Today, many churches keep Sunday worship, referring to it as the Lord’s Day; however, according to the Bible, God commanded us to worship on the seventh day (Ge 2:1–3; Ex 20:8–11). According to the week system, the Sabbath day is on Saturday. Jesus and His apostles did not worship on Sunday, but kept the Sabbath as their custom (Lk 4:16; Ac 17:2; 18:4). How did the Sabbath day in the Bible change to Sunday worship? Let’s take a look at how Sunday, the sacred day of the sun god Mithra of Rome, changed to the day of Christian worship.
Sunday Is Originally a Sacred Day for Mithraism
At the time when Christianity was preached in Rome, Mithraism was the most influential religion in the Roman Empire. Mithraism, derived from Persian Zoroastrianism, was a religion that worshiped the sun god Mithra; it was introduced in Rome around the first century BC. Mithra was worshiped fervently by soldiers as the invincible god with the strong young build of a warrior. As Mithraism spread to the nobles and imperial families, it was later raised to the position of a tutelary deity of the empire and its emperors. The sacred day kept to honor Mithra was Sunday.
“That Sunday was the sacred day of Mithra, the Invincible Sun, is a fact known and taught by many outstanding authorities of modern times. For example, a well-known Roman Catholic work, The Catholic Encyclopedia, not only states that in Mithraism ‘the seven days of the week were dedicated to the planets,’ but also declares, ‘Sunday was kept holy in honor of Mithra.’ ” Robert Leo Odom, Sunday in Roman Paganism, TEACH Services, Inc., 2003, p. 155
Origin of Sunday Worship
Increased Persecution of Christianity by the Roman Empire
Unlike Mithraism, there were some religions that were not welcomed by the Romans; they were Judaism and Christianity. The Romans, who had deep roots in polytheistic ideas, did not understand the monotheistic beliefs of Judaism and Christianity. Moreover, the Roman imperial family regarded Jews and Christians as traitors because they refused to worship the emperor and participate in national events because of their faith. Christians received heavier persecution than Judaism because they spread to many ethnic groups unlike Judaism that was limited to a specific ethnic group.
In the midst of this situation, two Jewish-Roman Wars broke out in the first and second centuries due to conflicts between the Roman Empire and the Jews. The Romans viewed the Jews as defiant due to their repeated rebellious acts. Because of this, the Romans severely persecuted the Jews; however, because Christians believed in one God and gathered for worship on the Sabbath just as the Jews did, the persecution against them worsened as well.
The Roman Church Insisted on Sunday Worship
At that time, the Western Churches, which centered in Rome, were mostly made up of Gentile believers. They had a strong resentment against Judaism because they crucified Jesus and consistently persecuted Christians. As the persecution in Rome by the Jews intensified, some started to view the Sabbath, which is the commandment of God, as the day of worship for the Jews. Satan deluded the church into thinking that it was unnecessary to receive more persecution from the Roman Empire by adhering to the law of the Sabbath. Some even insisted that if they kept worship on Sunday instead of the Sabbath, the Romans who regarded Sunday as sacred would show them favor and alleviate the persecution. This in turn would give them the opportunity to convert the Romans to Christianity.
From the beginning of the second century, the Roman Church began to worship on Sunday instead of Saturday, the Sabbath day. They rationalized their observance of Sunday worship with the excuse that Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday. Rather than following Jesus’ teaching and the example of the apostles to keep worship on Saturday, they insisted on their own personal opinion. Not every church, however, chose to accept the observance of Sunday worship in those days. Unlike the Western Churches, which centered in Rome, the Eastern Churches kept Saturday as the Sabbath until the beginning of the fourth century.
“We always find in ancient writers frequent mention made of religious assemblies on the Saturday, or seventh day of the week, which was the Jewish Sabbath. . . . For Athanasius, who is one of the first that mentions it, says, “they met on the Sabbath, not that they were infected with Judaism, but to worship Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath.” Joseph Bingham, The Antiquities of the Christian Church, Book 13, Chap. 9, Sect. 3
“Almost all churches throughout the world celebrate the sacred mysteries on the Sabbath of every week, yet the Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient tradition, have ceased to do this.” Socrates Scholasticus, Church History, Book V, Chap. 22
The History of the Establishment of Sunday Worship
The Edict of Milan and Recognition of Christianity
In AD 313, Constantine’s Edict of Milan became a great turning point in Christianity. Constantine acknowledged Christianity through this edict and carried out policies supporting Christians.
Although he treated Christians favorably, he did not genuinely believe Christianity. He retained the pagan high priest’s title, Pontifex Maximus, until the end of his life, and he actively participated in the pagan festivals. Also, his coin depicted the symbol of the pagan god, the Unconquered Sun.
“Constantine did, indeed, retain the pagan high priest’s title of Pontifex Maximus, and for a decade his coins continued to feature some of the pagan gods, notably his own favorite deity, the Unconquered Sun. . . . It is important to understand Constantine’s previous religion, the worship of the Unconquered Sun. . . . Constantine continued to identify the sun with the Christian God in some way.” Tim Dowley, The History of Christianity (A Lion Handbook), Lion Publishing, 1994, p. 140
To advance his political agenda, Constantine only chose Christianity as a religion to effectively unite the whole empire.
“But as the reign progressed Constantine supported the Christians more and more, and one can only conclude that his aim was to make of Christianity the cement that was to bind together the whole Empire.” J. W. C. Wand, A History of the Early Church to A.D. 500, Routledge, 2006, p. 131
Sunday Legislation
Constantine identified his favorite sun god with Christ and intended to combine Christianity and the sun god religion. The Sunday legislation decreed in AD 321 had these intentions.
“ ‘All judges, city-people and craftsmen shall rest on the venerable day of the Sun. . . .’ 7 March 321. CONSTANTINE’S Edict” Tim Dowley, The History of Christianity (A Lion Handbook), Lion Publishing, 1994, p. 152
Through the words, “the venerable day of the Sun,” we can see that the Sunday Law was not only for the Christians in Rome but also for the Mithra worshipers. Constantine cleverly combined the sun god religion that held Sunday sacred with the Western Churches that forsook the teaching of God and kept Sunday worship. The Mithra worshipers also had no reason to oppose the edict because they regarded Sunday as a holy day.
“But perhaps the most significant evidence of this policy is to be found in the decree of 321 regulating Sunday observance. That ordinance puts the Lord’s Day on the same level of observance as the pagan festivals and marks it by the cessation of work. It is noteworthy, however, that the day is described by no Christian appellation but simply as dies venerabilis solis, and no pagan could well object to that.”
※ dies venerabilis solis: Latin words meaning “the venerable day of the Sun” J. W. C. Wand, A History of the Early Church to A.D. 500, Routledge, 2006, p. 132
Sunday legislation, which forced all people under the Roman empire to rest on Sunday, resulted in the elimination of Sabbath worship and the establishment of Sunday worship. Before the year 321, only the Church in Rome and some other churches under its influence kept Sunday worship. After 321, however, even the Eastern Churches which held fast to the Sabbath surrendered to the Roman sun god religion. This is why many churches today observe Sunday, the holy day of the sun god, as the “Lord’s Day,” not observing the Sabbath which is in the Bible.
Sunday Worship Is a Commandment Created by Men
As history shows, Sunday worship does not come from the teachings of Jesus or the apostles, but is merely a rule made and taught by men. Even though many churches keep worship on Sunday, this does not mean that Sunday becomes the true day of worship.
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and the teachers of the law for valuing the ancient traditions made by men rather than the commandments of God. Quoting the prophecy from the prophet Isaiah (Isa 29:13–14), He emphasized that by honoring Him only with our lips while keeping the rules of men we would be giving vain worship to God and cannot receive any blessings from it.
“You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ ” Mt 15:7-9
We must understand that this does not only apply to the Pharisees 2,000 years ago, but to us as well. If anyone forsakes the commandments of God and keeps the rules of men, no matter how many times they give wholehearted worship to God, they will not receive any blessings. Those who truly fear and love God keep God’s commandments (Jn 14:15). The blessing of salvation is given to those who keep the seventh-day Sabbath, which is the commandment of God testified in the Bible.
