polycrates, the gospel, and the torah

8/11/2019 Polycrates, The Gospel, And the Torah

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House of New eg innings Polycrates Page 1 of 20

April 23, 2014

House of New Beginnings

Polycrates, the Gospel, and The Torah


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The First Century

One of the key passages used by Protestant Christianity to teachthat Paul instructed Christian Gentiles not to observe the BiblicalFeast Days (the Appointed Times of Genesis 1:14 and Leviticus

23) is found in Colossians 2:16-17. Different translations havealso assisted in this by "adding words to the original text"(NASB) and some have actually changed what the underlyingGreek text said in order to make their case (NIV).

Recently (1996), a Professor of Religious Studies at Chicago'sSaint Xavier University, Dr. Troy Martin, has examined thispassage in great detail (and the bigger picture contained therein)and has come to the conclusion that this passage does not

support Protestant Christianity's position at all. Here's how heexplains it.

He began by asking the following question: "How did Paul's'communities reckon time?""Only by avoiding time-keeping altogether or by adhering to theJewish calendar [could] the Pauline communities escape idolatrousalternatives. Other time-keeping systems name the days and themonths after pagan deities and mark out the seasons by pagan rites.""In contrast, the Jews distinguish the seasons by festivals thatobviously have no pagan connotations. They recognize the months bynew moons and name these months using agricultural terms. Theydesignate the week by Sabbaths, and beginning from the Sabbath, theynumber, instead of name, the days of the week one through six. Theonly options available to Paul and his communities are Jewish, pagan,or no time-keeping system at all, and the evidence indicates they optfor the former."

"By Philosophy and Empty Deceit" Colossians as Response to a

Cynic Critique. Journal for the Study of the New Testament,Supplement Series 118. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996,pp. 125-127

"The references to time in Paul's Epistle to the Corinthiansexclusively reflect the adoption of a Jewish calendar. He buildsan elaborate argument based upon the festivals of Passover andunleavened bread (1 Cor. 5:6-8) to exhort the Corinthians, 'Let uskeep the festival' (1 Cor. 5:8)."


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"Although the temporal references in Paul's letters are sparse, 1Corinthians provides strong evidence for the Pauline adoption ofthe Jewish practice that marked time by festivals and Sabbaths."

Dr. Troy Martin,Pagan and Judeo-Christian Time-keeping Schemesin Galatians 4:10 and Colossians 2:16, Journal of New TestamentStudies, 42 (1996), pp. 108-109. [see below]

Dr. Martin's research on time keeping schemes presents aninteresting evaluation of the options that Paul's new Gentilebelievers faced. Since we know that the Jews that becamebelievers continued in the Torah including the Biblical calendar,it makes sense that the Gentile community would be taughtalong those same lines.

Before continuing with Dr. Martin's analysis, let's make our selvesaware of what the passage is saying, and who is saying what.

The question before us now is whether Paul, in Colossians 2:16-17, is approving or disapproving of the Gentile observance of theBiblical Holy days. Historically speaking, this text has beeninterpreted as a Pauline condemnation of these Biblical Holydays. Nevertheless, a closer examination discloses that thisinterpretation is incorrect. We submit that Paul is not warning

the Colossians against observing the Biblical Holy days butinstead is warning against those who would attempt to judgehow they observed them. Removing the parenthetical statementgives us "Therefore, let no one judge your eating anddrinking during the Biblical Holy days...except the body ofChrist." Verse 20 clearly denotes that "the judge who passesjudgment" is not Paul, but the false teachers in Colossae whowould impose "regulations" on how to observe these practices in

order to achieve 'rigor of devotion and self-abasement andseverity to the body (v 23). We know this because Paul definesthese things as commandments and doctrines of men (v22). Dothe scholars concur?

D. R. De Lacey, writing in the symposiumFrom Sabbath to Lord'sDay, rightly comments: "The judge is likely to be a man of ascetictendencies who objects to the Colossians' eating and drinking.The most natural way of taking the rest of the passage is not

that he also imposes a ritual of feast days, but rather that heobjects to certain elements of such observation."


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He concludes by saying "Here again (Col 2:16), then, it seemsthat Paul could happily countenance Sabbathkeeping"D. R. De Lacey, "The Sabbath/Sunday Question and the Law in the PaulineCorpus," From Sabbath to Lord's Day: A Biblical, Historical, & TheologicalInvestigation, ed. Donald A. Carson (Grand Rapids, 1982), p. 182.

Samuele Bacchiocchi concurs when he says "Presumably the'judge,' that is, the false teachers, wanted the community toobserve these practices in a more ascetic way ('severity to thebody' - 2:23, 21); to put it crudely, the false teachers wanted theColossian believers to do less feasting and more fasting."

God's Festivals in Scripture and Historyby Samuele Bacchiocchi

"By warning against the right of the false teachers to 'pass

judgment' on how to observe Holy Days, Paul is challenging notthe validity of the Holy Days themselves, but the authority ofthe false teachers to legislate on the manner of their observance.The obvious implication is that Paul in this text is expressing nota condemnation but an approbationof the mentioned practices,which included the Holy Days."

Samuele Bacchiocchi adds that "Paul's warning against thestringent 'regulations' of the false teachers can hardly be

interpreted as a condemnation of Mosaic laws regarding food andfestivals, since what the apostle condemns is not the teachings ofMoses but the false teachers attempt to regulate their observancethrough the perversions that included a more ascetic lifestyle."

After establishing that the early Gentile Christians adhered tothe Biblical calendar over a pagan calendar, Dr. Martin takes acloser look at the passage in question.

This example is an article cited earlier "Pagan and Judeo-Christian

Time-keeping Schemes in Galatians 4:10 and Colossians 2:16," byDr. Troy Martin, Professor at Saint Xavier University in Chicago.The article appeared in the 1996 Spring issue of the scholarlyjournal New Testament Studies. Dr. Martin wrote: "This essayprovides evidence that the Pauline community at Colossae, notthe opponents, practiced the temporal schemes outlined by Col2:16. This investigation into the function of the list in Col2:16 indicates that the Colossian Christians, not their critics,

participate in a religious calendar that includes festivals, newmoons, and Sabbaths." (p 111)


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Dr. Martin reached the same conclusions in an earlier essay onCol 2:17, published in the Journal of Biblical Literature, where hewrote: "The preceding grammatical and syntactical investigationof the clause to de soma tou Christou [but the body of Christ] inColossians 2:17 suggests that the practices mentioned in 2:16 are

those of the Colossian Christians and not the opponents. earlyChristians observe both feasts and sabbaths."

Dr. Troy Martin, "But Let Everyone Discern the Body of Christ(Col 2:17)," Journal of Biblical Literature 114/2 (1995), p. 255.

Comparison of Colossians 2:16 and Galatians 4:10.

A significant contribution of Dr. Martin's research is his analysis

of the difference between the time-keeping schemes found inGalatians 4:10 ("days, and months, and seasons, and years") andthat found in Colossians 2:16 ("festivals or a new moon orSabbaths"). Dr. Martin shows that while the list in Colossians2:16 is unquestionably Jewish because the temporal categories offestival, new moon and Sabbaths are characteristic of the Jewishreligious calendar, the list in Galatians 4:10 "describes a pagancalendar unacceptable to Paul and his communities."

(p. 119)Dr. Martin reaches this conclusion by examining, not only thetime structure of pagan calendars, but especially the immediatecontext where Paul condemns the Galatians' attempt to return totheir pagan practices (Gal 4:8-9) by reverting to the use of theirpagan calendar. "As the immediate context clearly states, Paul isworried that he has labored for the Galatians in vain since theyhave returned to their former pagan life as evidenced by their

renewed pre-conversion reckoning of time. Because of itsassociation with idolatry and false deities, marking timeaccording to this pagan scheme is tantamount to rejecting Paul'sGospel and the one and only true God it proclaims (4:8-9). Gal4:10, therefore, stipulates that when the Galatians acceptedPaul's Gospel with its aversion to idolatry (4:8), they discardedtheir pagan method of reckoning time. A comparison of theselists demonstrates that the Gentile conversion to Paul's gospel

involves rejection of idolatrous pagan temporal schemes in favorof the Jewish liturgical calendar." (p. 117, 119.)


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The conclusion of Dr. Martin that the Gentiles' conversion to theGospel involved the rejection of their pagan calendar built uponthe idolatrous worship of many gods, and the adoption of theJewish religious calendar represents a significant breakthroughin our understanding of the teachings of the apostolic

community to the Gentiles in the first century.

The Structure of certain Gospels leads to an interestingconclusion

The study of the literary structure of certain New Testamentbooks has led scholars to conclude that the apostolic churchadopted the Biblical Feast calendar system as found in the OldTestament.

Dr. Philip Carrington, former Archbishop of Quebec, findsindications of the observance of the Biblical Feasts in theliturgical use of some New Testament books. For example,regarding the Corinthian epistles he wrote: "The rich liturgicalmaterial of the Corinthian epistles, which is closely connectedwith a gospel tradition, makes it perfectly evident that aChristianized form of the Hebrew Calendar was then in existence,

so that it would have been possible and even quite natural forMark to have arranged his gospel for the liturgical year with aview to having it read in the churches"...There is no reason tothink that there ever was a form of Christianity anywhere whichdispensed with this [Hebrew] Calendar." Emphasis mine

"In the Gospel of St. Mark," continues Dr. Carrington, "we foundlections [Scripture readings] which we felt obliged to associatewith the autumn solemnities of the New Year, the Day of

Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles." If Dr. Carrington'sconclusion is correct, it would support a Christianized observanceof the Fall Feasts in the apostolic church.

Dr. Philip Carrington, the Primitive Christian Calendar (CambridgeUniversity Press, 1952), pp. 43-44.

In the end, considering the re-evaluation of Colossians 2, Actsand 1 Corinthians, and the Greek text of Mark with the divisionsfor the Hebrew Liturgical year embedded in the text make a

strong case for the apostolic requirement of rejecting idolatrouspagan temporal schemes in favor of following the Biblical


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calendar in the first century. Now let's consider the history ofthe early church all the way to the end of the second centurywith bishops who were placed into office by the apostlesthemselves and what they have to say concerning keeping thefeasts when given the option to stop.

The Second Century

Now that we have begun to make a case for the Biblical calendaras the calendar that early Gentile communities used, let'scontinue our examination by moving into the second century.First, let's establish the personalities that we will be referencing.

The Apostles John and Philip, John the Elder, and Philip the

Evangelist are found in the New Testament. The rest of this listare either bishops leading churches in the second century orhistorians of early Christianity. (Dates are approximate)

Irenaeus - Bishop of Lyons (115 - 202) Polycarp - Bishop of Smyrna (66 - 156) Anicetus - Bishop of Rome (150) Victor - Bishop of Rome (190) Polycrates - Bishop of Ephesus (190)

Eusebius - Historian (263 - 339) Epiphanius - Historian (320 - 403)

The two that we will focus on are Polycarp and Polycrates withthe others filling in with historical information as we proceed.

As beginning background on Polycarp, we turn to Irenaeus.Adversus Haeres. Book III, Chapter 4, v 3 and Chapter 3, v 4

"But Polycarp also was not only instructed by apostles, and

conversed with many who had seen Christ, but was also, byapostles in Asia, appointed bishop of the Church in Smyrna,whom I also saw in my early youth, for he tarried [on earth] avery long time, and, when a very old man, gloriously and mostnobly suffering martyrdom, departed this life, having alwaystaught the things which he had learned from the apostles,and which the Church has handed down, and which alone aretrue. To these things all the Asiatic Churches testify, as do also

those men who have succeeded Polycarp down to the presenttime."


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Polycarp was the author of a letter to the Philippians. In thisletter he mentions Paul several times. Whatever Polycarpunderstood from Paul's writings, he esteemed him highly usingterms like "the blessed and glorious Paul" and commenting that"Paul was obedient to the word of righteousness." He did not

consider him to be an apostate from the law, as some did.Around 150 CE, Polycarp went to Rome to visit with the bishopthere, Anicetus. The discussion is detailed in Irenaeus Adv.Haer., III.3.4.

A controversy had arisen concerning the keeping of Passover.The Roman church had stopped observing it so Polycarp went tovisit Anicetus to discuss the matter. During their discussion,

Anicetus attempted to persuade Polycarp to stop following theteachings he had learned from the apostles and John, thedisciple of our Lord, and to start following a tradition that hadbegun once Gentile bishops took the reigns of leadership inJerusalem (after 135 CE). Polycarp refused. On the flip side,Polycarp attempted to persuade Anicetus to go back to theteachings of the apostles but Anicetus said he was bound toadhere to the traditions that had been recently established by

the presbyters who preceded him there in Rome.Who were these presbyters that preceded Anicetus?

Iraeneaus points back to Bishop Soter and eventually Pius (114-145).

Epiphanius makes reference to the first 15 bishops of theJerusalem assembly.

Epiphanius - " the controversy arose after the exodus of thebishops of the circumcision (135) and it has continued until ourtime (315 - 403)."

Polycarp and Anicetus never reached an agreement about therequirement to observe Passover.

Now we take up the case of Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus, andVictor, Bishop of Rome. Irenaeus tells us that "...the Church inEphesus, founded by Paul, and having John remaining amongthem permanently..., is a true witness of the tradition of the

Apostles." Adversus Haereses. Book III, Chapter 3, Verse 4, p. 416


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In addition, Eusebius tells us "After he (John) returned from theisle of Patmos to Ephesus, he went to the neighboring territoriesof the Gentiles, to appoint bishops in some places, in otherplaces to set in order whole churches, elsewhere to choose to theministry some one of those that were pointed out by the

Spirit..." (Eusebius. Church History, Book III, Chapter 23.Translated by the Rev. Arthur Cushman McGiffert. Excerpted fromNicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series Two, Volume 1. Edited byPhilip Schaff and Henry Wace. American Edition, 1890. OnlineEdition Copyright 2004 by K. Knight).

The problem of "to observe Passover or not to observe Passover"never went away and resurfaced with a vengeance around 192when Victor, the bishop of Rome, contacted the leading presbyterover the churches in Asia minor, Polycrates, and instructed himconcerning the following:

You will call a meeting of all the bishops of all the churchesin Asia Minor and the surrounding countries

You will instruct them to cease from observing Passover You will adopt the new tradition we call Easter Sunday If you don't, you will be excommunicated from the Roman

Church.Polycrates called the meeting, discussed the list of demandsissued by the Roman Bishop Victor all the while being keenlyaware of the requirements of the Apostolic Constitutions. Afterdiscussion, they wrote a letter giving the unanimous response ofall the Bishops present. Here is the letter, broken out intobulleted points first. [Concerning Passover]

We scrupulously observe the exact day; neither adding, nortaking away. (Deuteronomy 4:2)

For in Asia great lights have passed away. Among these arethe Apostles Philip and John, Polycarp, and others.

All these observed the 14th day of the first month, inaccordance with the Gospel, deviating in no respect, butfollowing the rule of faith.

For seven of my relatives were bishops; and I am the

eighth.


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And my relatives ALWAYSobserved the day when thepeople put away the leaven. (Exodus 12:15)

I have met with the brethren throughout the world, andhave gone through every Holy Scripture (which includesPaul's writings).

I could mention the bishops who were present, whom Isummoned at your desire; whose names [...] wouldconstitute a great multitude.

And they gave their UNANIMOUSconsent to this letter. I am not frightened at the things which are said to terrify

us. For those who are greater than I have said, "We oughtto obey God rather than men."

Here is the letter in paragraph form..."[Concerning Passover], we scrupulously observe the exact day;neither adding, nor taking away. For in Asia also great lightshave fallen asleep. Among these are the Apostles Philip andJohn, Polycarp, and others. All these observed the 14th day ofthe [first] month, in accordance with the Gospel, deviating inno respect, but following the rule of faith.For seven of myrelatives were bishops; and I am the eighth. And my relatives

ALWAYSobserved the day when the people put away the leaven.Exodus 12:15I have met with the brethren throughout theworld, and have gone through every Holy Scripture. I couldmention the bishops who were present, whom I summoned atyour desire; whose names [...] would constitute a greatmultitude. And they gave their UNANIMOUSconsent to theletter. I am not frightened at the things which are said to terrifyus. For those who are greater than I have said, "We ought to

obey God rather than men."Let's review what ALLthe Bishops of all the churches in AsiaMinor and the surrounding countries concluded...

We will continue to follow the teachings of the Apostles(Polycarp being in agreement with them)

We will continue to follow the Rule of Faith We will continue to follow the Apostolic Constitutions We read through every Holy Scripture (including the Torah

and Paul's letters) and have found nothing that wouldauthorize us to replace obedience to Torah regarding


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required observation on the 14thday of the first month inobservance of Passover with a man-made tradition.

Understood that the keeping of the Torah was a requirement(not an invitation) and could not be set aside andsubstituted with a man-made tradition known as EasterSunday.

The Final Conclusion of Polycrates and all the Bishops

Polycrates and all the Bishops concluded that they would not bescared by the threat of excommunication from the Roman Churchand that they did not find any Scripture in the Old or NewTestament that gave them authority to now stop observing God'scommandment concerning keeping the Passover on the 14thdayof the first month as originally instructed in the Torah.

The Weight of EvidenceThe case is made and the evidence is overwhelming...Paul did notpreach a "law-free" gospel but instead a "proselyte-free" gospel.It's time that we reconsider our old interpretations, putting themto the test of Scripture, and fulfill Proverbs 18:17: "The first to

present his case seems right, until another comes forward andexamines him."

Let's stop all this nonsense, leave behind these incorrectinterpretations of Paul's writings, and move forward into agreater understanding of our Hebrew Roots.

PAUL AND THE HOLY DAYS

Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., Professor of Theology and ChurchHistory, Andrews UniversityOne of the most difficult Bible text for Adventists to explain isCol 2:16-17. Throughout the centuries this passage has beeninterpreted as a Pauline condemnation of the law in general andof the Holy Days in particular. The reason is that the passagewarns against paying heed to regulations regarding severalthings: "Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in questionsof food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or asabbath. These are only a shadow of what is to come; but thesubstance belongs to Christ" (2:16-17).


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I have devoted over 20 pages to an analysis of this text in mydissertation FROM SABBATH TO SUNDAY. But in view of thelength limitations of this forum, I would like to share the briefsummary that I prepared for my latest book on God's Festivals. Itmay come as a surprise to many Adventists that this crucial

passage, which has historically been used to negate the validityof the Sabbath and Holy Days, when properly understood ITprovides one of the strongest support for their observance.

The statement "Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you "has been interpreted as a Pauline condemnation of theobservance of Old Testament Holy Days. In spite of its antiquityand popularity, this interpretation is totally wrong, because inthis passage Paul is not warning the Colossians not against theobservances of the five mentioned practices (eating, drinking,feasts, new moon, and Sabbaths), but against "anyone" (tis) whopasses judgment on how to observe them. Note should be takenof the fact that the judge who passes judgment is not Paul, butthe Colossian false teachers who impose "regulations" (2:20) onhow to observe these practices in order to achieve "rigor ofdevotion and self-abasement and severity to the body" (2:23).

D. R. De Lacey, writing in the symposium From Sabbath to Lord'sDay, rightly comments: "The judge is likely to be a man of ascetictendencies who objects to the Colossians' eating and drinking.The most natural way of taking the rest of the passage is notthat he also imposes a ritual of feast days, but rather that heobjects to certain elements of such observation."10 Presumablythe "judge," that is, the false teachers, wanted the community toobserve these practices in a more ascetic way ("severity to thebody"-2:23, 21); to put it crudely, the false teachers wanted theColossian believers to do less feasting and more fasting.

By warning against the right of the false teachers to "passjudgment" on how to observe Holy Days, Paul is challenging notthe validity of the Holy Days as such, but the authority of thefalse teachers to legislate on the manner of their observance. Theobvious implication is that Paul in this text is expressing not acondemnation but an approbation of the mentioned practices,

which included Holy Days.


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It is noteworthy that De Lacey reaches this conclusion in spite ofhis view that Paul did not expect Gentile converts to observe theHoly Days. He writes: "Here again (Col 2:16), then, it seems thatPaul could happily countenance Sabbathkeeping However, weinterpret the situation, Paul's statement 'Let no one pass

judgement on you,' indicates that no stringent regulations are tobe laid down over the use of festivals."11 In the light of theseobservations, we conclude that in Colossians 2:16, Paul expressesnot a condemnation but an implicit approbation of theobservance of Holy Days.

Condemantion of Perversion. Paul gives us only a few hints ofhow false teachers promoted the observance of food andfestivals. He mentions that they insisted on "self-abasement andworship of angels," "rigor of devotion severity to the body"(2:18, 23), and that they taught: "Do not handle, Do not taste,Do not touch" (2:21). These catch phrases indicate that theregulations did not derive from the Levitical law, since nowheredoes the latter contemplate such an ascetic program. Though thenomenclature of the festivals is Jewish, the motivation andmanner of their observance stems from syncretistic ideologies.

In the ancient world, there was a widespread belief that ascetismand fasting enabled a person to come closer to a deity and toreceive divine revelation.12 In the case of the Colossian"philosophy," the dietary taboos and the observance of sacredtimes were apparently regarded as an expression of subjection toand worship of the cosmic powers (elements) of the universe (Col2:8, 10, 15, 20).

Paul's warning against the "regulations" of the false teachers can

hardly be interpreted as a condemnation of Mosaic laws regardingfood and festivals, since what the apostle condemns is not theteachings of Moses but the perverted use of them promoted bythe Colossian false teachers. A precept is not nullified by thecondemnation of its perversion.

Shadow of the Reality. Paul continues his argument, saying:"These are the shadow of what is to come; but the substancebelongs to Christ" (Col 2:17). To what does the relative pronoun

"these" (ha in Greek) refer? Does it refer to the practicesmentioned in the previous verse or to the "regulations"


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(dogmata) regarding these practices promoted by the falseteachers?

Most likely it refers to the latter. First, because in verse 16, Paulis warning not against the merits or demerits of the Mosaic lawregarding food and festivals, but against the "regulations"regarding these practices advocated by the false teachers. Thus,it is more plausible to take "the regulations" rather than theactual practices as the antecedent of "these."

Second, because in the verses that immediately follow, Paulcontinues his warning against the deceptive teachings, saying,"Let no one disqualify you, insisting on self-abasement "(2:18); "Why do you submit to regulations, 'Do not handle, Do

not taste, Do not touch'" (2:20-21)? Since what precedes andwhat follows the relative pronoun "these" deals with the"regulations" of the Colossian false teachers, we conclude that itis the latter that Paul describes as "a shadow of what is to come"(2:17).

Presumably, the proponents of the false teachers maintained thattheir "regulations" represented a copy which enabled the believerto have access to the reality ("fulness," Col 2:9). In such a case,

Paul is turning their argument against them by saying that theirregulations "are only a shadow of what is to come; but thesubstance belongs to Christ" (2:17). By emphasizing that Christ isthe "body" and the "head" (2:17, 19), Paul indicates that any"shadow" cast by the regulations has no significant value.

In the light of the above indications, we conclude that what Paulcalls a "bygone shadow" is not the Holy Days but the deceptiveteachings of the Colossian false teachers which promoted dietary

practices and the observance of sacred times as auxiliary aids tosalvation.

This brief excerpt is taken from pages 89 to 92 of my book onGOD'S FESTIVALS. The study continues with an analysis ofRomans 14:5 and Galatians 4:10. -------------------------------Christian regards Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., Professor ofTheology and Church History Andrews University 4990 AppianWay Berrien Springs, MI 49103 [email protected]

https://www.biblicalperspectives.com/books/sabbath_under_xfire/1.htm


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Celtic Sabbath-keepingTaken from Cherith Chronicle, April-June 1998, pp. 46-47

Henry Charles Lea, the foremost authority on the PapalInquisitions, records in the period of the commencement of

persecution involving judicial capital punishment for heresy, thatat the time of the execution of Priscillian with six of hisfollowers in 385 AD., that "others were banished to a barbarousisland beyond Britain." (A History of the Inquisition of the MiddleAges, vol.1. New York: Harper & Brothers 1887, p.213.) What wasthis barbarous island? Most likely, it would appear to be Ireland.Britain and Ireland were favorite places for banishment and themarketing of slaves in those days. If indeed, many faithful

"heretics" were banished to Ireland for centuries, it could not buthave had a profound effect or that island, which became a greatcenter of light under, Patrick (5th century), Columba (521-597),and Columbanus (c. 540-615) as the darkness of papal tyrannydescended over the continent. Missionaries went forth fromIreland to Switzerland, Bohemia, and Kiev. Ireland was one ofthe most difficult areas for Rome to subjugate, and this explainswhy such unending efforts have been made for over 1200 years

to completely subjugate this island of Ireland.The Celtic Church which occupied Ireland, Scotland and Britainhad the Syriac (Byzantine) scriptures instead of the Latin vulgateof Rome. The Celtic Church, with the Waldenses and the Easternempire, kept the seventh-day Sabbath.

When Queen Margaret fled to Scotland with her father EdwardAtheling, a pretender to the English throne, she wrote "to herEnglish cousins expressing astonishment at the religiouspractices of the Scots. Among the 'peculiarities' of the Scots wasthat 'they work on Sunday, but keep Saturday in a sabbaticalmanner.' To another correspondent she complained, 'They areaccustomed also to neglect reverence for the Lord's days(Sundays); and thus to continue upon them as upon other daysall the labours of earthly work.'

"The observance of the Saturday Sabbath by most Scots wenthand in hand with their refusal to 'recognize the overlordship ofthe Pope in matters spiritual'. Despite the best efforts of King


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Nectan centuries earlier, Scottish Christianity was still of the'Columban' or 'Celtic', not the 'Roman', variety.

"The most popular narrative history of Scotland--Scotland: AConcise History by P. Hume Brown (Langsyne) -- confirms that atMargaret's accession, 'the people worked on Sundays andobserved Saturday as the Sabbath day'. Peter Berresford Ellis inCeltic lnheritance (Constable, 1992) page 45 writes: 'When Romebegan to take a particular interest in the Celtic Church towardsthe end of the sixth century AD there were several differencesbetween them... The Celtic Sabbath was celebrated on aSaturday.' Ellis's comment covers the Celtic Church in Wales,Ireland, Cornwall and Gaul, as well as Scotland. Romanism was,apparently, coming into Scotland but had no strength north ofthe Forth.

"This gave Queen Margaret her crusade (and her route tocanonization): 'Margaret did all she could to make the Scottishclergy do and believe exactly what the Church of Romecommanded.' This involved the enforcement of Sunday-keeping,a policy continued by her son, King David I. Nevertheless, on theeve of the Reformation, there were still many communities in the

Scottish Highland loyal to the seventh-day Sabbath, as opposedto 'the Papal Sunday'.

"Two books published in 1963-- to commemorate Columba'slanding at lona in 563-- concerned themselves with the 'Celticdistinctives' and counted among them the observance of theseventh-day Sabbath. Dr. W.D. Simpson published The HistoricalSt. Columba in Edinburgh . He confirms that Columba and hiscompanions kept 'the day of the Sabbath' and in case there

should be any doubt adds in a footnote 'Saturday, of course'....F.W. Fawcett was commissioned to write his Columba--Pilgrim forChrist by the Lord Bishop of Derry and Raphoe. His book waspublished in Londonderry and printed by theDerry Standard inconnection with the Irish commemoration of Columba's mission.Fawcett outlines eight Celtic distinctives. Among these that theCelts had a married priesthood and that they observed theseventh day as the Sabbath." --David Marshall, The Celtic

connection. England:Stanborough Press, 1994, pp.29, 30.


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"The reason why Pope Gregory I had perceived the Celtic Churchas such a major threat and why he and his successors expendedsuch efforts in destroying the distinctive 'Irish customs' becamemassively evident.

"A.O. and M.O. Anderson, in the Introduction to theirAdomnan'sLife of Columba (Thomas Nelson 1961), shed light, not only onColumba's seventh-day Sabbath keeping practice, but on thegradual 'adjustment' of manuscripts by generations of Romancopyists, in an attempt to provide an impression that the Celticsaints held Sunday sacred.

"Adomnan's use of sabbatum for Saturday, the seventh day of theweek, is clear indication from 'Columba's mouth' that 'Sabbath

was not Sunday.' Sunday, the first day of the week is 'Lord's day.'Adomnan's attitude to Sunday is important, because he wrote ata time when there was controversy over the question whetherthe ritual of the biblical Sabbath was to be transferred to theChristians' Lord's-day.' (A.O. and M.O. Anderson (eds)Adomnan'sLife of Columba (Thomas Nelson's Medieval Texts, 1961), pages25-26.)

"The Old Testament required seventh-day Sabbath observance

and, reason Adomnan's editors, since the New Testamentnowhere repealed the fourth commandment, the seventh-day wasobserved by all early Christians. The evidence they adducesuggests that no actual confusion between Sunday and 'theSabbath' occurred until the early sixth century, and then in thewritings of the rather obscure Caesarius of ArIes. (Ibid., page 26.)

"'In England, the question of Sunday may have been among the'other ecclesiastical matters' discussed by the Synod of Whitby in

664', reason the Andersons, in addition to the date of Easterwhich could not have caused such a rift. A weekly, not just ayearly observance separated the Celts from the Romans. But theRomans had the task of writing the history of the Church and ofcopying the writings of Church fathers. While those who copiedthe Scriptures appear to have been constrained by the Scripturalinjunction not to add or take away from the words of the Bookand, in the main, to have done a conscientious job, the same

scruples did not apply when they copied out the writings of theChurch fathers. As the centuries progressed the writings of the


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Celtic saints, including Patrick were 'amended' to convey theimpression that the saints held Sunday sacred, whereas, in theearliest versions of their manuscripts, it is clear that theyobserved the seventh-day Sabbath. (Ibid., pages 26-28).

The Roman 'movement' to supersede the Celtic Sabbath withSunday 'culminated in the production of an (apocryphal) 'Letterof Jesus', or 'Letter of Lord's-day', alleged to have been found onthe altar of Peter in Rome; and is said in the annals to have beenbrought to Ireland by a pilgrim (c. 886). Upon this basis lawswere promulgated, imposing heavy penalties for those thatviolated on Sunday certain regulations derived from Jewishprohibitions for Sabbath... There is in fact no historical evidencethat Ninian, or Patrick, or Columba, or any of theircontemporaries in Ireland, kept Sunday as a Sabbath.' (Ibid.,page 28.)

"The seventh-day Sabbath, enjoined by the fourth of the tencommandments, had been observed by Jesus and nowhere inScripture had its sacredness been diminished or transferred toanother day....

An "early version of The Rule of Columba is reproduced in

Columba--Pilgrim for Christ by [Clergyman] F.W. Fawcett, MA.[Clergyman] Fawcett is a Church of Ireland clergyman. He wascommissioned by the Lord Bishop of Derry and Raphoe toproduce this book as part of the celebrations in 1963 of thedeparture of Columba for lona in AD 563." --Marshall, The CelticConnection, 46.

The fifth rule of the Celtic Church listed in The Rule of Columba is"The Seventh Day was observed as the Sabbath."


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