I was browsing for information on Christians who kept the 7th day in the early centuries AD. Here's an interesting account.
The Chang-An Monument
"It was in the year 1625; the Jesuits had infiltrated the fabric of the Chinese cultured classes, when a sensational discovery was made. A large monument stone inscribed with nineteen hundred Chinese characters, and fifty Syrian words, was unearthed just outside the walls of Chang-An, the ancient capital of the Tang Dynasty. The news of this discovery caused a bustle of excitement in the ancient metropolitan city, and thousands were anxious to know what information about their cultural heritage was hidden in the writing.
The Jesuits, who were regarded as the teachers and scholars, were immediately summoned to decipher the inscriptions. To the astonishment of these haughty priests, there before their eyes, was a description of the prestigious position, and vast extent of the seventh-day Sabbath-keeping Christian Church of the East of a millennia before!
The ancient Chinese characters were inscribed in 781 AD, at the command of Emperor Tae-Tsung, to honor the arrival of an Assyrian missionary and his companions to the capitol in the year 635 AD from Ta Tsin, or Judea. The stone revealed beliefs and practices of the primitive Christian church, which were unrelated and out of harmony with the Roman Catholic beliefs.
One of the passages reads:
"On the Seventh Day we offer sacrifices after having purified our hearts, and received absolution from our sins. This religion, so perfect and so excellent, is difficult to name, but it enlightens darkness by its brilliant precepts.”
In a state of shock, the Jesuits, and the Mandarins, a class of scholarly religious Chinese rulers, worked to alter the Chinese characters to reflect the Catholic doctrines, for if the expectant population were to learn what the stone really said, it would greatly damage their beliefs in the Catholic doctrines, and diminish the influence of the Mandarins.
But something very different than the expected resulted. Today, after carefully comparing the known facts of history with an examination of the historical and doctrinal facts written on the stone, a fraud is obvious.
The Chang-An Monument, or the "speaking stone,"as it is called, is considered to be as important a find as the Rosetta Stone, for it had the inscriptions in more than one language. The truth was preserved because the Jesuits were not able to read the inscription that was in Syrian.
From the reading of the stone today an irrefutable fact of history quickly becomes obvious.That ancient Sabbath-keeping Christianity had been very prominent and extensive throughout the Orient as late as the eighth and ninth centuries. "
Exceptfrom "Our Sabbath Heritage" by James Arrabito
Thanks for sharing this, Ruth. It shows that not only was the 7th day Sabbath observed for centuries after Christ, but it also shows the diligence of the RC church to erase all evidence of that fact.
That's why we see so little of the early church father's writing FOR the Sabbath, while the words of men like Justin, who tries to get on the good side of the Emperor by telling him they worship Sunday morning, are preserved.
However, there is evidence in many countries that the 7th day Sabbath, not Sunday was observed as the SABBATH.
The arguement that the Catholic church changed Sabatarian documents is a non sequitur at best, since the church claims the right to change the day. Why would they care what the documents say?
Read some articles that deal with the problems and challenges of translating ancient documents, and you will find that document "doctoring" (especially for nefarious purposes) is far less prevalent than conspiracy theorists would have you believe.
How can one claim as authentic an article that is as twistedly biased as this one from James Arrabito is? He is a Sabbath keeper and out to prove some preconceived point. He is not UN-biased.
So you don't like the author of that rendition of the story of the Chinese monument -- well lets look further.
This is interesting
The following are quotes from C. Gary Hullquist MD "A Diagnostic History and Examination of the Biblical Day of Rest. p. 83-85
In the 16th century Jesuits began establishing a presence in the Orient.... The educated Chinese were attracted to the Jesuit knowledge...In 1615 China commissioned the translation of all the best European books into Chinese and the Jesuits because of their mastery of languages were given the assignment....
When the 8th century monument was accidently discovered in 1625, suddenly everyone was interested. Both the Chinese and the Jesuits wanted to replace the original stone with a newer, improved, updated version. The Chinese were alarmed that they could not read the ancient characters which was embarrassing as they had long boasted that their language had remained unchanged over thousands of years. So it was their policy when finding ancient artifacts to replace them with new copies featuring the more modern and readable Mandarin characters (Wall, Charles William, "Ancient Orthography of the Jews" Whittaker and Co, London 1840, Vol. 2 p. 162)
The Jesuits found evidence of a strong Christian community that had existed long before they had arrived. This was damaging to the claim of Rome that their brand of religion was the first and dominant one. So the Jesuits prompted an official explanation that the replica was necessary because the Chinese characters were badly damaged when the original monument was unearthed. So the original stone, threatening to both the Chinese and the Catholic missionaries was conveniently destroyed.
Martin Martini, a Jesuit missionary in China around 1655 wrote:
“The governor was no sooner apprised of the discovery of the monument then by a curiosity natural to the Chinese, he betook himself to the place and as soon as he examined the tokens of its venerable antiquity, he first composed a book in honor of the monument, then ordered that a stone of the same size be made on which he engraved the contents of the other and had inscribed point by point the same characters and the same letters which had been impressed in the original. (Kircher le Chine p. 10,11, also Wall, Charles William, "Ancient Orthography of the Jews" Whittaker and Co, London 1840, Vol. 2 p. 160)
Two other Jesuits, Boim and Samedus also mentioned that a second stone was prepared with the same dimensions and a replacement inscription. (Wall, Charles William, "Ancient Orthography of the Jews" Whittaker and Co, London 1840, Vol. 2 p. 163)
The Jesuits were very interested in the marble stone’s inscription as it clearly detailed the emergence and growth of the church in China, its acceptance by the T’ang Dynasty, and the tremendous influence it had on China, despite the fact that this same eastern church had been excommunicated by the bishop of Rome some 500 years earlier. The kind of Christianity described by the monument differed dramatically and embarrassingly from the flavor offered by Rome.
Compared to the Syriac inscriptions the revised Chinese message contained liberal embellishments and glaring omissions. Charles William Wall made a comparative analysis of the Syriac and Chinese inscriptions with their respective usage in historical ages. His evidence is convincing proof of the Chinese counterfeit.
The Jesuits clearly assisted in the translation process. But neither they nor the Chinese could understand the seventh century Syriac , so they left it alone.
And one of those ommissions that appear in the Syriac is reference to worship on the seventh day.
-- Edited by Dedication on Tuesday 18th of October 2011 01:51:04 PM
Did the Catholic Church change and abolish documents that showed a different history from that which they wanted to project?
The answer is "yes",
Through prophetic revelation we know:
"In every age there were witnesses for God,--men who cherished faith in Christ as the only mediator between God and man, who held the Bible as the only rule of life, and who hallowed the true Sabbath. How much the world owes to these men, posterity will never know. They were branded as heretics, their motives impugned, their characters maligned, their writings suppressed, misrepresented, or mutilated. Yet they stood firm, and from age to age maintained their faith in its purity, as a sacred heritage for the generations to come. {GC88 61.1}
The history of God's people during the ages of darkness that followed upon Rome's supremacy, is written in Heaven. But they have little place in human records. Few traces of their existence can be found, except in the accusations of their persecutors. It was the policy of Rome to obliterate every trace of dissent from her doctrines or decrees. Everything heretical, whether persons or writings, was destroyed.{GC88 61.2}
This account of the Chinese Monument is just one example of what took place.
Studying this incident further I noted that the monument is called the
NESTORIAN MONUMENT.
The West has long called these Christians Nestorians, a term that refers to Nestorius of Antioch, Patriarch of Constantinople in the fifth century. In an early schism with the Roman Church, Nestorius and his followers were accused of heresy over an issue concerning Christ's human and divine nature. Nestorius and his followers were excummunicated from the Roman Church.
However, there is no proof that these Christians were Nestorius' followers, their roots came from the Assyrian Eastern Church, that much is established as the Syriac language was the tongue used by the Assyrian Eastern Churches.
As one author writes:
"It is astonishing to see how the Assyrian Church preserved the unity of its faith throughout its far-flung spiritual domain whether it was in India, Tibet, Turkestan, Persia, or China. The church members who worshiped according to the teachings laid down by the Church of the East were not only in harmony with one another in these different countries, but also with the headquarters in Persia. Many writers of note have commented upon the apostolic nature of its missionary activities and also upon the New Testament simplicity of its beliefs and practices. These believers constantly claimed that they accepted only that which was taught by Christ, the porphets, and the apostles. In quiet simplicity, accompanied by the minimum of ceremonies, they accomplished an unusual amount of missionary work." (P. 343 "Truth Triumphant", B.G. Wilkinson)
The Assyrian Christian church refers mainly to the Christian church east of Jerusalem -- east of the Jordan River, and eventually, as Imperial domain shrank, they were east of the Roman/Byzantine Empire.
It's apostalic leaders are reported to be Thomas, Bartholomew, Thaddeaus and Peter.
As years went by they increasingly sought to distance themselves from the Roman or western Catholic's increasing power. By 424 AD their bishops met and determined that they would not, henceforth, refer disciplinary or theological problems to any external power, and especially not to any bishop or Church Council in the Roman Empire.
They did not take part in the ecumenical councils and these leaders of the Persian Church did not feel bound by any decisions of what came to be regarded as Roman Imperial Councils.
It appears the early church had three main centers during the early centuries.
1. The eastern Syriac Church
2. The eastern (later called) Byzantine Church
3. The Roman Church
Seems the further west on goes the stronger the Sunday movement gets.
One writer, historian, William Cave, from the 17th century who is definitely not a Sabbitarian and tries to dismiss the fact that thousands of eastern Christians kept the Sabbath as just being a “Jewish” preference, wrote:
...the Sabbath or Saturday (for so the word sabbatum is constantly used in the writings of the fathers, when speaking of it as it relates to Christians) was held by them in great veneration, and especially in the Eastern parts honoured with all the public solemnities of religion. For which we are to know, that the gospel in those parts mainly prevailing amongst the Jews, they being generally the first converts to the Christian faith, they still retained a mighty reverence for the Mosaic institutions, and especially for the sabbath, as that which had been appointed by God himself, (as the memorial of his rest from the week of creation,) settled by their great master Moses, and celebrated by their ancestors for so many ages, as the solemn day of their public worship, and were therefore very loth that it should be wholly antiquated and laid aside. For this reason it seemed good to the prudence of those times, (as in others of the Jewish rites, so in this,) to indulge the humour of that people, and to keep the sabbath as a day for religious offices. Hence they usually had most parts of the divine service performed upon that day; they met together for public prayers, for reading the scriptures, celebration of the sacraments, and such like duties. This is plain, not only from some passages in Ignatius and Clemens's Constitutions, but from writers of more unquestionable credit and authority. Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, tells us, that they assembled on Saturdays, not that they were infected with Judaism, but only to worship Jesus Christ, the Lord of the sabbath (Cave William, D.D. Primitive Christianity: or the Religion of the Ancient Christians in the First Ages of the Gospel. 1840 edition revised by H. Cary. Oxford, London, pp. 84-85).
While I disagree that these were simply Jewish converts and the Sabbath was allowed to "humour" them as Dr. Cave wrote, he at least does realize that those in Asia Minor ("Eastern parts") kept the Saturday Sabbath.
Of the Observation of the Sabbath or Saturday as a weekly festival.
by Joseph Bingham, in Antiquities of the Christian Church Vol.2 Bk. 20
In the Eastern Church it was ever observed as a Festival, one only Sabbath excepted, which was called the Great-Sabbath between Good-Friday and Easter-Day, when our Saviour lay buried in the Grave, upon which Account it was kept as a Fast throughout the whole Church. But setting aside that one Sabbath, all the rest were kept as Festivals in the Oriental Church. St. Austin, though he lived in a Country where it was kept a Fast, yet testifies for the contrary Practice of the Eastern Church. ...
From hence it is plain, that all the Oriental Churches, and the greatest Parts of the World observed the Sabbath as a Festival. And the Greek Writers are unanimous in their Testimony.
Atbanvsius likewise tells us , that they held Religious Assemblies on the Sabbath, not because they were infected with Judaism, but to worship Jesus the LoRD of the Sabbath. Epiphatiiw says the fame [A} That it was a Day of Publick Assembly in many Churches, meaning the Oriental Churches, where it was kept a Festival.
It appears the early church had three main centers during the early centuries.
1. The eastern Syriac Church
2. The eastern (later called) Byzantine Church
3. The Roman Church
Seems the further west on goes the stronger the Sunday movement gets.
Actually when one looks, it becomes evident that there were more centers of Christianity. Rome wants the world to believe it is the one and only apostalic, true center of early Christianity, but Rome's emergence into "THE Christian church" came because of her connection with Imperial Rome with political power standing behind her, not because she was the one and only true faith.
Roman Catholic Christianity wasn't "THE church" before 313, it was just one of the churches before then. With Constantine's support the Roman church gained power, but even then Roman Catholicism was not yet the religion of the Roman state. The edict of the Emperors Gratian, ValentinianII and Theodosius I established Catholicism as the State Religion on February 28, 380 AD.
From that point on the church waged a fierce battle to get ultimate supremacy over the religious beliefs of everyone in her reach. Everyone considered as competition was labaled as a Heretic in order to drive them out of the empire by exile or death.
One quote from Volgt, Karl in His book "State and Church from Constantine the Great to the end of the Caroline Period" p.76
"That the Caesar should have the right and the duty to take care of ecclesiastical affairs, and in particular to protect pure doctine, fight splits within the church and take steps against false doctrines and their followers, was for Leo (Pope Leo I) self understood. He explicitly challenged the Caesars not seldom to proceed against heretics, he wanted them to be prosecuted with secular means of power, and in particular that they be banished."
It was Imperial Rome that gave power to the Roman Church, not Peter. And it was the Roman church that forced the change from Sabbath to Sunday.
The far flung churches not under the immediate jurisdiction of Rome kept the Sabbath long after Rome forced people away from the Sabbath.
Some, like the Abyssinian Church in Ethiopia, kept the Sabbath as God's sanctified day, and also regarded Sunday as a special day to celebrate Christ's resurrection, but they never claimed Sunday to be anything more than a tradition. When the Jesuits arrived in the 16th century they tried to outlaw Sabbath keeping, but the people enmass resisted. There was war!
