Advocates for Sunday allowed their zeal for their tradition to get the better of their scholarship, and misused the writings of the early church Fathers (100AD-300AD) in order to gather support for the idea that Sunday was an apostolical institution, observed immediately as a replacement for the Sabbath in the early church.
Because of this, defenders of the seventh-day Sabbath truth found it necessary to investigate these writings, to see if it were indeed as these advocates claimed. This book is the result of the researches of J. N. Andrews, into the writings of the early church Fathers. It gathers together all the statements of these so-called “fathers” regarding the Sabbath, the Lord’s Day, and their views on the Law of God (whether it is applicable to Christians or not).
What appears, from all the evidence, is that there was a gradual falling away from the truth. Initially, many Christians observed the Sabbath. They also began to observe Sunday as a festival, but not as a replacement for the fourth commandment. As time passed, the Sabbath was oppressed, and Sunday was exalted. These movements were gradual, and there was not an immediate change originating from the Apostles’ days, nor was there a unity of views among the so-called early church Fathers.
This book is a handy resource for students interested in the history of the Sabbath controversy. 107p
Contents
- Introductory Statement
- Testimony of the Apostolical Constitutions
- Testimonies, 100-125 AD
- Testimony of Justin Martyr, 140 AD
- Testimonies, 150-180 AD
- Testimonies, 180-195 AD
- Testimony of Tertullian, 200 AD
- Testimonies, 200-250 AD
- Testimonies, 250-300 AD
- Testimonies, 300 AD
