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Title: "Sunday keeping" DID NOT originate in the pagan religion of Mithraism!

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Sunday is not of pagan origin! If it is then so is the Sabbath!
Click to View When Sabbatarians quote books to prove Sunday originated with Sun worship and Mithraism, these same books also say that the Sabbath was of pagan origin from Babylon! Click to View The truth is, both the Sabbath and Christians worshipping of the first day (Sunday) are of divine origin. The Sabbath was abolished, not changed to Sunday!
Actual Sabbatarian false argument: "Christians copied the "Sunday keeping" practices of the pagan religion of Mithraism":
"Another influence in the early Christian Church was Mithraism- an ancient Oriental cult of the sun. This cult came to Rome in the first century A.D. and became popular in the second and third centuries. The central feature of this cult was the worship of the sun upon the first day of the week. Historians have written concerning the influence of Mithraism on Christianity" (Now that's clear, Leo Schreven, 1994, p101)
"as a solar festival, Sunday was the sacred day of Mithra; and it is interesting to notice that since Mithra was addressed, as Dominus, 'Lord," Sunday must have been 'the Lord's Day' long before Christian times." (Now that's clear, Leo Schreven, Seventh-day Adventist "Revelation Seminar speaker, Canada, 1994, p101, quoting, The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, 1928, p136)
Arthur Weigall: The Church made a sacred day of Sunday ... "largely because it was the weekly festival of the sun; for it was a definite Christian policy to take over the pagan festivals endeared to the people by tradition, and to give them a Christian significance." (The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, 1928, p136, as quoted by many Seventh-day Adventists to prove that Sunday is pagan)
Answer: Sunday is not of pagan origin!
Click to View
Leo Schreven and other Seventh-day Adventists should be spanked for even quoting from these Bible trashers like The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, because these same authors say BOTH Sunday and Sabbath are of pagan origin in the same books and articles! In fact we consider it dishonest to use Weigall's Sunday pagan quotes, without telling the reader that Weigall says the Sabbath is also of pagan origin! Bible trashers are the only ones Sabbatarians can find who say Sunday is of pagan origin!
The historical claims of Samuele Bacchiocchi, Seventh-day Adventist, refuted
According to Sabbatarians logic, as you will see, if Sunday originated with Mithraism, then the Sabbath originated with the Babylonians. For when you check their sources for the origin of Sunday, the same sources say Sabbath is a Babylonian origin! Of course all the quotes the Sabbatarians use are worthless because they are written by Bible haters who say all of Judaism and Christianity is of pagan origin!
Weigall Trashes the whole of Christianity as being of Pagan origin including the Sabbath!
Click to View
Contents of The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall
Notice #28 says Sunday is of pagan origin and #29 says the Sabbath
The Twelve Disciples Derived From Zodiac: p25
The 27 books of the New Testament Canon is invalid: p37
The name Mary is of pagan origin: p41
The virgin birth is of pagan origin: p44,47,60
The early life of Jesus is totally unknown: p49
Jesus born in a stable and wrapped in swaddling clothing is of pagan origin: p52
Miracles of Jesus are of pagan origin: p58
Jesus' 40 day temptation in wilderness is of pagan origin: p61
Earthquake at cross is false: p62
Jesus Crucifixion was a Jewish human sacrifice of pagan origin: p69,76
Jesus Side Pierced is of pagan origin: p83,84
Jesus never actually died, two angels were only men: p93,94
Ascension is of pagan origin: p100
Jesus suffering to save us is of pagan origin: p106
Jesus decent into Hades is of pagan origin: p113
Jesus "hung on a tree" is of pagan origin: p118
Jesus the "Rock of salvation" is of pagan origin: p129
Jesus the "slain Lamb of God" is of pagan origin: p131,132
"Washed in the Blood of the lamb" is of pagan origin: p132
Baptism and the Lord's Supper are both of pagan origin: p134, p146,147
Phrase "Soldiers of Christ" is of pagan origin: p135
Jesus as "the Shepherd" is of pagan origin: p136
Lords Supper is of pagan origin" p146,147
The idea of "blood atonement for sins" is of pagan origin: p152,158
Jesus "Begotten of God" is of pagan origin: p169
Incarnate Logos of Jn 1:1 is of pagan origin, The "pre-existent angel" is a 4th century concept: p172,173-175
The Trinity is of pagan origin: p182
The "Lord's Day" (Sunday) is of Pagan Origin: p209,210-211
Jewish Sabbath and the Sunday Lord's Day both of pagan origin: p136, p209,210-211
Conclusion of entire book: Almost all of Christianity is of pagan origin! p242
A. Fuller texts of The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall
#28: The "Lord's Day" (Sunday) is of Pagan Origin: "The Hebrew Sabbath having been abolished by Christians, the Church made a sacred clay of Sunday, partly because it was the day of the resurrection, but largely because it was the weekly festival of the sun; for it was a definite Christian policy to take over the pagan festivals endeared to the people by tradition, and to give them a Christian significance. But, as a solar festival, Sunday was the sacred day of Mithra; and it is interesting to notice that since Mithra was addressed, as Dominus, 'Lord," Sunday must have been 'the Lord's Day' long before Christian times." (The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, 1928, p136)
#29: Jewish Sabbath and the Sunday Lord's Day both of pagan origin: "In the early Christian Church there were no festivals, holy days, or Sabbaths" ... "I have, already mentioned that Sunday, too, was a pagan holy-day; and in this chapter I propose to discuss the origin of this custom of keeping one day in the week as a Sabbath, or "day of rest,' and' to show that the practice was forcefully opposed by Jesus Christ. The origin of the seven-day week which was used by the Jews and certain other peoples, but not till, later by the Greeks or Romans, is to be sought in some primitive worship of the moon, for the custom of keeping the day of the new moon and that of the full moon as festivals, which is widely found in antiquity, implies the recognition of a cycle of about 14 days, of which a week of 7 days is the half, the actual length of a week thus determined being 7 3/8 days. Now the Babylonians had a early adopted the seven-day week, and their calendars contain directions for the abstention from certain secular acts on stated days which seem to correspond to seventh days, and were called " Sabbaths "; and though the Jewish Sabbath cannot be directly traced to Babylonian usage, the institution is obviously derived from moon-worship and from the concomitant recognition of the number seven as calendrically sacred. The Jews attributed the holiness of the 'seventh day' to the fact that God was supposed to have rested from His six-days' creative labours on that day; but this was itself a legend derived from Babylonian mythology, and was not the original reason why the seventh day was a day of rest." (The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, 1928, p209,210-211)
#30: Conclusion of entire book: Almost all of Christianity is of pagan origin! "A fact which must be clear to those who have read the foregoing chapters is that Christianity developed into a religion in a lurid pagan environment which could not fail to have its influence upon the new faith." (The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, 1928, p242)
B. Look at what these same authorities say about the origin of the Sabbath:
"The origin of the Sabbath is uncertain, but it is apparently connected with the Babylonian 'shapattu', the 15th day of the month, on which the full moon occurs, and the Babylonian cycle of 'evil days' every seventh day." (Microsoft Encarta 96 encyclopedia, "Sabbath")
The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol 5, "Sabbath", p850, has a long discussion of all the "attempts to find the origin of the sabbath outside of the Old Testament." It lists five popular extra-Biblical origins: 1. Babylonian 2. Kenite 3. Arabic 4. Ugaritic 5. Sociological. (The Anchor Bible dictionary takes the correct view that the Sabbath is of divine origin as the Bible records, but here merely notes many of the liberal views of bible hating scholars who could no more accept that the Sabbath is of divine origin, as the earth was created in 6 literal 24 hour days.)
So according to Sabbatarians logic, if Sunday originated with Mithraism, then the Sabbath originated with the Babylonians.
Of course neither is true! God established both the Sabbath for the Jews at Sinai and the Lord's day as Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead!
Sabbatarians should not quote from atheists and Bible haters like Arthur Weigall, who trash not only Sunday, but Sabbath, the virgin birth and resurrection of Christ! Click here to learn more.
C. There is absolutely no historical evidence that the religion of Mithraism gathered together for worship on Sunday!
Sure they viewed Sunday as a special day, but different pagan religions have viewed almost every day of the week including SATURDAY, as special.
Sabbatarians present the historical information as if Mithraism was "Sunday-keeping" with a formal worship service. This is absolutely undocumented anywhere in history!
There is a huge difference between viewing a day as special and holding regular worship services on that day.
D. Authorities confirm no pagan culture actually gathered together for worship every Sunday
"We have yet to determine the reason why many Christians abandoned the seventh day, the Jewish sabbath, for their worship services and selected an entirely different day, "the first day of the week." Since there is no evidence for a pre-Christian use of this day for religious worship on a weekly basis among Greco-Romans or Jews, the only convincing reason seems to be that worship on the first day of the week was a celebration of the day on which Jesus had risen from the dead (Mark 16:2, 9; Matt 28:1; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19: Justin I Apol. 67.7)." (Anchor Bible Dictionary, Worship, Early Christian, Vol 6, p 980.)
"Various efforts have been made to find a pre-Christian origin for the Christian observance of Sunday: (1) the pagan day of the sun (although there was a day named for the sun, a day that assumed special importance in the cult of Mithras, there remains no evidence of a Sunday celebration in paganism)" (Encyclopedia of early Christianity, Editor, Everett Ferguson, Sunday, p873)
"Sun worship" and "worshipping on Sunday" are two very different ideas Sabbatarians like to mix together to confuse the whole subject.
E. Mithraism had these elements in common with Christianity! Did baptism and the final judgment also originate with Mithraism???
Baptism
a sacred meal
categorical ethics
belief in a final judgment
eternal life for the righteous
eternal punishment for the wicked
that the world would finally be destroyed by fire.
Did Christians borrow all these things above from Mithraism?
Note: Christians did borrow Christmas from Mithraism, (December 25, the birthday of the goddess, Mythra), however this was not until 354 A.D., far too late to be relevant to this discussion.
F. Seventh-day Adventists even admit no historical proof prior to 260 A.D.!
"The association between the Christian Sunday and the pagan veneration of the day of the Sun is not explicit before the time of Eusebius (ca. A.D. 260-340). Though Christ is often referred to by earlier Fathers as 'True Light' and 'Sun of Justice' no deliberate attempt was made prior to Eusebius to justify Sunday observance by means of the symbology of the day of the Sun." (From Sabbath to Sunday", p 261, by Samuele Bacchiocchi, Seventh-day Adventist historian).
Note, he admits there is no historical documentation prior to 260 A.D. that would connect Mithraism and Sunday as the Lord's day. In other words He admits there is no direct proof. ONLY SPECULATION AND ASSUMPTION.
We note that if Bacchiocchi, a Seventh-day Adventist, admits this when it hurts his position we do admire his honesty.
Also note that Bacchiocchi also claims that early Christians FIRST kept the sabbath before they worshipped on Sundays WITHOUT ANY PROOF.
The historical claims of Samuele Bacchiocchi, Seventh-day Adventist, refuted
Click to View We Speak truth in LOVE "you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth" Jn 8:40 Click to View
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Title:	"Sunday keeping" DID NOT originate in the pagan religion of Mithraism!
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Body:	Click to View Sunday is not of pagan origin! If it is then so is the Sabbath! Click to View When Sabbatarians quote books to prove Sunday originated with Sun worship and Mithraism, these same books also say that the Sabbath was of pagan origin from Babylon! Click to View The truth is, both the Sabbath and Christians worshipping of the first day (Sunday) are of divine origin. The Sabbath was abolished, not changed to Sunday! Actual Sabbatarian false argument: "Christians copied the "Sunday keeping" practices of the pagan religion of Mithraism": "Another influence in the early Christian Church was Mithraism- an ancient Oriental cult of the sun. This cult came to Rome in the first century A.D. and became popular in the second and third centuries. The central feature of this cult was the worship of the sun upon the first day of the week. Historians have written concerning the influence of Mithraism on Christianity" (Now that's clear, Leo Schreven, 1994, p101) "as a solar festival, Sunday was the sacred day of Mithra; and it is interesting to notice that since Mithra was addressed, as Dominus, 'Lord," Sunday must have been 'the Lord's Day' long before Christian times." (Now that's clear, Leo Schreven, Seventh-day Adventist "Revelation Seminar speaker, Canada, 1994, p101, quoting, The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, 1928, p136) Arthur Weigall: The Church made a sacred day of Sunday ... "largely because it was the weekly festival of the sun; for it was a definite Christian policy to take over the pagan festivals endeared to the people by tradition, and to give them a Christian significance." (The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, 1928, p136, as quoted by many Seventh-day Adventists to prove that Sunday is pagan) Answer: Sunday is not of pagan origin! Click to View Leo Schreven and other Seventh-day Adventists should be spanked for even quoting from these Bible trashers like The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, because these same authors say BOTH Sunday and Sabbath are of pagan origin in the same books and articles! In fact we consider it dishonest to use Weigall's Sunday pagan quotes, without telling the reader that Weigall says the Sabbath is also of pagan origin! Bible trashers are the only ones Sabbatarians can find who say Sunday is of pagan origin! The historical claims of Samuele Bacchiocchi, Seventh-day Adventist, refuted According to Sabbatarians logic, as you will see, if Sunday originated with Mithraism, then the Sabbath originated with the Babylonians. For when you check their sources for the origin of Sunday, the same sources say Sabbath is a Babylonian origin! Of course all the quotes the Sabbatarians use are worthless because they are written by Bible haters who say all of Judaism and Christianity is of pagan origin! Weigall Trashes the whole of Christianity as being of Pagan origin including the Sabbath! Click to View Contents of The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall Notice #28 says Sunday is of pagan origin and #29 says the Sabbath The Twelve Disciples Derived From Zodiac: p25 The 27 books of the New Testament Canon is invalid: p37 The name Mary is of pagan origin: p41 The virgin birth is of pagan origin: p44,47,60 The early life of Jesus is totally unknown: p49 Jesus born in a stable and wrapped in swaddling clothing is of pagan origin: p52 Miracles of Jesus are of pagan origin: p58 Jesus' 40 day temptation in wilderness is of pagan origin: p61 Earthquake at cross is false: p62 Jesus Crucifixion was a Jewish human sacrifice of pagan origin: p69,76 Jesus Side Pierced is of pagan origin: p83,84 Jesus never actually died, two angels were only men: p93,94 Ascension is of pagan origin: p100 Jesus suffering to save us is of pagan origin: p106 Jesus decent into Hades is of pagan origin: p113 Jesus "hung on a tree" is of pagan origin: p118 Jesus the "Rock of salvation" is of pagan origin: p129 Jesus the "slain Lamb of God" is of pagan origin: p131,132 "Washed in the Blood of the lamb" is of pagan origin: p132 Baptism and the Lord's Supper are both of pagan origin: p134, p146,147 Phrase "Soldiers of Christ" is of pagan origin: p135 Jesus as "the Shepherd" is of pagan origin: p136 Lords Supper is of pagan origin" p146,147 The idea of "blood atonement for sins" is of pagan origin: p152,158 Jesus "Begotten of God" is of pagan origin: p169 Incarnate Logos of Jn 1:1 is of pagan origin, The "pre-existent angel" is a 4th century concept: p172,173-175 The Trinity is of pagan origin: p182 The "Lord's Day" (Sunday) is of Pagan Origin: p209,210-211 Jewish Sabbath and the Sunday Lord's Day both of pagan origin: p136, p209,210-211 Conclusion of entire book: Almost all of Christianity is of pagan origin! p242 A. Fuller texts of The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall #28: The "Lord's Day" (Sunday) is of Pagan Origin: "The Hebrew Sabbath having been abolished by Christians, the Church made a sacred clay of Sunday, partly because it was the day of the resurrection, but largely because it was the weekly festival of the sun; for it was a definite Christian policy to take over the pagan festivals endeared to the people by tradition, and to give them a Christian significance. But, as a solar festival, Sunday was the sacred day of Mithra; and it is interesting to notice that since Mithra was addressed, as Dominus, 'Lord," Sunday must have been 'the Lord's Day' long before Christian times." (The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, 1928, p136) #29: Jewish Sabbath and the Sunday Lord's Day both of pagan origin: "In the early Christian Church there were no festivals, holy days, or Sabbaths" ... "I have, already mentioned that Sunday, too, was a pagan holy-day; and in this chapter I propose to discuss the origin of this custom of keeping one day in the week as a Sabbath, or "day of rest,' and' to show that the practice was forcefully opposed by Jesus Christ. The origin of the seven-day week which was used by the Jews and certain other peoples, but not till, later by the Greeks or Romans, is to be sought in some primitive worship of the moon, for the custom of keeping the day of the new moon and that of the full moon as festivals, which is widely found in antiquity, implies the recognition of a cycle of about 14 days, of which a week of 7 days is the half, the actual length of a week thus determined being 7 3/8 days. Now the Babylonians had a early adopted the seven-day week, and their calendars contain directions for the abstention from certain secular acts on stated days which seem to correspond to seventh days, and were called " Sabbaths "; and though the Jewish Sabbath cannot be directly traced to Babylonian usage, the institution is obviously derived from moon-worship and from the concomitant recognition of the number seven as calendrically sacred. The Jews attributed the holiness of the 'seventh day' to the fact that God was supposed to have rested from His six-days' creative labours on that day; but this was itself a legend derived from Babylonian mythology, and was not the original reason why the seventh day was a day of rest." (The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, 1928, p209,210-211) #30: Conclusion of entire book: Almost all of Christianity is of pagan origin! "A fact which must be clear to those who have read the foregoing chapters is that Christianity developed into a religion in a lurid pagan environment which could not fail to have its influence upon the new faith." (The Paganism in Our Christianity, Arthur Weigall, 1928, p242) B. Look at what these same authorities say about the origin of the Sabbath: "The origin of the Sabbath is uncertain, but it is apparently connected with the Babylonian 'shapattu', the 15th day of the month, on which the full moon occurs, and the Babylonian cycle of 'evil days' every seventh day." (Microsoft Encarta 96 encyclopedia, "Sabbath") The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol 5, "Sabbath", p850, has a long discussion of all the "attempts to find the origin of the sabbath outside of the Old Testament." It lists five popular extra-Biblical origins: 1. Babylonian 2. Kenite 3. Arabic 4. Ugaritic 5. Sociological. (The Anchor Bible dictionary takes the correct view that the Sabbath is of divine origin as the Bible records, but here merely notes many of the liberal views of bible hating scholars who could no more accept that the Sabbath is of divine origin, as the earth was created in 6 literal 24 hour days.) So according to Sabbatarians logic, if Sunday originated with Mithraism, then the Sabbath originated with the Babylonians. Of course neither is true! God established both the Sabbath for the Jews at Sinai and the Lord's day as Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead! Sabbatarians should not quote from atheists and Bible haters like Arthur Weigall, who trash not only Sunday, but Sabbath, the virgin birth and resurrection of Christ! Click here to learn more. C. There is absolutely no historical evidence that the religion of Mithraism gathered together for worship on Sunday! Sure they viewed Sunday as a special day, but different pagan religions have viewed almost every day of the week including SATURDAY, as special. Sabbatarians present the historical information as if Mithraism was "Sunday-keeping" with a formal worship service. This is absolutely undocumented anywhere in history! There is a huge difference between viewing a day as special and holding regular worship services on that day. D. Authorities confirm no pagan culture actually gathered together for worship every Sunday "We have yet to determine the reason why many Christians abandoned the seventh day, the Jewish sabbath, for their worship services and selected an entirely different day, "the first day of the week." Since there is no evidence for a pre-Christian use of this day for religious worship on a weekly basis among Greco-Romans or Jews, the only convincing reason seems to be that worship on the first day of the week was a celebration of the day on which Jesus had risen from the dead (Mark 16:2, 9; Matt 28:1; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19: Justin I Apol. 67.7)." (Anchor Bible Dictionary, Worship, Early Christian, Vol 6, p 980.) "Various efforts have been made to find a pre-Christian origin for the Christian observance of Sunday: (1) the pagan day of the sun (although there was a day named for the sun, a day that assumed special importance in the cult of Mithras, there remains no evidence of a Sunday celebration in paganism)" (Encyclopedia of early Christianity, Editor, Everett Ferguson, Sunday, p873) "Sun worship" and "worshipping on Sunday" are two very different ideas Sabbatarians like to mix together to confuse the whole subject. E. Mithraism had these elements in common with Christianity! Did baptism and the final judgment also originate with Mithraism??? Baptism a sacred meal categorical ethics belief in a final judgment eternal life for the righteous eternal punishment for the wicked that the world would finally be destroyed by fire. Did Christians borrow all these things above from Mithraism? Note: Christians did borrow Christmas from Mithraism, (December 25, the birthday of the goddess, Mythra), however this was not until 354 A.D., far too late to be relevant to this discussion. F. Seventh-day Adventists even admit no historical proof prior to 260 A.D.! "The association between the Christian Sunday and the pagan veneration of the day of the Sun is not explicit before the time of Eusebius (ca. A.D. 260-340). Though Christ is often referred to by earlier Fathers as 'True Light' and 'Sun of Justice' no deliberate attempt was made prior to Eusebius to justify Sunday observance by means of the symbology of the day of the Sun." (From Sabbath to Sunday", p 261, by Samuele Bacchiocchi, Seventh-day Adventist historian). Note, he admits there is no historical documentation prior to 260 A.D. that would connect Mithraism and Sunday as the Lord's day. In other words He admits there is no direct proof. ONLY SPECULATION AND ASSUMPTION. We note that if Bacchiocchi, a Seventh-day Adventist, admits this when it hurts his position we do admire his honesty. Also note that Bacchiocchi also claims that early Christians FIRST kept the sabbath before they worshipped on Sundays WITHOUT ANY PROOF. The historical claims of Samuele Bacchiocchi, Seventh-day Adventist, refuted Click to View We Speak truth in LOVE "you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth" Jn 8:40 Click to View Click to View Go To Start: WWW.BIBLE.CA