is the introduction of a better hope through which we draw near to God.
Thanks, chessman.
If what he did was not a direct command of the Spirit, is that allowed?
