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Sabbatarianism can refer to either:
- The practice of observing the time between Friday's sunset to Saturday's sunset as the Sabbath (which happens to be Judaism's Shabbat as well). By this definition, religious (usually Orthodox) Jews, Seventh-day Adventists, certain Church of God organizations, and Seventh Day Baptists are "sabbatarians".
- Strict observance of the Sabbath on Sunday, to avoid not only work but many forms of amusement. By this definition, some conservative Christians, most of them within the Reformed tradition, are "sabbatarians", believing the first day of the week or Lord's Day to be the new covenant Sabbath (the 4th commandment never having been revoked). (During the formation of Reform Judaism, there was a proposal to observe Sunday as their "Sabbath". This is not actually practiced by Reform Jews today.)
- A split from Unitarianism in Central Europe to adopt Mosaic law and customs, including the Sabbath. It was founded in Transylvania at the end of the 16th century by a Eössi András. The Unitarian Church condemned Sabbatarianism as innovation (forbidden by the Transylvanian law on religious toleration) in 1618. The last Sabbatarian congregation in Transylvania disappeared in the 19th century and the remaining Sabbatarians joined the existing Jewish communities. Sabbatarianism also expanded to Russia, where they were called Subbotniki, and to other countries. It was also practiced among Dissenters in England under the leadership of John Traske (1586-1636).
Basis for Sabbatarianism (Friday sunset to Saturday sunset)
It has been claimed, on the basis of ancient written evidence that the primitive apostolic church was Sabbatarian. (Jesus, being Jewish, observed the weekly Sabbath as well as the annual High Sabbaths, confirmed by numerous passages written in the New Testament, or what is referred to by some as the Christian Bible). Evidence confirmed by the New Testament: That the apostles were all Nomian Christians. Even Paul of Tarsus, the one apostle sent out to the Gentile world, was known to preach on the Sabbaths and even observed some of the rituals of cleansing and vow observance written of in the Old Testament (Acts 21:23). However, the Council of Jerusalem made no requirement on Gentile Christians other than the abstaining from things offered to idols, strangled, blood, and fornication.
Opposing these, Acts 20:7 indicates that the Christians at Troas met "for the breaking of bread" on Sunday, the first day of the week, and 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 says that the Christians should lay aside something on Sunday so that no collection would be needed when Paul arrived. Furthermore, many non-Sabbatarian argue that Sunday worship is not keeping the Sabbath, but a commemoration of Easter and Pentecost, both events falling on Sundays.
Sabbatarian Christianity, as a sect of Judaism, began as a fulfillment of many prophecies from the Torah and the Prophets. Some of those prophecies, and more from the New Testament include a future false religion that would name Jesus as Messiah or the Christ, but also teach the mystery of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2:7), or what is theologically referred to as Antinomianism.
Sabbatarians claims that the Creator sanctified the Sabbath for all time (Genesis 2:3) Mainstream Christianity typically worships on Sunday. Sabbatarians have claimed that this stems from its being the day of the Sun, or Sol Invictus, as in Mithraism, although evidence is lacking that Mithraists, or any other pagan religion of the time, had weekly religious practices, whether on Sunday or any other day. Indeed, during the persecutions of Diocletian, fifty Christians were identified -- and suffered martyrdom -- because they were observed gathering on a Sunday in a place where they could only be engaged in worship; this identified them as Christians, indicating that no other religion practiced Sunday worship at the time.
Sabbatarians, however, emphasize that the Jewish-born Jesus, often referred to by titles such as Word of God, the Messiah, or Christ, observed the Sabbath during his earthly incarnation. Some Sabbatarians believe Mainstream Christianity's chosen day of worship to be the sign written of false Christianity prophecied in the New Testament, whereas non-Sabbatarians believe that the Bible supports the teaching that certain observances such as the Sabbath were shadows of greater realities fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Sabbatarians often consider themselves as the remnant that hold to the testimony of Christ, and keep the Commandments, spoken of in the book of Revelation. Many non-Sabbatarians believe Revelation to be symbolic, or previously fulfilled, or both.
Sabbatarians believe that the Torah, the Prophets, and the New Testament teach that the Sabbaths remain sanctified beyond the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and today serve to remind believers of the Creator, who is the Christ, or the Messiah. Sabbatarians believe divine grace is an important part of the great news, but can be used to corrupt the Gospel of the Kingdom of God if it is not balanced with obedience.
See also
References
- Hahn, Scott, Swear to God: The Promise And Power of the Sacraments, Doubleday, 2004
External links
"Sabbatarianism"