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

postponement until the evening, or for taking rest,
and for banqueting. By resorting to these customs,
you deliberately deviate from your own religious
rites to those of strangers."[44]
Tertullian, in this discourse, addresses himself
to the nations still in idolatry. With some of these,
Sunday was an ancient festival; with others, it was
of comparatively recent date. But some of these
heathen reproached the Sunday Christians with
being sun-worshipers. And now observe the
answer. He does not say, "We Christians are
commanded to celebrate the first day of the week
in honor of Christ's resurrection." His answer is
doubtless the best that he knew how to frame. It is
a mere retort, and consists in asserting, first, that
the Christians had done no more than their
accusers, the heathen; and second, that they had as
good a right to make Sunday a day of festivity as
had the heathen!
The origin of first-day observance has been the
subject of inquiry in this chapter. We have found
that Sunday from remote antiquity was a heathen
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