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The Orthodox View on Sabbath and Sunday


Q: Is the Orthodox view that Sabbath has been transferred to Sunday? What is an Orthodox view on Sabbath?

A: The Orthodox believe that Sabbath is Saturday (to this day, the Greek word for Saturday is pronounced ‘sabbado’ – as is the case in many other languages). Hence, Saturday is the old Sabbath and Sunday is the Lord’s Day or the Day of Resurrection. In the Orthodox tradition, Saturday always has the feastly character of the Jewish sabbath; it is never a strict fasting day. Moreover, it has always been the liturgical practice to serve Divine Liturgy both on Sabbath and the Lord’s Day, and this remains the case in Orthodox monasteries.

However, Christians are not under the Law and they are not subjects of the Old Creation. The old Sabbath was the seal of the old creation, whereas Sunday is seal of the New Creation, the first or eighth day. For this reason, Gentile Christians have never been bound by Sabbatical laws on the old Sabbath.

Source: https://www.orthodoxanswers.org/is-it-the-orthodox-view-that-sabbath-has-been-transferred-to-sunday-what-is-the-orthodox-view-on-sabbath/



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