Sabbath (Teachings of the Orthodox Church)

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And if thy hand cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having thy two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life halt, rather than having thy two feet to be cast into hell, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye cause thee to stumble, cast it out: it is good for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell; where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

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	Sabbath (Teachings of the Orthodox Church)

QUESTION:

I was wondering why -- and I assume this came before the Catholic/Greek split -- the church changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday.

I never realized it until a Jewish friend mentioned that their Sabbath was Saturday. When I thought about it, I realized that Saturday was the the Seventh Day on which God rested after creating the world.

Also, the word for Saturday in many European languages is a variation of the word Sabbath (e.g., in Italian, Sabato).

ANSWER:

The Saturday Sabbath is appropriate to the Old Testament.

In the New Testament -- which celebrates the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week -- the central experience of our faith as Christians is commemorated every Sunday of the year. We find the fulfillment tothat which was revealed in the Old Testament.

We are under no more obligation to follow the Saturday Sabbath than we are to follow Old Testament dietary restrictions -- upon which today's Kosher laws are derived -- or to practice circumcision as a sign of our covenant with God.

Published in January 2011.

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