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Samuele R. Bacchiocchi (29 January 1938,[1] Rome, Italy – 20 December 2008[2]) was a Seventh-day Adventist author and theologian, best known for his work on the Sabbath in Christianity, particularly in the historical work From Sabbath to Sunday, based on his doctoral thesis from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was also known for his opposition to rock music, certain dress standards, alcohol and the ordination of women. He was one of the best known Adventist scholars outside of the Adventist church.
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Bacchiocchi was born in Rome, Italy.
He later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology from Newbold College in England, which was followed by a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Divinity at Andrews University in Michigan, United States; finishing in 1964. Bacchiocchi moved with his wife Anna to Kuyera, Shashamane district, Ethiopia, where he lectured in Bible and history.
In 1969 they returned to Rome where Bacchiocchi studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was the first non-Catholic to be admitted since its beginning in the 16th century.[3] He completed a Doctoratus in Church History in 1974 on the subject of the decline of Sabbath observance in the Early Christian church, based on his research in the Vatican libraries. He was awarded a gold medal by Pope Paul VI for the distinction of summa cum laude (Latin for "with highest praise").[4]
Bacchiocchi taught in the religion department of Andrews University from 1974 till his retirement in 2000. He served as professor of theology and church history. He regularly presented seminars worldwide, and has written many books and articles on biblical topics, although he has been criticized by some Adventists for straying beyond his area of expertise - the Sabbath.
He was married to Anna Gandin Bacchiocchi. They had three children—Loretta, Daniele and Gianluca—and five grand-children: Christiano, Lauren, Isabella, Gianna, and Enzo.
In May 2007, Bacchiocchi announced that he had developed liver and colon cancer.[5] He ultimately succumbed to 4th stage liver cancer, shortly after midnight, Saturday December 20, 2008, the day before what would have been his 47th wedding anniversary. He was surrounded by his three children and his wife Anna.
In 1977 Bacchiocchi published From Sabbath to Sunday, documenting the historical transition from the Saturday Sabbath to Sunday in the early Christian church due to social, pagan and political factors, and also the decline of standards for the day.[6] The book made an impact on the wider academic community outside of Adventism, as well as within Adventism. Prior to his work, Seventh-day Adventists had focused on the role played by either the Pope, or by Roman Emperor Constantine I in the transition from Sabbath to Sunday, with Constantine's law declaring Sunday as a day of rest for those not involved in farming work. Subsequent to Bacchiocchi's work, Adventists have emphasized that the shift from Sabbath to Sunday was a more gradual process.
Bacchiocchi has also been influential in the Worldwide Church of God (and its offshoots), which supported Sabbath-keeping until 1995, and also other Sabbath keeping groups.
Bacchiocchi supported conservative lifestyle habits, such as avoidance of alcohol and rock music. He was a recognized authority on the Sabbath, a practice he supported keeping.
In one newsletter he submitted an hypothesis, expanding the traditional Adventist belief that the antichrist is the papacy, to also include Islam,[7] which he reported "generated a lot of hate mail".[8]
There was some controversy in the 2000s over Bacchiocchi's claim to have received the awards summa cum laude (Latin for "with highest honors"), the Pope's Gold Medal, and an official Roman Catholic imprimatur (Latin for "let it be printed") for his doctorate at the Pontifical Gregorian University. An official letter claimed Bacchiocchi did not receive these awards.[9] By 2007, both parties agreed he had received a summa cum laude and the Pope's Gold Medal, but for the Licentia [a phase of the doctoral program]; and only a magna cum laude for the Doctoratus itself. Bacchiocchi defended his actions by claiming the difference between the Licentia and the Doctoratus is small and would not be understood by most English speakers.[10]
A small minority of Adventists are suspicious of Bacchiocchi because he studied at the Gregorian University, claiming he is a Jesuit spy for the Vatican.[11] Also, Alberto Rivera claimed approval of From Sabbath to Sunday was given as a ploy to win over Adventists, as for similar ploys with other churches.[12] Rivera was a fundamentalist Christian who claimed to be a former Jesuit priest, however this point and many of his other claims are discredited by most authors.[13]
Bacchiocchi had a publishing arm called Biblical Perspectives, through which he has published 16 books[14] of his own, and also a book by Graeme Bradford. He was the primary author of the Endtime Issues email newsletter. Typically four or five chapters of each of his books are freely available online. Bacchiocchi has listed a number of favourable scholarly scholarly reviews on his website. List of books:
Sabbath:
Other:
Other authors: