Socrates Scholasticus on worshiping on sabbath day

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In Book V, chapter 22 of Church History (Socrates Scholasticus) writes:

“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.”

Does it proof, that Church in early ages celebrated “breaking of the bread” on Sabbath day? Or Socrates writes about something else? It looks like the context is about Easter, but this sentence looks like is about every sabbath of the year. Can someone explain it for me?

This text from Cocrates Scholasticus was posted on my little forum as a proof, that most Christian didn’t celebrated on Sundays, but on Saturdays from the very beginning, and I’m not sure how to aswer. Any suggestions? Thx.
 
We know that from it’s beginning the Christian movement continued to worship in the temple and in synagouges on the Sabbath. This is true especially in larger Jewish communities, which Alexandria was one of them. Those who called themselves Christians also met and broke bread on the First Day of the week…the Lord’s Day.

In those cities and towns not heavily influenced by a large amount of Jewish believers, gathering on the Sabbath did not hold sway…they met on the Lord’s Day.

As Jewish influence lost it’s hold on the Christian movement after the fall of Jerusalem, and Christianity established itself as a separate religion, Sunday, First Day, the Lord’s Day became the day on which Christians met for worship…that the practice was not universal from the start is a matter of record…as in the Acts for instance. When Gentiles outnumbered Jewish believers and Gentile thought and belief took precident, the Lord’s Day did as well.
 
Publisher said:
We know that from it’s beginning the Christian movement continued to worship in the temple and in synagouges on the Sabbath. This is true especially in larger Jewish communities, which Alexandria was one of them. Those who called themselves Christians also met and broke bread on the First Day of the week…the Lord’s Day.

In those cities and towns not heavily influenced by a large amount of Jewish believers, gathering on the Sabbath did not hold sway…they met on the Lord’s Day.
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Thanks for your opinion, but quote from Socrates states something quite opposite. I need meat, ammunition, not opinions.
 
a_Pole_ogist said:
In Book V, chapter 22 of Church History (Socrates Scholasticus) writes:

“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.”

Does it proof, that Church in early ages celebrated “breaking of the bread” on Sabbath day? Or Socrates writes about something else? It looks like the context is about Easter, but this sentence looks like is about every sabbath of the year. Can someone explain it for me?

This text from Cocrates Scholasticus was posted on my little forum as a proof, that most Christian didn’t celebrated on Sundays, but on Saturdays from the very beginning, and I’m not sure how to aswer. Any suggestions? Thx.
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Yes, the quote is true. The early Christians “always” celebrated Mass on Sunday however they, as other posters have mentioned, continued to also go to Jewish worship. Jesus stated that eventually the Jews would expell the Christians and this indeed took place area by area.

So, while it is true that some Christians held worship on the seventh day Sabbath those same Christians observed Sunday as primary ( most important ). The same tradition to this day continues in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

The Ethiopian Orthodox hold a Sabbath worship - do not eat foods considered to be unclean by the law of Moses, etc. The point, is that the Ethiopian Orthodox view Sunday as the most important day of worship in the week. This is what is going on with the quote you have posted.
 
a_Pole_ogist said:
Anybody? :confused:
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Acts 20:7-9

“On the first day of the week when we gathered to break bread, Paul spoke to them because he was going to leave on the next day, and he kept on speaking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered, and a young man named Eutychus who was sitting on the window sill was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on.”

I think this holds much more water than Socrates.👍
 
Great post, Lapey…

The Nazarene Jews who followed Christ did initially continue to worship and study at the synagogues. However, they most likely voiced their convictions and in around 81, the Jews placed a malediction against the Nazarenes that brought about their eviction. The Nazarenes in turn formed their own synagogues and in time out of defiance, began worshipping on Sundays as well as breaking the 40 day fast.

There are those early Christians who did come together to a Saturday vigil and then remained until dawn to commemorate the Lord’s celebration of life and victory over death and sin.

It was the Holy Spirit’s ongoing recognition of the seat of authority as that recognized in earliest times in Rome, inspite of the great expansion and accultural development of Christianity in orthodox regions of the world.

I would like to go if there was as well, greater persecutions of Christians in Rome vs other regions such as Asia Minor.

Christ choosing Rome is semblance of God piercing the internal source of worldly evil and enslavement with the breaking of bondage of slavery to sin, and to begin the establishment of His church.
 
‘Sabbath’ doesn’t mean ‘Saturday’. It’s a term for Sunday worship. Go to the site you linked the quote from and read the intro. paragraph (the first one) on Chap. 22.

As an aside, this is part of a very interesting book called the Tripartite History. Three authors and nine books, and it tells us a lot about the condition of the church during the time just before/during and after Constantine.
 
I am trying to get into early Christian history when I can…I just wonder if the east had as much persecutions as those in the West…and the Christian persecution is not as extensive, more localized…in various regions.

When Constantine made Christianity legal, then the West went through the Dark Ages enduring the pillaging and destruction of invaders…

Sounds interesting…Tripartite history…Thanks.
 
There are Ethiopians who broke away from Rome and became Orthodox Ethiopians and claimed to follow Jewish practices. They exist today and you can read about them doing a search on line. The Roman Catholic Ethiopians came back to the Roman rite I believe in the 1700 or 1800’s. It is interesting as well to read about different churches that broke away from the Latin rite and then returned.

The Ethiopian Orthodox also appear to be blood tied to their own sub race of people as well.
 
KathleenGee said:
I am trying to get into early Christian history when I can…I just wonder if the east had as much persecutions as those in the West…and the Christian persecution is not as extensive, more localized…in various regions.

When Constantine made Christianity legal, then the West went through the Dark Ages enduring the pillaging and destruction of invaders…

Sounds interesting…Tripartite history…Thanks.
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The Eastern half of the Roman empire went into stasis, while the Roman half really fell apart into the dark ages. The Eastern half lasted up until the 1400’s when the Ottoman Turks finally took over.

There is a new book out that has good info on much of this. Five Cities That Ruled The Word. Rome/Constantinople are one of those, along with Jerusalem, New York, London and one other that I’m forgetting.

Here’s a link to the Tripartite History over on the CCEL site:

ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202

There’s lots of good reading at the CCEL site!
 
Thanks…it all works towards unity…I see the source and wonder as well how they interpret Catholic/Orthodox sources…I mean, I am a believer in the truth, I do see Rome as the final authority, but when we have splits there is fault on both sides. I have read some of the difference of opinion of the Orthodox…and the differences are minor really…
 
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