Sabbath is an important part of the belief and practice of seventh-day Christians. These believers observe Sabbath on the seventh Hebrew day of the week, from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, in similar manner as in Judaism, rather than Lord's day on Sunday like most forms of Christianity. They believe that keeping seventh-day Sabbath weekly and physically is a moral responsibility, equal to that of any other of the Ten Commandments, that honors God as Creator and Deliverer. The requirement to keep the seventh day holy is found in the fourth commandment of God's Law in the book of Exodus chapter 20 (Exodus 20:08).
Sabbath is often the defining characteristic of these denominations, including Seventh Day Baptists, the larger Seventh-day Adventists, Seventh-Day Evangelist Church, the Church of God (7th day) - Salem Conference, and the United Church of God. Also, there are many unaccounted for, sabbath keeping groups and individuals, who observe the sabbath day and the feasts, or appointed times, such as Passover, Pentecost, feast of trumpets, day of atonement and the feast of tabernacles. It is part of a covenant or formal contract, between God and Israel, the people He will gather on the Day of the LORD, found in the book of Exodus chapter 31 (Exodus 31:12-18).
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Sabbath was first described in the Biblical account of the seventh day of Creation. Observation and remembrance of Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments (the fourth in the Eastern Orthodox and most Protestant traditions, the third in Roman Catholic and Lutheran traditions). Most people who observe first-day or seventh-day Sabbath regard it as having been instituted as a "perpetual covenant [for] the people of Israel" and proselytes (Exodus 31:13-17, Exodus 23:12, Deuteronomy 5:13-14), a sign in respect for the day during which God rested after having completed Creation in six days (Genesis 2:2-3, Exodus 20:8-11).
According to Bauckham, the post-apostolic church contained diverse practices as regards Sabbath.[1] "In the first centuries the true (seventh day) Sabbath had been kept by all Christians. They were zealous for the honor of God, and, believing that His law is immutable, they zealously guarded the sacredness of its precepts".[2] "That the attention of the people might be called to the Sunday, it was made a festival in honor of the resurrection of Christ. Religious services were held upon it; yet it was regarded as a day of recreation, the Sabbath being still sacredly observed."[2]
Widespread seventh-day Sabbath observance by Gentile Christians prevailed in the 3rd and 4th centuries.
In the 4th century, Socrates Scholasticus Church History book 5 states:[3]
For although 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.
On the seventh of March, A.D. 321, the Roman Emperor Constantine issued a decree making Sunday a day of rest from labor stating:
All judges and city people and the craftsmen shall rest upon the venerable day of the sun. Country people, however, may freely attend to the cultivation of the fields, because it frequently happens that no other days are better adapted for planting the grain in the furrows or the vines in trenches. So that the advantage given by heavenly providence may not for the occasion of a short time perish.
— Joseph Cullen Ayer, A Source Book for Ancient Church History [4]
"The day of the sun was reverenced by his pagan subjects and was honored by Christians; it was the emperor’s policy to unite the conflicting interests of heathenism and Christianity. He was urged to do this by the bishops of the church, who, inspired by ambition and thirst for power, perceived that if the same day was observed by both Christians and heathen, it would promote the nominal acceptance of Christianity by pagans and thus advance the power and glory of the church. But while many God-fearing Christians were gradually led to regard Sunday as possessing a degree of sacredness, they still held the true Sabbath as the holy of the Lord and observed it in obedience to the fourth commandment."[5]
Also in the 4th century, Sozomen Church History book 7 states:[6]
The people of Constantinople, and almost everywhere, assemble together on the Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week, which custom is never observed at Rome or at Alexandria.
Ellen White states "The archdeceiver had not completed his work. He was resolved to gather the Christian world under his banner and to exercise his power through his vicegerent, the proud pontiff who claimed to be the representative of Christ. Through half-converted pagans, ambitious prelates, and world-loving churchmen he accomplished his purpose. Vast councils were held from time to time, in which the dignitaries of the church were convened from all the world. In nearly every council the Sabbath which God had instituted was pressed down a little lower, while the Sunday was correspondingly exalted. Thus the pagan festival came finally to be honoured as a divine institution, while the Bible Sabbath was pronounced a relic of Judaism, and its observers were declared to be accursed."[1][5][7]
The recovery of true Biblical Sabbath only became possible after the Reformation, and would be a mark of the Remnant church.
The "Sabbath in Africa Study Group (SIA)" was founded by Charles E. Bradford in 1991.[8] (See also: Sabbath in Christianity#Africa) Bradford has argued that Sabbath has existed in Africa since the beginning of recorded history.[9] Christians in Abyssinia kept seventh-day Sabbath as early as the 14th century. The legendary Zara Yaqob convened a conference one century later to discuss the Sabbath question.[10][11][12]
In Bohemia, as much as one-quarter of the population kept seventh-day Sabbath in 1310. This practice continued until at least the 16th century, when Erasmus wrote about the practice.[13]
A split from Unitarianism in Central Europe to adopt Mosaic law and customs, including the Judaic Shabbat, 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, who were known as "Somrei Sabat" (the Hungarian transliteration of the Hebrew words for "Sabbath observers") joined the existing Jewish communities, into which they were eventually absorbed. Sabbatarianism also expanded into Russia, where its adherents were called Subbotniks, and from there, the movement expanded into other countries. Some of the Russian Subotniki maintained a Christian identity doctrinally speaking, whereas others also formally converted to Judaism and assimilated within the Jewish communities of Russia. Some of the latter, however, who had become Jewish, although they and their descendants practiced Judaism and had not practiced Christianity for nearly two centuries, still retained a distinct identity as ethnic Russian converts to Judaism until recent times.
A small number of the antitrinitarian Socinian churches of Eastern Europe and the Netherlands adopted Saturday as the day of worship.
There is historical evidence of some observance of the seventh-day Sabbath among the Waldenses. A report of an inquisition before whom were brought some Waldenses of Moravia in the middle of the fifteenth century declares that among the Waldenses "not a few indeed celebrate the Sabbath with the Jews."[14]
There is also mention in much Adventist material of the alleged role played by sects such as the Waldenses, Albigenses and Leonists in retaining Sabbath observance in Europe throughout the last few millennia. There is also mention of groups such as the Ti Ping Revolution keeping it alive in China, and the Goa Inquisition attacking Sabbatarian Saint Thomas Christians.
At the time of the Protestant Reformation some Anabaptists, such as Oswald Glait, argued that the seventh day should be observed as Sabbath and that Sunday was an invention of the Pope.[15]
Seventh-day Sabbatarianism was revived in seventeenth-century England. Early advocates included John Traske (1586–1636) and Thomas Brabourne. The majority of seventh-day Sabbatarians were part of the Seventh Day Baptist church, and they experienced harsh opposition from Anglican authorities and the Puritans. The first Seventh-day Baptist church in the United States was established in Rhode Island in 1671.[15]
The Seventh-day Adventist church arose in the mid-19th century in America, having inherited seventh-day Sabbatarianism from the Seventh-day Baptists.
Seventh Day Baptist are Christian Baptists who observe seventh-day Sabbath. The Seventh Day Baptist World Federation today represents over 50,000 Baptists in 22 countries.
It is the oldest modern Sabbatarian denomination. The first recorded Seventh Day Baptist meeting was held at The Mill Yard Church in London in 1651 [16] under the leadership of Dr. Peter Chamberlen. However many Seventh Day Baptists believe that records showing that it had originated in 1617 were lost in a fire.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is the largest modern seventh-day Sabbatarian denomination, with about 16 million members and hold the Sabbath as one of the Pillars of Seventh-day Adventism . Seventh-day Adventism grew out of the Millerite movement in the 1840s, and its founders were converted to Sabbatarianism under the influence of Rachel Oakes Preston, a Seventh Day Baptist. They have traditionally taught that seventh-day Sabbath will be a test, leading to the sealing of God's people during the end times, though there is little consensus about how this will play out. The church has traditionally taught that there will be an international Sunday law enforced by a coalition of religious and secular authorities; all who do not observe it will be persecuted and killed. This is taken from the church's interpretation of Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 13:15, Revelation 7; Ezekiel 20:12,20; Exodus 31:13, where the subject of persecution in prophecy is thought to be about the Sabbath commandment.
Seventh-day Adventists observe Sabbath from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset.[17] During this time, Adventists avoid secular work and business, although medical, relief and humanitarian work is accepted. Though there are cultural variations, most Adventists will also avoid activities such as shopping, sport and certain forms of entertainment.
Adventists typically gather for their church services on Saturday morning. Some will also gather on Friday evening to welcome in Sabbath hours (sometimes called "Vespers" or "opening Sabbath"), and some will similarly gather at the close of Sabbath, "closing Sabbath".
Traditionally, Seventh-day Adventists hold that the Ten Commandments (including the fourth commandment concerning Sabbath) are a part of the moral law of God, not abrogated by the teachings of Jesus Christ, which apply equally to Christians. This was a common Christian understanding [18] before the Sabbatarian controversy led Sunday-keepers to adopt a more radical antinomian position.
Adventists have traditionally distinguished between "moral law" and "ceremonial law", arguing that moral law continues to bind Christians, while events predicted by the ceremonial law were fulfilled by Christ's death on the cross.
Sabbath was introduced to the Adventist movement of William Miller and his followers by the Seventh Day Baptists. The group of "Sabbatarian Adventists" emerged from 1845 to 1849 from among the Adventist groups, later to become the Seventh-day Adventists. Joseph Bates was the foremost proponent of Sabbath amongst this group.
A young Seventh Day Baptist layperson named Rachel Oakes Preston living in New Hampshire was responsible for introducing Sabbath to the Millerite Adventists. Due to her influence Frederick Wheeler began keeping the seventh day as Sabbath after personally studying the issue in March 1844 following a conversation with Preston, according to his later report. He is reputed to be the first ordained Adventist minister to preach in support of Sabbath. Several members of the church in Washington, New Hampshire he occasionally ministered to also followed his decision, forming the first Sabbatarian Adventist church. These included William Farnsworth (biography) and his brother Cyrus. T. M. Preble soon accepted it either from Wheeler, Oakes, or someone else at the church. These events actually preceded the "Great Disappointment" which followed shortly after, when Jesus did not return as expected on October 22, 1844.
Preble was the first Millerite to promote Sabbath in print form; through the February 28, 1845 issue of the Hope of Israel in Portland, Maine. In March he published his Sabbath views in tract form as A Tract, Showing that the Seventh Day Should be Observed as the Sabbath, Instead of the First Day; "According to the Commandment.". This tract led to the conversion of J. N. Andrews and other Adventist families in Paris, Maine, as well as to Joseph Bates (in 1845). These men in turn convinced James and Ellen White, as well as Hiram Edson and hundreds of others.[19] Preble is known to have kept seventh-day Sabbath until mid-1847. He later repudiated Sabbath and opposed the Seventh-day Adventists, authoring The First-Day Sabbath.
Bates proposed that a meeting should be organized between the believers in New Hampshire and Port Gibson. At this meeting, which occurred sometime in 1846 at Edson's farm, Edson and other Port Gibson believers readily accepted the Sabbath message and at the same time forged an alliance with Bates and two other folk from New Hampshire who later became very influential in the Adventist church, James and Ellen G. White. Between April 1848 and December 1850 twenty-two "Sabbath conferences" were held in New York and New England. These meetings were often seen as opportunities for leaders such as James White, Joseph Bates, Stephen Pierce and Hiram Edson to discuss and reach conclusions about doctrinal issues.[20]
Also in 1846, a pamphlet written by Bates created widespread interest in Sabbath. Shortly afterwards Bates, James White, Ellen Harmon (later White), Hiram Edson, Frederick Wheeler and S. W. Rhodes led the promotion of Sabbath, partly through regular publications.[21]
The Present Truth magazine was largely devoted to Sabbath at first. J. N. Andrews was the first Adventist to write a book-length defense of Sabbath, first published in 1861.
Two of Andrews' books include Testimony of the Fathers of the First Three Centuries Concerning the Sabbath and the First Day and History of the SabbathDjVu (HTML version).
Seventh-day Sabbatarianism was a key feature of the former Worldwide Church of God, founded by Herbert Armstrong, and its various descendent movements.
The Elizabethan Seventh-Day Men and Traskites were popular seventh-day movements in England.
The primarily Chinese True Jesus Church supports Saturday Sabbath, and has approximately 2 million believers worldwide. Initial founder Ling-Sheng Zhang accepted Sabbath after studying Seventh-day Adventist theology, and co-founder Paul Wei was originally a Seventh-day Adventist. An American missionary named Berntsen, who was from a Sabbath-keeping Church of God, was also influential upon the founders.
Other minor Sabbatarian churches include:
The pioneers of the church taught that seventh-day Sabbath will be a test, leading to the sealing of God's people during the end times. Ellen G. White interpreted Daniel 7:25, Revelation 13:15, Revelation 7, Ezekiel 20: 12, 20 and Exodus 31:13 this way. Where the subject of persecution appeared in prophecy, it was thought to be about the Sabbath commandment. Some early Adventists were jailed for working on Sunday, in violation of various local "Sunday laws" or blue laws which legislated Sundays as a day of rest. It was expected that a universal Sunday law would soon be enforced, as a sign of the end times.