Sabbath and Lord's Day
- T13.1 Lord’s Day worship replaces Sabbath observance (Era I); a Sunday Sabbath of rest is later (medium–high)
- T13.2 Sunday assembly (Acts 20:7; Ignatius, Magnesians 9; Justin, 1 Apology 67): consensus (high)
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 2 questions each rests on; ⚠ marks coverage more than 10 points below the median, a less certain rank). This doctrine is third-order (tier weight 1). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 100 Didache T13.1
- c. 110 Ignatius T13.1
- c. 110 Ignatius T13.2
- c. 155 Justin Martyr T13.1
- c. 155 Justin Martyr T13.2
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
- 1646 Westminster Confession General Baptist
T13 · Sabbath and Lord’s Day
Strict sabbatarian or not.
Tier: Third-order (scoring weight 1). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
In short
The first Christians gathered for worship on Sunday, the day of the resurrection. Ignatius (about 110) contrasts this with keeping the Jewish Sabbath. Treating Sunday as a ‘Christian Sabbath’ with strict rest came later. Scripture shows Sunday worship but calls the Sabbath a shadow fulfilled in Christ.
Plan
Question: T13.1: is the Lord’s Day a Christian Sabbath to be kept with Sabbath rest, or a day of worship replacing the Sabbath? Scripture: Gen 2:2–3; Exod 20:8–11; Mark 2:27–28; Acts 20:7; Rom 14:5; Col 2:16–17; Rev 1:10. Fathers: Didache 14; Ignatius, Magnesians 9; Justin, 1 Apology 67. Question: T13.2: Is the first day the church’s day of assembly?
Questions
Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.
T13.1 · Sabbath and Lord’s Day
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T13.1 | Lord’s Day worship replaces Sabbath observance (Era I); a Sunday Sabbath of rest is later | Medium–high | T13.1.1 · T13.1.3 weighing | didache-t13-s1 · ignatius-t13-s1 · justin-martyr-t13-s1 | T13.1.4: medium |
T13.2 · Is the first day the church’s day of assembly?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T13.2 | Sunday assembly (Acts 20:7; Ignatius, Magnesians 9; Justin, 1 Apology 67): consensus | High | T13.2.1 · T13.2.3 weighing | ignatius-t13-s2 · justin-martyr-t13-s2 | T13.2.4: high |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | partly T13.1, T13.2 | — |
| Orthodox | T13.1, T13.2 | — |
| Oriental Orthodox | T13.1, T13.2 | — |
| Lutheran | T13.1, T13.2 | — |
| Anglican | partly T13.1, T13.2 | — |
| Presbyterian | T13.1, T13.2 | partly T13.1 |
| Reformed Baptist | T13.1, T13.2 | partly T13.1 |
| General Baptist | T13.1, T13.2 | partly T13.1 |
| Anabaptist | T13.2 | — |
Overall verdict
Lord’s Day worship is Era I and biblical; strict Sunday sabbatarianism (Presbyterian, Reformed Baptist, and the General Baptist Orthodox Creed) lacks both. T13.2 (Sunday assembly) is consensus.
Verification status
Status from the score data: 5 tradition cells cite a text checked against an online source (marked verified); 12 cite the named article or practice without a separate check in this project (see each tradition’s section); 1 are not assessed (T13.1 Anabaptist), with the reason given in the reasoning page.