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Lord's Day

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The "Lord's Day" is one of the traditional Christian names for Sunday, the first day of the Judaeo-Christian seven-day week, observed by many Christians as the memorial of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Early in the history of Christianity, the tradition of Christ's Sunday morning resurrection gave rise to the Christian custom, later to become an obligation, of gathering every Sunday morning to worship the Christian Lord, Jesus — hence the name "Lord's Day".

The name Lord's Day

Probable early references

"Lord's Day" or 'Day Belonging to the Lord' is the English translation of the ancient Greek kyriake hemera, a term that first appears in Christian literature in the latter half of the first century. Within a few decades, however, the term kyriake hemera became ubiquitous in Christianity, so that hemera was ellided. Thus, when a Christian writer referred to the kyriake, his readers understood that Sunday was meant. Some claim that a mandate by Constantine in A.D. 321 "changed" the date from Saturday Shabbat to Sunday Sabbath, but others claim scripture never mentions any Shabbat gatherings by believers for fellowship or worship, for purposes other than witnessing to the Jews, such as in Acts 13 and 18.

There are clear passages that mention the first day of the week, such as Acts 20:7, "On the first day of the week the disciples came together to break bread," (this text evidence is doubtful because desciples have being gathering together every day (Acts 2:46), and the passage does not set aside the day for God above any other day) and 1 Corinthians 16:2, "On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper" (Paul designates this offering as "service" in 2 Corinthians 9:12). There is no proof in these passages that these practices were habitually practiced by Christians at that time beyond the situations that called for them or that these gatherings had anything to do with honoring the resurrection or Sunday. (As the breaking of bread in Acts 20:7 occured after the days of Unleavened bread and Passover (Acts 20:6), it could not have been an anniversary commemoration of the ressurection. It could, however, have been a communion ceremony done in rememberance, or breakfast/fellowship among the brethren, as the text does not specify.) Paul's message, began that morning after breaking bread together with fellow believers, continues until midnight - well into what would be considered 'Monday' as Jewish days began and ended at sundown. In Acts 20:6, just before the verse in question, part of Paul's travel itinerary is listed - 'We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and came to them at Troas within five days'. The Days of Unleavened Bread included Passover and the seven Day Feast of Unleavened bread. Paul was well aware of Jewish customs, having formerly been a pharisee, and is recorded as keeping many holy days. (Acts 20:16, 18:21) While the particulars of how he celebrated them are not recorded, the calendar would not be different - and the Sabbath was an integral part of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Day of Atonement, and many other Jewish Holy days. (He was also jewish.)

The first appearance of the term kyriake hemera is in the New Testament, in the Book of Revelation, which was written in the latter decades of the first century. In Rev. 1:10, the author writes, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day." Most Christian commentators interpret Rev. 1:10 as a reference to Sunday, but some argue that because Revelation contains numerous eschatological visions, kyriake hemera in this passage should be taken as a reference to the end of the world or Judgment Day, which Old Testament prophets often called the Day of the Lord. However, in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, as well as in the original Greek texts of the New Testament, the eschatological judgment day is called hemera tou kyriou, never kyriake hemera. It is possible that when later Christians began to call Sunday "the Lord's Day," they opted for kyriake hemera because hemera tou kyriou already had acquired its own connotation or meaning due to the Septuagint rendering.

Some seventh-day Sabbatarian writers have argued that because Jesus identified himself as "Lord even of the Sabbath day" (cf. Matt. 12:8), kyriake hemera in Rev. 1:10 should be interpreted as a reference to Saturday Sabbath. However, in almost every other extra-biblical instance where kyriake hemera or kyriake is used, the unambiguous meaning is Sunday. Justin Martyr described Sunday (not Saturday) morning services around 150 A.D. as consisting of baptisms, Scripture readings, preaching, prayer, and the Lord’s Supper (Apology 65-67: as per link below for Holman Bible Dictionary: Lord's Day). In the Bible, however, Sunday is never set aside by God for worship or remembrance. In Isaiah 58:13 God calls the Sabbath seventh-day Sabbath "My holy day", and Christ calls Himself "Lord of the Sabbath" (cf. Matt. 12:8, Mark 2:28, Luke 6:5). In Hebrews chapter 4, the future 'Sabbath Rest of God' in verse 9 is tied to its precedent, the seventh day of creation week, in verse 4.


Perhaps the second appearance of kyriake as a reference to Sunday is in the The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles or Didache, a document that may have been written in the latter decades of the first century, or perhaps in one of the early decades of the second. Didache 14 says, "But on the Lord's Day (kyriake de kyriou, literally, "the Lord's [day] of the Lord"), after that ye have assembled together, break bread and give thanks, having in addition confessed your sins, that your sacrifice may be pure." This is possibly an early reference to the weekly Sunday Eucharist (cf. Acts Acts 20:7, breaking bread on the first day of the week). However, in Acts 2:42 the Apostles devoted themselves to fellowship, prayer, and the "breaking of bread" with no time frame given; in Acts 2:46 it is revealed that this three fold pursuit was a daily activity, and the breaking of bread was for the purpose of eating. 'Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart' (Acts 2:46)

The double possessive form kyriake de kyriou is unique and not found elsewhere, and it is not known why the author of the Didache used that unique construction. However, Didache 14 was taken by later Christians as a reference to Sunday worship, supported by extra-Biblical documents such as the Didascalia and Apostolic Constitutions.

Around 110 A.D., St. Ignatius of Antioch used the word kyriake in a passage of his letter to the Magnesians that has often been cited as early evidence of Christianity's change from observance of Saturday Sabbath to observance of Sunday. However, due to textual variants, the meaning of that passage is in dispute. Based on the only extant Greek manuscript of the letter to the Magnesians, the Codex Mediceo-Laurentianus, the passage in question could be translated, "If, then, those who had walked in ancient practices attained unto newness of hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living according to the Lord’s life . . ." (kata kyriaken zoen zontes). But a medieval Latin translation of Magnesians indicates a textual reading of kata kyriaken zontes, which yields the translation, "no longer observing the Sabbath, but living according to the Lord's Day." Due to the uncertainty over the text, it is unclear whether or not Ignatius referred to the Lord's Day in this passage. However, the expanded Pseudo-Ignatian version of Magnesians from the middle of the third century rewrites this passage so that there can be no doubt that Pseudo-Ignatius understood it as a reference to Sunday. Pseudo-Ignatius writes, "Let us therefore no longer keep the Sabbath after the Jewish manner, . . . But let every one of you keep the Sabbath after a spiritual manner, . . . 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]." Catholics are quick to point out that Sunday sacredness is not explicitly or implicitly spelled out as a new command of God in the Bible itself (See the Convert's Catholic Catechism, pg 50).

Undisputed early references

The first undisputed reference to the Lord's Day is in the apocryphal Gospel of Peter, probably written about the middle of the second 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 the Lord's Day in an apocryphal gospel purportedly written by St. Peter indicates that the term kyriake was very widespread and had been in use for some time.

Around 170 A.D., 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 second century, the apocryphal Acts of Peter identify dies Dominica (Latin for "the Lord's Day") as "the next day after the Sabbath," i.e., Sunday. From the same period of time, the Acts of Paul present St. Paul praying "on the Sabbath as the Lord's Day (kyriake) drew near."

Thus, starting around the mid-second century, Christian usage of the term "Lord's Day" is amply documented, with three probable but disputed references from the latter first century or early half of the second century.

Bibliography

From Sabbath to Lord's Day: A Biblical, Historical and Theological Investigation, D.A. Carson, editor (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1982).

The Study of Liturgy, Cheslyn Jones, Geoffrey Wainwright, Edward Yarnold, SJ, and Paul Bradshaw, editors (New York, N.Y.:Oxford University Press, 1992), pp.456-458.

The Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, Geiermann, Peter. TAN Books and Publishers, Inc, 1977. pg. 50.

See also


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