It says in The Sunday Problem, a
study book of the United Lutheran Church:
We have seen how gradually the impression of
the Jewish Sabbath faded from the mind of the Christian Church, and how
completely the newer thought underlying the observance of the first day took
possession of the church. We have seen that the Christians of the first
three centuries never confused one with the other, but for a time celebrated
both.
Why is it that many Christians believe that
the Sabbath has changed from Saturday to Sunday? One reason for this is not
understanding the term “first day of the week.” In a Hebraic culture, this
would have been an awkward phrase. Instead of saying “first day of the
week,” you would have simply said “first day.” If you were going to meet
with someone on the “second day,” you were probably not referring to a day
two days later. Rather, you were saying, “Let’s meet on the day we know
today as ‘Monday’.”
Throughout the Bible you will NOWHERE find
references to events that happened on the second day “of the week,” third
day “of the week,” or any other day “of the week.”
Then what is being talked about in the New
Testament when it says “first day of the week”? If you are reading the King
James Version of the Bible, you will notice that the word “day” is in
italics. It will appear as “first day
of the week.” This means that the word “day” was added by translators to
make the meaning more clear. What it should say is “on the first of the
weeks.” What is meant by the phrase “first of the weeks”?
During the Passover season, there is a day
on which the wave sheaf offering is cut. This day begins the first of seven
weeks of counting. The day after the counting of seven weeks is when Shavuot
or the day of Pentecost falls. The barley harvest takes place during these
seven weeks, but the harvesting cannot