SABBATARIANISM

doctrine of those Christians who believe that Sunday (the Christian Sabbath) should be observed in accordance with the Fourth Commandment, which forbids work on the Sabbath because it is a holy day. Some other Christians have contended that the Fourth (or Third in some systems) Commandment was a part of the Hebrew ceremonial, not moral, law. They believe that this law was entirely abolished by Jesus Christ, whose Resurrection on the first day of the week established a new kind of day, characterized by worship rather than absence of work. In Christianity there are many shades of opinion between these two views. Legislation concerning what may or may not be done on Sunday is as old as the time of Constantine, who decreed regulations against Sunday labour in 321. In its strictest form, however, Sabbatarianism was the creation of the Scottish and English Reformers, especially John Knox. The Scottish Presbyterians and the Puritans took their views to the American colonies, where rigorous blue laws were enacted. Although reduced in number and effect, Sunday observance laws are still promoted in England, and in the United States many effective state or local laws bar certain business activities and sporting events on Sunday. Those Christians who believe that the weekly holy day should still be observed on Saturday rather than on Sunday (such as the Seventh-day Adventists) are also sometimes called Sabbatarians.