The Authority of Traditions [Traditions of the church of Rome – Pioneer writings]
The reader may be curious to know why a controversy should have arisen respecting the proper day for the celebration of the passover in the Christian church when no such celebration had ever been commanded. The explanation is this:The festival was celebrated solely on the authority of tradition, and there were in this case two directly conflicting traditions as is fully shown in the tenth canon of this father. One party had their tradition from John the apostle, and held that the paschal feast should be celebrated every year “wheneve rthe fourteenth day of the moon had come, and the lamb was sacrificed by the Jews.” But the other party had their tradition from the apostles Peter and Paul that this festival should not be celebrated on that day, but upon the so-called Lord’s day next following. And so a fierce controversy arose which was decided in A. D. 325, by the council of Nice, in favor of Saint Peter, who had on his side his pretended successor, the powerful and crafty bishop of Rome.” Complete Testimony of the Fathers of the First Three centuries Concerning the Sabbath and the First Day, by JN Andrews, 1873 - TFTC, 94.2
The term Lord’s day is never applied to Sunday till the closing years of the second century. And Clement who is the first to make such an application, represents the true Lord’s day as made up of every day of the Christian’s life. And this opinion is avowed by others after him. IBID,
But after we enter the third century the name Lord’s day is quite frequently applied to Sunday. Tertullian who lived at the epoch where we first find this application, frankly declares that the festival of Sunday to which he gives the name of Lord’s day had no Scriptural authority, but that it was founded upon tradition. But should not the traditions of the third century be esteemed sufficient authority for calling Sunday the Lord’s day? The very men of that century who speak thus of Sunday strenuously urge the observance of the feast of the passover. Shall we accept this festival which they offer to us on the authority of their apostolic tradition? As if to teach us the folly of adding tradition to the Bible as a part of our rules of faith, it happens that there are even from the early part of the second century two directly conflicting traditions as to what day should be kept for the passover. And one party had theirs from Saint John, the other had theirs from Saint Peter, and Saint Paul! And it is very remarkable that although each of these parties claimed to know from one or the other of these apostles that they had the right day for the passover and the other had the wrong one, there is never a claim by one of these fathers that Sunday is the Lord’s day because John on the isle of Patmos called it such! If men in the second and third centuries were totally mistaken in their traditions respecting the passover, as they certainly were, shall we consider the traditions of the third century sufficient authority for asserting that the title of Lord’s day belongs to Sunday by apostolic authority? IBID,
“The issue is joined to-day for a decisive combat. God’s Word declares, “The seventh day is theSabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work.” On the other hand, the word of man—traditions church precept, and the civil “law”—declares the first day to be the Sabbath. The first-day sabbath is Rome’s heralded token of the supremacy of her word in spiritual things; and in anticipation of her long-awaited triumph, she says in her heart, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” 3 She is stretching forth her hand to seize again her long-lost supremacy on earth. But in the heavens a mandate has gone forth, “It is time for thee, Lord, to work; for they have made void thy law.” The American Sentinel, 11 (AMS 11, Feb. 11, 1896 – pg. 65.6)
“The dramatic scenes of Wycliffe’s time are to be reënacted. The champions of divine truth are again to stand before kings and rulers; the word of the Infinite is again to be seen towering in divine majesty above the precepts of mortal man. The triumphs of truth in every age culminate here. We have reached the climax of the great controversy. Over the issue of which day is the Sabbath—which of the signs of two opposing spiritual powers is to be given the honor of men—the battle will be fought to its conclusion. On the one hand stands the Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day,—the sign of the Godhead of Him whose word has creative power; and on the other hand is the man-made sabbath—Sunday—the sign of that opposing power which has set its word above the word of the most High, claiming the right to change the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first. On that side and under that banner will stand all who, whether Catholic or Protestant in name, have given real or apparent assent to this change. In many places this assent is now called for by the civil law; but the word of the Creator upholds a different institution, and demands allegiance to it. Shall we choose Scripture? or tradition?—the word of God? or the word of man? The choice will determine our position in the conflict, and our final destiny.” IBID (AMS 11, Feb. 11, 1896 – pg. 65.7)
“The Sabbath question is to be the issue in the great final conflict in which all the world will act a part. Men have honored Satan’s principles above the principles that rule in the heavens. They have accepted the spurious sabbath, which Satan has exalted as the sign of his authority. But God has set His seal upon His royal requirement. Each sabbathinstitution bears the name of its author, an ineffaceable mark that shows the authority of each. It is our work to lead the people to understand this. We are to show them that it is of vital consequence whether they bear the mark of God’s kingdom or the mark of the kingdom of rebellion, for they acknowledge themselves subjects of the kingdom whose mark they bear. God has called us to uplift the standard of His downtrodden Sabbath.595 Counsels for the Church, 334.6
“The Sabbath question is to be the issue in the great final conflict in which all the world will act a part.—Testimonies for the Church 6:352 (1900). LDE,135.2
Foreign nations will follow the example of the United States. Though she leads out, yet the same crisis will come upon our people in all parts of the world.—Testimonies for the Church 6:395 (1900). LDE,135.3
The substitution of the false for the true is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal God will reveal Himself. When the laws of men are exalted above the laws of God, when the powers of this earth try to force men to keep the first day of the week, know that the time has come for God to work.—The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 7:980 (1901). LDE,135.4
The substitution of the laws of men for the law of God, the exaltation, by merely human authority, of Sunday in place of the Bible Sabbath, is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal God will reveal Himself. He will arise in His majesty to shake terribly the earth.—Testimonies for the Church 7:141 (1902). LDE, 135.5
Thursday, March 28, 2013
CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS SERIES - 05
The Authority of Traditions [Traditions of the church of Rome – Pioneer writings]
The reader may be curious to know why a controversy should have arisen respecting the proper day for the celebration of the passover in the Christian church when no such celebration had ever been commanded. The explanation is this:The festival was celebrated solely on the authority of tradition, and there were in this case two directly conflicting traditions as is fully shown in the tenth canon of this father. One party had their tradition from John the apostle, and held that the paschal feast should be celebrated every year “wheneve rthe fourteenth day of the moon had come, and the lamb was sacrificed by the Jews.” But the other party had their tradition from the apostles Peter and Paul that this festival should not be celebrated on that day, but upon the so-called Lord’s day next following. And so a fierce controversy arose which was decided in A. D. 325, by the council of Nice, in favor of Saint Peter, who had on his side his pretended successor, the powerful and crafty bishop of Rome.” Complete Testimony of the Fathers of the First Three centuries Concerning the Sabbath and the First Day, by JN Andrews, 1873 - TFTC, 94.2
The term Lord’s day is never applied to Sunday till the closing years of the second century. And Clement who is the first to make such an application, represents the true Lord’s day as made up of every day of the Christian’s life. And this opinion is avowed by others after him. IBID,
But after we enter the third century the name Lord’s day is quite frequently applied to Sunday. Tertullian who lived at the epoch where we first find this application, frankly declares that the festival of Sunday to which he gives the name of Lord’s day had no Scriptural authority, but that it was founded upon tradition. But should not the traditions of the third century be esteemed sufficient authority for calling Sunday the Lord’s day? The very men of that century who speak thus of Sunday strenuously urge the observance of the feast of the passover. Shall we accept this festival which they offer to us on the authority of their apostolic tradition? As if to teach us the folly of adding tradition to the Bible as a part of our rules of faith, it happens that there are even from the early part of the second century two directly conflicting traditions as to what day should be kept for the passover. And one party had theirs from Saint John, the other had theirs from Saint Peter, and Saint Paul! And it is very remarkable that although each of these parties claimed to know from one or the other of these apostles that they had the right day for the passover and the other had the wrong one, there is never a claim by one of these fathers that Sunday is the Lord’s day because John on the isle of Patmos called it such! If men in the second and third centuries were totally mistaken in their traditions respecting the passover, as they certainly were, shall we consider the traditions of the third century sufficient authority for asserting that the title of Lord’s day belongs to Sunday by apostolic authority? IBID,
“The issue is joined to-day for a decisive combat. God’s Word declares, “The seventh day is theSabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work.” On the other hand, the word of man—traditions church precept, and the civil “law”—declares the first day to be the Sabbath. The first-day sabbath is Rome’s heralded token of the supremacy of her word in spiritual things; and in anticipation of her long-awaited triumph, she says in her heart, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” 3 She is stretching forth her hand to seize again her long-lost supremacy on earth. But in the heavens a mandate has gone forth, “It is time for thee, Lord, to work; for they have made void thy law.” The American Sentinel, 11 (AMS 11, Feb. 11, 1896 – pg. 65.6)
“The dramatic scenes of Wycliffe’s time are to be reënacted. The champions of divine truth are again to stand before kings and rulers; the word of the Infinite is again to be seen towering in divine majesty above the precepts of mortal man. The triumphs of truth in every age culminate here. We have reached the climax of the great controversy. Over the issue of which day is the Sabbath—which of the signs of two opposing spiritual powers is to be given the honor of men—the battle will be fought to its conclusion. On the one hand stands the Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day,—the sign of the Godhead of Him whose word has creative power; and on the other hand is the man-made sabbath—Sunday—the sign of that opposing power which has set its word above the word of the most High, claiming the right to change the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first. On that side and under that banner will stand all who, whether Catholic or Protestant in name, have given real or apparent assent to this change. In many places this assent is now called for by the civil law; but the word of the Creator upholds a different institution, and demands allegiance to it. Shall we choose Scripture? or tradition?—the word of God? or the word of man? The choice will determine our position in the conflict, and our final destiny.” IBID (AMS 11, Feb. 11, 1896 – pg. 65.7)
“The Sabbath question is to be the issue in the great final conflict in which all the world will act a part. Men have honored Satan’s principles above the principles that rule in the heavens. They have accepted the spurious sabbath, which Satan has exalted as the sign of his authority. But God has set His seal upon His royal requirement. Each sabbathinstitution bears the name of its author, an ineffaceable mark that shows the authority of each. It is our work to lead the people to understand this. We are to show them that it is of vital consequence whether they bear the mark of God’s kingdom or the mark of the kingdom of rebellion, for they acknowledge themselves subjects of the kingdom whose mark they bear. God has called us to uplift the standard of His downtrodden Sabbath.595 Counsels for the Church, 334.6
“The Sabbath question is to be the issue in the great final conflict in which all the world will act a part.—Testimonies for the Church 6:352 (1900). LDE,135.2
Foreign nations will follow the example of the United States. Though she leads out, yet the same crisis will come upon our people in all parts of the world.—Testimonies for the Church 6:395 (1900). LDE,135.3
The substitution of the false for the true is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal God will reveal Himself. When the laws of men are exalted above the laws of God, when the powers of this earth try to force men to keep the first day of the week, know that the time has come for God to work.—The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 7:980 (1901). LDE,135.4
The substitution of the laws of men for the law of God, the exaltation, by merely human authority, of Sunday in place of the Bible Sabbath, is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal God will reveal Himself. He will arise in His majesty to shake terribly the earth.—Testimonies for the Church 7:141 (1902). LDE, 135.5
The Authority of Traditions [Traditions of the church of Rome – Pioneer writings]
The reader may be curious to know why a controversy should have arisen respecting the proper day for the celebration of the passover in the Christian church when no such celebration had ever been commanded. The explanation is this:The festival was celebrated solely on the authority of tradition, and there were in this case two directly conflicting traditions as is fully shown in the tenth canon of this father. One party had their tradition from John the apostle, and held that the paschal feast should be celebrated every year “wheneve rthe fourteenth day of the moon had come, and the lamb was sacrificed by the Jews.” But the other party had their tradition from the apostles Peter and Paul that this festival should not be celebrated on that day, but upon the so-called Lord’s day next following. And so a fierce controversy arose which was decided in A. D. 325, by the council of Nice, in favor of Saint Peter, who had on his side his pretended successor, the powerful and crafty bishop of Rome.” Complete Testimony of the Fathers of the First Three centuries Concerning the Sabbath and the First Day, by JN Andrews, 1873 - TFTC, 94.2
The term Lord’s day is never applied to Sunday till the closing years of the second century. And Clement who is the first to make such an application, represents the true Lord’s day as made up of every day of the Christian’s life. And this opinion is avowed by others after him. IBID,
But after we enter the third century the name Lord’s day is quite frequently applied to Sunday. Tertullian who lived at the epoch where we first find this application, frankly declares that the festival of Sunday to which he gives the name of Lord’s day had no Scriptural authority, but that it was founded upon tradition. But should not the traditions of the third century be esteemed sufficient authority for calling Sunday the Lord’s day? The very men of that century who speak thus of Sunday strenuously urge the observance of the feast of the passover. Shall we accept this festival which they offer to us on the authority of their apostolic tradition? As if to teach us the folly of adding tradition to the Bible as a part of our rules of faith, it happens that there are even from the early part of the second century two directly conflicting traditions as to what day should be kept for the passover. And one party had theirs from Saint John, the other had theirs from Saint Peter, and Saint Paul! And it is very remarkable that although each of these parties claimed to know from one or the other of these apostles that they had the right day for the passover and the other had the wrong one, there is never a claim by one of these fathers that Sunday is the Lord’s day because John on the isle of Patmos called it such! If men in the second and third centuries were totally mistaken in their traditions respecting the passover, as they certainly were, shall we consider the traditions of the third century sufficient authority for asserting that the title of Lord’s day belongs to Sunday by apostolic authority? IBID,
“The issue is joined to-day for a decisive combat. God’s Word declares, “The seventh day is theSabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work.” On the other hand, the word of man—traditions church precept, and the civil “law”—declares the first day to be the Sabbath. The first-day sabbath is Rome’s heralded token of the supremacy of her word in spiritual things; and in anticipation of her long-awaited triumph, she says in her heart, “I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.” 3 She is stretching forth her hand to seize again her long-lost supremacy on earth. But in the heavens a mandate has gone forth, “It is time for thee, Lord, to work; for they have made void thy law.” The American Sentinel, 11 (AMS 11, Feb. 11, 1896 – pg. 65.6)
“The dramatic scenes of Wycliffe’s time are to be reënacted. The champions of divine truth are again to stand before kings and rulers; the word of the Infinite is again to be seen towering in divine majesty above the precepts of mortal man. The triumphs of truth in every age culminate here. We have reached the climax of the great controversy. Over the issue of which day is the Sabbath—which of the signs of two opposing spiritual powers is to be given the honor of men—the battle will be fought to its conclusion. On the one hand stands the Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day,—the sign of the Godhead of Him whose word has creative power; and on the other hand is the man-made sabbath—Sunday—the sign of that opposing power which has set its word above the word of the most High, claiming the right to change the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first. On that side and under that banner will stand all who, whether Catholic or Protestant in name, have given real or apparent assent to this change. In many places this assent is now called for by the civil law; but the word of the Creator upholds a different institution, and demands allegiance to it. Shall we choose Scripture? or tradition?—the word of God? or the word of man? The choice will determine our position in the conflict, and our final destiny.” IBID (AMS 11, Feb. 11, 1896 – pg. 65.7)
“The Sabbath question is to be the issue in the great final conflict in which all the world will act a part. Men have honored Satan’s principles above the principles that rule in the heavens. They have accepted the spurious sabbath, which Satan has exalted as the sign of his authority. But God has set His seal upon His royal requirement. Each sabbathinstitution bears the name of its author, an ineffaceable mark that shows the authority of each. It is our work to lead the people to understand this. We are to show them that it is of vital consequence whether they bear the mark of God’s kingdom or the mark of the kingdom of rebellion, for they acknowledge themselves subjects of the kingdom whose mark they bear. God has called us to uplift the standard of His downtrodden Sabbath.595 Counsels for the Church, 334.6
“The Sabbath question is to be the issue in the great final conflict in which all the world will act a part.—Testimonies for the Church 6:352 (1900). LDE,135.2
Foreign nations will follow the example of the United States. Though she leads out, yet the same crisis will come upon our people in all parts of the world.—Testimonies for the Church 6:395 (1900). LDE,135.3
The substitution of the false for the true is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal God will reveal Himself. When the laws of men are exalted above the laws of God, when the powers of this earth try to force men to keep the first day of the week, know that the time has come for God to work.—The S.D.A. Bible Commentary 7:980 (1901). LDE,135.4
The substitution of the laws of men for the law of God, the exaltation, by merely human authority, of Sunday in place of the Bible Sabbath, is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal God will reveal Himself. He will arise in His majesty to shake terribly the earth.—Testimonies for the Church 7:141 (1902). LDE, 135.5
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