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History of the Sabbath and First Day of the Week - John N. Andrews

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expresses it, "The Lord’s <strong>Day</strong> found it no small<br />

matter to obtain <strong>the</strong> victory.[41] In a brief period<br />

after <strong>the</strong> Council <strong>of</strong> Nice, by <strong>the</strong> laws <strong>of</strong><br />

Theodosius, capital punishment was inflicted upon<br />

those who should celebrate <strong>the</strong> feast <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

Passover upon any o<strong>the</strong>r day than Sunday.[41] The<br />

Britons <strong>of</strong> Wales were long able to maintain <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

ground against this favorite project <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Roman<br />

church, <strong>and</strong> as late as <strong>the</strong> sixth century "obstinately<br />

resisted <strong>the</strong> imperious m<strong>and</strong>ates <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Roman<br />

pontiffs."[42]<br />

Four years after <strong>the</strong> commencement <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

struggle just narrated, bring us to <strong>the</strong> testimony <strong>of</strong><br />

Tertullian, <strong>the</strong> oldest <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Latin fa<strong>the</strong>rs, who<br />

wrote about A.D. 200. Dr. Clarke tells us that <strong>the</strong><br />

fa<strong>the</strong>rs "blow hot <strong>and</strong> cold." Tertullian is a fair<br />

example <strong>of</strong> this. He places <strong>the</strong> origin <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

<strong>Sabbath</strong> at <strong>the</strong> creation, but elsewhere says that <strong>the</strong><br />

patriarchs did not keep it. He says that Joshua<br />

broke <strong>the</strong> <strong>Sabbath</strong> at Jericho, <strong>and</strong> afterward shows<br />

that he did not break it. He says that Christ broke<br />

<strong>the</strong> <strong>Sabbath</strong>, <strong>and</strong> in ano<strong>the</strong>r place proves that he did<br />

not. He represents <strong>the</strong> eighth day as more<br />

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