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

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The next fa<strong>the</strong>r who gives a reason for<br />

celebrating Sunday as a day <strong>of</strong> joy, <strong>and</strong> refraining<br />

from kneeling on it, is Peter <strong>of</strong> Alex<strong>and</strong>ria, who<br />

simply says, "Because on it he rose again."[27]<br />

Next in order come <strong>the</strong> Apostolic Constitutions,<br />

which assert that <strong>the</strong> Sunday festival is a memorial<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> resurrection:--<br />

"But keep <strong>the</strong> <strong>Sabbath</strong>, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> Lord’s <strong>Day</strong><br />

festival; because <strong>the</strong> former is a memorial <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

creation, <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> latter <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> resurrection."[28]<br />

The writer, however, <strong>of</strong>fers no pro<strong>of</strong> that<br />

Sunday was set apart by divine authority in<br />

memory <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> resurrection. But <strong>the</strong> next person<br />

who gives his reasons for keeping Sunday " as a<br />

festival" is <strong>the</strong> writer <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> longer form <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />

reputed epistle <strong>of</strong> Ignatius to <strong>the</strong> Magnesians. He<br />

finds <strong>the</strong> eighth day prophetically set forth in <strong>the</strong><br />

title to <strong>the</strong> sixth <strong>and</strong> twelfth psalms! In <strong>the</strong> margin,<br />

<strong>the</strong> word Sheminith is translated "<strong>the</strong> eighth." Here<br />

is this writer's argument for Sunday:--<br />

496

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