DOCSLIB.ORG

The Sabbath-Keepers of Transalvania

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Sabbath-Keepers of Transalvania The Sabbath-Keepers of Transylvania By D. Thomas Lancaster Buried lay the old teachings of Christ…but to us, the least of all, the most insignificant on the earth, to us the poor and despised ones, You have revealed it. (Old Sabbatarian Hymnal) messiah magazine SUPPLEMENT • THE SABBATARIANS OF TRANSLALVANIA • 1 f the village clergy suspected that a person secretly belonged to the sect of the Sabbath-keepers, they would force him to work on the Sabbath. One ISabbath day, in the Transylvanian district of Bözöd, a Catholic priest came upon a maid he suspected of Sabbath-keeping. He seized her and forced her to make hay for him on the Sabbath. Although the skies were clear and the weather was warm, a few hours after she began working in the field a cloud over- shadowed the villages, and a violent thun- derstorm ensued. Fierce wind and rain blew away the hay. Lightning struck and killed a man. The villagers came to the priest while the storm continued to rage and cried out, “Let the Sabbatarian go home while we are all still safe!” After that, no one ever again dared to force the Sabbath-keepers to work Documents and books from the Hungarian Unitarian Church Archives in on the Sabbath in that village. Romania providing records relating to the history of the Sabbatarians Origin of the Sabbatarians Transylvania, the homeland of Dracula, used to their own views,” and that they are not Practice of the People to be the homeland of an amazing sect of to be coerced.1 Transylvania’s free religious Transylvanian Sabbatarian literature is writ- Torah-keeping Christianity. The modern climate, coupled with the Reformation-era ten in Hungarian, and Eössi’s writings are no Messianic Jewish movement and believing enthusiasm for returning to the “New Tes- exception. Eössi proved to be prolific. He Torah-keepers stand to learn a great deal tament Church,” inevitably led some Chris- produced theological treatises, hymn books, from these Transylvanians. Our beliefs mir- tians back to the default mode of our faith. didactic poetry, liturgical prayers and hala- ror theirs exactly in many ways, and they can The Sabbatarians emerged as a biblical form chic (legal) manuals for the emerging Tran- be seen as forerunners of our faith and prac- of Christianity––that is, they kept the com- sylvanian Torah movement. In addition he tice. In certain matters of theology, however, mandments of Torah and the testimony of introduced Hungarian versions of traditional matters such as Christology and relationship Yeshua. Jewish prayers, interspersed with prayers to greater Judaism we differ strongly, and we The story of the Transylvanian Sabbatar- particular to the Sabbatarians. The Old Sab- should take warning from their history. ians begins with András Eössi, a wealthy batarian Hymnal reads, The protestant Reformation arrived in Székely landowner. (The Székely are a Hun- Transylvania early in the sixteenth century. garian-speaking ethnic group.) Eössi was a We cannot boast Abraham as our father, By 1568, Transylvanian Christians were Unitarian who, despite his vast wealth, suf- nor claim to be his descendants. We are but divided between Catholic, Lutheran, Cal- fered a difficult life. He lost his wife and three the offshoot of Japheth’s house and foolish vinist (Reformed) and Unitarian churches. sons, and he himself endured a debilitating heathen children. Only in Thee, Father, will The latter denomination was primarily dis- disease that left him largely incapacitated. we rejoice…The one who has brought us tinguished from the others by its rejection of Alone in his castle in the village of Saint Eliz- heathens to Thee and made us children of Trinitarian theology. Transylvanian Unitari- abeth, Eössi committed himself to studying Abraham.3 anism is the predecessor to the liberal Uni- the Bible. In the course of his studies, he came tarian church of the modern era. At its incep- to many of the same convictions that char- Because Eössi’s Sabbath-keepers were tion, however, Unitarian Christians were very acterize the Hebrew Roots movement and identified with Judaism, the government conservative and fundamentalist in their Torah-observant, Messianic Judaism today. would not allow them to publish literature. approach to Scripture. They often retained Fueled by the joy of discovery, he began to When Eössi would write an article or a book, a very high Christology despite their anti- propagate the observance of the Sabbath, his followers would set to work copying it by Trinitarian stance. From those conservative the festivals, the dietary laws and the ongo- hand, one copy at a time. Eössi led the Sab- ranks of early Unitarians the Transylvanian ing validity of the Torah among Christians. In batarians for twelve years, and during those Sabbatarian movement emerged. his writings, he frequently expressed that his twelve years his beliefs spread along the foot- Reformation-era Transylvania fostered teachings were comprehendible to anyone hills of the Transylvanian Alps. a spirit of religious tolerance. A state law in with plain sense: “It requires not much argu- Eössi’s followers kept the Jewish calen- 1577 announced that everyone was free to ing, quibbling, bickering; farmer’s sense is dar. Their hymn books have special hymns “hold and practice matters of faith either old sufficient to understand it easily and surely,” and prayers for each of the festivals. On the or new” according to their own conscience. he wrote.2 By 1588 he had disseminated his evening of the Passover they kept a Seder A 1568 law reads that “ministers should all teachings and amassed followers throughout and ate unleavened bread (they called it preach the gospel in all places according the Székely people. the “bread of the Christ”) as an annual com- • messiah magazine SUPPLEMENT • THE SABBATARIANS OF TRANSLALVANIA (minchah) and a prayer at the close of the They kept the Jewish calendar. Their hymn books Sabbath after sunset (havdalah).8 They observed each service with the appropri- have special hymns and prayers for each of the ate prayers, translated into Hungarian, a teaching, scripture reading and the singing festivals. On the evening of the Passover they kept of psalms and hymns particular to their faith in Messiah. a Seder and ate unleavened bread. Early Persecution munion ritual in memory of the Master. grace. They believed that the New Covenant The Sabbatarians did not pass through his- They kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread began with Yeshua, but was not yet fulfilled, tory unnoticed. The four accepted religions in commemoration of the first coming of and would not be fulfilled until Messiah of Transylvania fought bitterly with each Yeshua and in anticipation of His future returned. They proclaimed that the Jewish other, but they agreed on their common second coming. At Rosh Hashanah they cel- people were the elect of God and had not hatred for the Sabbatarians. By 1595, only a ebrated the New Year, and at Yom Kippur been replaced by Christians. few years after the sect’s inception, the gov- they fasted.4 At Sukkot they helped the poor They restored the authentic practice of ernment issued laws attempting to stop the prepare for winter. They rejected Easter, the Christianity, in that they returned to the spread of the movement. Severe persecution January New Year, Christmas and Sunday- same mode of faith that the original believ- followed. Five years later, the courts passed sabbath as days invented by Rome. They ers observed as binding. They pointed out a law that allowed Sabbatarian estates and kept strict kosher,5 not only abstaining from that the religion of Yeshua and His original properties to be confiscated. A furious per- unclean animals but also from any meat followers was Judaism. The Old Sabbatarian secution broke out. Their writings, sacred that was not slaughtered and bled by rab- Hymnal states that Yeshua books and prayer books were confiscated binic standards. Community leaders were and burned in piles.9 Despite the persecu- responsible for kosher butchering of the …was a Jew by descent and faith; He tion, the sect flourished among the poor animals, leading the Sabbath services and preached the Jewish law and instructed Székely people. It swept through villages and teaching the Torah. humans to depend on Moses and the prophee rural farm communities. As it grew, schol- The Sabbatarians rejected pictures and ets. His apostles were likewise Jews, and held ars, aristocracy and noblemen were drawn statues of Christ as idolatrous. They even and taught the Jewish faith.6 into the faith. By 1600, the Sabbatarians were shunned putting up crosses as dangerously among the largest religions in Transylvania. close to idolatry. They believed that the one They taught that Yeshua condemned the In 1618, a decree was passed with the most Christians called “Christ” was actually hypocrisy of the Pharisees, but in His inter- approval of Prince Bethlen that gave the Sab- the Messiah of the Jews, who would one day pretation of the Torah He agreed with them. bath-keepers until Christmas to come to literally return, resurrect the dead, gather in Like adherents of the modern Jewish Roots their senses and rejoin one of the recognized the scattered people of Israel and reign and movement, the Sabbatarians were fond of churches, or face the consequences. Soon rule on David’s throne from Jerusalem for quoting Matthew 5:17–19 and 23:2–3. They thereafter, their books were again cast into one thousand years of peace. These beliefs differed from Judaism only in their belief in bonfires; their properties were seized; and about Messiah were completely foreign to Yeshua as Messiah and their reluctance as those who had not officially entered a rec- the Christianity of their day.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A Genealogist's Guide to Seventh Day Baptists
    A Genealogist’s Guide to Seventh Day Baptists by Shellee A. Morehead, PhD O YOU HAVE ANCESTORS FROM SALEM, WEST who practiced or preached alternate doctrines were D Virginia? What about Janesville, Wisconsin; not welcome in those communities, and were often Denver, Colorado; Piscataway, New Jersey; Berlin or arrested for not adhering to Puritan standards. Alfred, New York; or Woodbridgetown, Pennsylvania? Baptists differed from Puritans — and other reli- These disparate places were all home to migrant groups gious groups — on the practice of infant baptism. of Sabbatarians, or Seventh Day Baptists (hereafter Baptists believed only adults could truly understand SDB), many of whom can be traced back to Rhode and make pledges regarding their faith and, therefore, Island families of the late seventeenth century. This ar- only adults should be baptized. This difference in the- ticle will briefly summarize the history of Seventh Day ology was one reason why Baptists were persecuted. Baptists in the United States, explain how they differed The Baptist concept of a “covenant church” allowed from other religious groups, and describe the relevant each individual to follow his own conscience regarding genealogical records. his beliefs, rather than accept the beliefs and actions propounded by a ruling government and church hier- Roots of Sabbatarianism archy. This was another significant bone of contention Sabbatarianism began in England during the first half with the Puritans. In Massachusetts, the Puritan gov- of the seventeenth century, a time of great political and ernment controlled religious life. Baptist churches, usu- social upheaval. Many groups left England, either by ally consisting of a pastor, elders, perhaps some deacons, force or by choice, to escape persecution and pursue and members, did not conform to the more hierarchi- their religious beliefs according to their own conscience.
    [Show full text]
  • Holy Time: Moderate Puritanism and the Sabbath [Review] / John H. Primus
    BOOK REVIEWS 79 Meier's attempt to reconstruct the historical Jesus thus rests on no very firm foundation and produces no assured results. Those who want solid information on the historical Jesus are far better off turning to Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, no matter how "naive" it might be to do so. Northern State University Aberdeen, SD 57401 Primus, John H. Holy Time: Moderate Puritanism and the Sabbath. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1989. viii + 184 pp. Hardcover, $24.95; paperback, $16.95. Since the 1960s there has been a flurry of new interest in the phenomenon of English Sabbatarianism. Articles by Patrick Collinson, Herbert Richardson, Winton Solberg, Richard Greaves, and books by James T. Dennison, Kenneth L. Parker, witness to this. John H. Primus describes his contribution to this discussion as "a re-examination of the relationship between the emerging Puritan movement and the phenomenon of Sabbata- rianism" in order to shed "additional light on the complex dynamics of the sixteenth-century Church of England" (vii). In his research he responds to current discussions and especially to Parker, who has "reopened the fundamental question of the origin of Sabbatarianism and its relationship to Puritanism" (2, 3). Holy Time is not intended exclusively for specialists in Tudor Puritanism. For this reason, Primus includes very helpful contextual and explanatory paragraphs on events already known to experts (vii). Part 1 is a brief historical sketch that highlights certain emphases which Parker tends to overlook. Chap. 1 describes the high Sabbath views in England already evident in the early Reformation. By the end of the sixteenth century "Sabbatarianism had become the linchpin in the Puritan program for more complete reform in England" (17), with one of its distinguishing characteristics being "the divine appointment of Sunday as the new day of rest" (20).
    [Show full text]
  • The Origins of Millerite Separatism
    The Origins of Millerite Separatism By Andrew Taylor (BA in History, Aurora University and MA in History, University of Rhode Island) CHAPTER 1 HISTORIANS AND MILLERITE SEPARATISM ===================================== Early in 1841, Truman Hendryx moved to Bradford, Pennsylvania, where he quickly grew alienated from his local church. Upon settling down in his new home, Hendryx attended several services in his new community’s Baptist church. After only a handful of visits, though, he became convinced that the church did not believe in what he referred to as “Bible religion.” Its “impiety” led him to lament, “I sometimes almost feel to use the language [of] the Prophecy ‘Lord, they have killed thy prophets and digged [sic] down thine [sic] altars and I only am left alone and they seek my life.”’1 His opposition to the church left him isolated in his community, but his fear of “degeneracy in the churches and ministers” was greater than his loneliness. Self-righteously believing that his beliefs were the “Bible truth,” he resolved to remain apart from the Baptist church rather than attend and be corrupted by its “sinful” influence.2 The “sinful” church from which Hendryx separated himself was characteristic of mainstream antebellum evangelicalism. The tumultuous first decades of the nineteenth century had transformed the theological and institutional foundations of mainstream American Protestantism. During the colonial era, American Protestantism had been dominated by the Congregational, Presbyterian, and Anglican churches, which, for the most part, had remained committed to the theology of John Calvin. In Calvinism, God was envisioned as all-powerful, having predetermined both the course of history and the eternal destiny of all humans.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the Presbyterian Way of Life in Nineteenth-Century New Zealand Dr
    The Presbyterian way of life in nineteenth-century New Zealand Dr Alison Clarke [email protected] Paper presented to the Presbyterian Research Network, Dunedin, 15 October 2009. My intention in this paper is to give an overview of the research I have carried out over the past ten years, as it relates to Presbyterians in colonial New Zealand. I will start by saying that one of the key elements of my research into Presbyterians is that I never set out to study them! What I have learned about Presbyterian religious belief and practice is largely a by-product of broader projects and I suspect that gives my work a different focus from that of many other historians of Presbyterianism. My work has been driven by questions about the New Zealand colonial project. What happened when migrants from Europe brought their social, cultural and religious practices to this country? Which of those practices survived the migration process, and how did they evolve in response to the different physical and cultural environment they encountered? Which practices did Maori and European adopt and adapt from one another, and how were migrants from particular communities within Europe affected by the practices of other migrant groups? Did a distinctive Pakeha culture develop out of these cultural encounters? These questions lie at the heart of my research, along with a simpler – perhaps even naïve – one: what were the lives of ‘ordinary’ people like in this period? There are many elements of colonial life which have yet to be examined by historians but were clearly central to the way people lived.
    [Show full text]
  • The Sabbath and Its Relation to Christ and the Church in the New Covenant
    Te Sabbath and Its Relation to Christ and the Church in the New Covenant Tony Costa Tony Costa teaches apologetics at the Toronto Baptist Seminary, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and also serves as adjunct professor with Heritage College and Seminary, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, and Providence Teological Seminary in Franklin, Ten- nessee. He earned his Ph.D. in theology and New Testament studies from Radboud University in the Netherlands. He also holds a B.A. and M.A. in religious, biblical, and philosophical studies from the University of Toronto. Introduction In this article I will examine the subject of the Sabbath or Sabbath day and its relation to Christ and the Church in the new covenant. Tere has been much debate about Sabbatarianism in the history of the Church. Is the Sabbath still relevant for today? Should the Sabbath be observed by Christians? Which day is the Sabbath? Is it Saturday, the seventh day of the week, or Sunday, the frst day of the week, or is it one day in seven that one arbitrarily chooses to rest on? Has the Sabbath been changed from Saturday (the seventh day), to Sunday (the frst day of the week) in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus? Te subject of the Sabbath has also been a dividing line between Covenant Teology and Dispensational Teology.1 Tere has been some misunderstanding on this subject in both camps and it is the intent of this paper to ofer up a solution to this question by examining the Sabbath from a Christocentric, as well as a Christotelic perspective.
    [Show full text]
  • "Adventist Theology Vs. Historic Orthodoxy," Eternity
    Martin, The Truth About Seventh-Day Adventism, Part 3 The Truth About Seventh-Day Adventism 1 Walter R. Martin Part 3: Adventist Theology vs. Historic Christianity Are there serious differences concerning cardinal doctrines of Christianity? In the first two articles of this series on Seventh-day Adventism, we were concerned chiefly with the history and some of the theological doctrines of the Adventist denomination. We saw how Seventh-day Adventism developed from the Second Advent (Millerite) Movement following the Great Disappointment of 1844, and that the early Adventists came from varying religious backgrounds, some orthodox and some heterodox—that is, out of harmony with generally accepted doctrinal teaching in particular areas. Thus, it was some years before certain segments within the main body resolved their differences and consolidated their beliefs in a doctrinal platform acceptable to the majority. We are concerned in this article with some of the differences between Seventh-day Adventist theology and the theology of “historic orthodoxy.” We have two questions: (1) Are there major differences regarding the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith, between Seventh-day Adventist theology and evangelical orthodoxy? (2) Are the other differences that exist an insuperable barrier to fellowship between Seventh-day Adventists and evangelicals? Extensive study reveals seven areas of disagreement. We shall note the seven areas, discuss them, and attempt to reach a conclusion based upon all available evidence, by-passing the morass of prejudice accumulating for almost one hundred years. 1. Conditional Immortality, “Soul Sleep” and Annihilation The doctrine of “soul sleep” (unconsciousness in death) and the final extinction of all the wicked, is a cardinal tenet in the theological superstructure of the Seventh-day Adventists Church.
    [Show full text]
  • The Lord's Day in the Baptist Press Amongst Nineteenth-Century Upper Canadian Regular Baptists
    A WORTHY CAUSE: THE LORD'S DAY IN THE BAPTIST PRESS AMONGST NINETEENTH-CENTURY UPPER CANADIAN REGULAR BAPTISTS By Rev. Chris W. Crocker, B.A., M.Div A thesis submitted to the Faculty ofMcMaster Divinity College in partial fulfilment ofthe requirements for the degree ofMaster of Arts (M.A.) in Christian Studies. McMaster Divinity College Hamilton, Ontario 2013 Master of Arts McMASTER DIVINITY COLLEGE Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: A Worthy Cause: The Lord's Day in the Baptist Press Amongst Nineteenth-Century Upper Canadian Regular Baptists. AUTHOR: Rev. Chris W. Crocker SUPERVISOR: Rev. Dr. Gordon Heath SECOND READER: Rev. Dr. Steve Studebaker NUMBER OF PAGES: vii+ 148 pages 11 MCMASTER DIVINITY COLLEGE Upon the recommendation of an oral examining committee, this thesis by CHRIS W. CROCKER is hereby accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts <Christian studies> Date: Aprils, 2013 111 THESIS ABSTRACT "A Worthy Cause: The Lord's Day in the Baptist Press Amongst Nineteenth-Century Upper Canadian Regular Baptists." Rev. Chris W. Crocker McMaster Divinity College Hamilton, Ontario Master of Arts, 2013 "A Worthy Cause" brings to life a topic never before researched on the nineteenth- century Regular Baptist position surrounding the preservation ofthe Lord's Day (also known as Sabbatarianism) in Upper Canada. Within nineteenth-century Evangelicalism in the province the crusade for the protection of the Lord's Day was preeminent among social reform initiatives. Canadian Regular Baptists in Upper Canada viewed the observance and celebration of the Lord's Day as vital and ofparamount significance in the quest for social reform and religious piety.
    [Show full text]
  • SABBATARIANISM RE-EXAMINED by Robert D. Brinsmead
    SABBATARIANISM RE-EXAMINED by Robert D. Brinsmead Verdict Publishing, 1981 Chapter 01 - Procedural Methods Chapter 02 - The Life Situation of the Apostolic Church Chapter 03 - The Pauline Epistles Chapter 04 - Galatians 4:10,11 Chapter 05 - Colossians 2:16 Chapter 06 - Romans 14:5 Chapter 07 - Two Forms of Christian Judaism Chapter 08 - What About the Ten Commandments? Chapter 09 - Applying the Letter of the Sabbath Law Chapter 10 - Cultic Judaism and Catholic Faith Chapter 11 - Test Truth Chapter 12 - The Reality of The Sabbath Chapter 13 - New Testament Ethics Chapter 14 - The Liberty of the Gospel Introduction by Kerry Wynne Written in 1981 only four years after Samuele Bacchiocchi published his book, From Sabbath to Sunday (1977), this paper almost certainly can be credited with launching the new anti-Sabbatarianism movement of today. As a result of studying this document, the leadership of The Worldwide Church of God made a decision in the 1990's to abandon Sabbatarianism and to open its doors for business on Sunday. The significance of this event could not be greater for Seventh-day Adventists, since the two denominations developed out of one Sabbath-keeping body of believers that split over the issue of the Shut Door Doctrine within just a few years after the Great Disappointment of 1844. Brinsmead backed his conclusions with scholarly research that was impressive for the 1980's. Since “Sabbatarianism Re-examined” was written, some additional insights have been gained in regard to the many problems with the Sabbatarian concept. These insights have been developed by subsequent authors. For example, it has been pointed out that Jesus' disciples kept the Sabbath because, like Jesus, they were living under the Old Covenant, since Christ had not yet died on the cross.
    [Show full text]
  • The Roots of English Sabbatarianism
    Avondale College ResearchOnline@Avondale School of Ministry and Theology (Avondale Theology Book Chapters Seminary) 2015 The Roots of English Sabbatarianism Bryan W. Ball Avondale College of Higher Education, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://research.avondale.edu.au/theo_chapters Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Ball, B. W. (2015). The roots of English sabbatarianism. In B. Ball, & R. McIver (Eds.), Grounds for assurance and hope: Selected biblical and historical writings of Bryan W. Ball (pp. 142-160). Cooranbong, Australia: Avondale Academic Press. This Book Chapter is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Ministry and Theology (Avondale Seminary) at ResearchOnline@Avondale. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theology Book Chapters by an authorized administrator of ResearchOnline@Avondale. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Selected Writings of Bryan Ball 137 Chapter 9: The Roots of English Sab- batarianism1 Bryan W. Ball The English seventh-day movement, as it began to emerge early in the seventeenth century, did so within the context of history. The Seventh-day Men, as English Sabbatarians were often known in their day, contended that the seventh day of the week had been observed both in England and on the Continent at various periods in the Church’s history. One of them, Thomas Bampfield, a lawyer, even argued that the seventh day had been kept in England in unbroken succession until the thirteenth century, and that there had been no law for the observance of Sunday until the time of Edward VI.2 Most advocates of the seventh day, however, were content to point to antecedents in the early Church, in medieval and contemporary Europe, or in parts of what is now North Africa, particularly Ethiopia.
    [Show full text]
  • Is the Sabbath Binding on Christians and the Lord's Day
    Abilene Christian University Digital Commons @ ACU Stone-Campbell Books Stone-Campbell Resources 1950 Is The Sabbath Binding on Christians And The Lord's Day T. H. Etheridge Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/crs_books Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christian Denominations and Sects Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Etheridge, T. H., "Is The Sabbath Binding on Christians And The Lord's Day" (1950). Stone-Campbell Books. 425. https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/crs_books/425 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Stone-Campbell Resources at Digital Commons @ ACU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Stone-Campbell Books by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ ACU. Is The Sabbath Binding on Christians AND The Lord,s Day By T. H. ETHERIDGE PRICE, 25 CENTS FIRM FOUNDATION PUBLISHING HOUSE, AUS TIN, TEXAS. Is The Sabbath Bindin.g on Christians AND The Lord,s Day By T. H. ETHERIDGE PRICE, 25 CENTS FIRM FOUNDATION PUBLISHING HOUSE, AUSTIN, TmXAs. It-..TRODUCTION What is the Lord's day? A recent answer is that it is the day of our Lord's second coming. But the Apostle John said eighteen centuries ago, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day" (Rev. 1 :10). Did the Lord come a second time eight een hundred years ago? Of course not. However, men with a theory to sustain never bother with a matter that flatly contradicts their theory! How do they deal with the pas sage? They simply have John tran sported someway through the entire period of time, which they call the "gospel age" or "the church age" to the very day that Christ makes his reappearance; at which time the theory calls for Christ to rebuild the tabernacle of David and begin a thousand years' rei gn of universal peace.
    [Show full text]
  • Sabbatarian Anabaptists of the Sixteenth Century Part
    SABBATARIAN ANABAPTISTS OF THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY GERHARD F. HASEL Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan PART I1 * V. Andreas Fischer Fischer was born about 1480 at Kremnitz in what is today Slovakia. We may assume from his title Magister and the fact that he was a former priest that he had finished his training at a university. Valentine Crautwald reports that Fischer had a good knowledge and command of Greek, Hebrew and Latin. Fischer became a member of the Ana- baptist congregation of Linz, Austria. He joined in missionary work and was known as overseer of the Anabaptist congre- gations at Passau, Obernberg, and Wels successively. He appeared in Nikolsburg, Moravia, probably in 1527128, where he seems to have adopted the Sabbatarian beliefs of Glait and where he became his co-worker. * The first part of this article was published in A USS, V (1967), 101-121. 1 Petr RatkoS gives the fullest treatment available on Fischer in "Die Anfange des Wiedertaufertums in der Slowakei," Aus 500 Jahren deutsch-tschechoslowakischer Geschichte, K. Obermann and Joseph Polisensky, eds. (Berlin, 1958), pp. 41-59.' RatkoS utilizes a long- forgotten primary source: the Diarium of Konrad Sperfogel of Constance. Sperfogel settled in Leutschau, Slovakia, where he held the office of town-councilor from 1517-1537 and also that of town- judge for some years. Sperfogel hated Fischer but still gives important information about him, especially from 1529 until Fischer's martyr- dom. In our discussion we rely heavily on RatkoS' treatment. Ibid., p. 45. Valentine Crautwald, Bericht vnd anzeigen / wie gar one Kunst vnd guotten verstandt / andreas Fischer.
    [Show full text]
  • Sabbath and Sunday in History: Research Papers by Michael D
    Sabbath and Sunday in History: Research Papers by Michael D. Morrison, Thomas C. Hanson, and Ralph G. Orr Copyright 2014 Grace Communion International Unless noted otherwise, scripture quotations are taken from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Table of Contents Sabbath and Sunday in Early Christianity, by Michael Morrison Introduction and the first century The early second century The writings of Irenaeus Adventist theories A new hypothesis The Origins of Sunday Worship in the Early Church, by Thomas Hanson Introduction Part I: Pauline churches Part II: The Gospels and Acts Part III: Second-century churches From Sunday to Sabbath: The Puritan Origins of Modern Seventh-day Sabbatarianism, by Ralph Orr About the authors About the publisher Grace Communion Seminary ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Sabbath and Sunday in Early Christianity By Michael Morrison Introduction The earliest Christians were Torah-observant Jews in Jerusalem, who attended Jewish festivals and observed Temple rituals (Acts 2:1; 3:1; 15:5; 21:20). They observed the seventh- day Sabbath, too. However, in the second, third and fourth centuries we find that almost all Christians observed Sunday — sometimes as a Sabbath-like day of worship meetings and rest, sometimes as a day for worship and work, sometimes in addition to the Sabbath and sometimes instead of the Sabbath. How did the change in worship day occur? This historical question is of interest to all Christians, but it is especially relevant for those who observe either the seventh day or Sunday as a Sabbath.
    [Show full text]