This archive report was first published on 29 July 2019.
Published on July 29, 2019, by Joe Babendreier, a renowned author.
Early Christians observed Sunday as the Lord's Day, a day of worship and celebration of Christ's resurrection. This tradition dates back to the New Testament, where the apostles referred to Sunday as the day when Jesus Christ would come to judge the living and the dead.
According to St. John's gospel, Jesus foretold this event, saying, 'The hour is coming when the dead will leave their graves at the sound of his voice. Those who did good will come forth to life; and those who did evil will come forth to judgement.'
While the Old Testament uses the phrase 'Day of the Lord' often, it never mentions 'the Lord's Day.' The New Testament uses this new phrase only once, in the Book of Revelation, where St. John describes a vision of the Lord's Day.
Early Christian authors, such as Saint Ignatius of Antioch, confirm that St. John was referring to Sunday. Pagan authors of the time also noted that Sunday was the day when Christians would gather to celebrate Christ's resurrection.
St. Paul describes the ceremony of the Eucharist and breaking of the bread in First Corinthians (Chapter 11), while Saint Justin, one of the first martyrs in the Church, wrote a detailed letter about the early Christian celebration of the Eucharist every Sunday.
