[160] Romans v., 13. CHAPTER VIII. SUNDAY OBSERVANCE UNKNOWN TO CHRISTIANITY BEFORE THE MIDDLE OF THE SECOND CENTURY. Mistaken Notions Concerning the Beginning of Sunday Observance--No Sunday Observance in the New Testament--Sunday Directly Referred to but Three Times--It is Never Spoken of as a Sabbath, nor as Commemorative of Christ’s Resurrection--The Bible does not State that Christ Rose on Sunday--Christ and His Disciples Always Observed the Sabbath--The “Change of the Sabbath” Unknown in the New Testament--The Sabbath Never Called “Jewish” in the Scriptures, nor by Any Writer until after Paganism had Invaded the Church--Origin of Sunday Observance Found in Paganism--First Reference to Sunday Observance about 150 A.D.--No Writer of the Early Centuries Claimed Scriptural Reasons for Its Observance--Pagan Reasons and Arguments Adduced in Its Support; a Day of “Indulgence to the Flesh”--Pretended Scriptural Reasons, _ex post facto_. There are few if any questions concerning which popular notions and ultimate facts are more at variance than the question of the early observance of Sunday. It is not uncommon for men to assert that “Sunday has been observed as the Christian Sabbath ever since the resurrection of Christ”; while the fact is, that the first authentic and definite statement concerning Sunday observance was made by Justin Martyr as late as 150 A.D. Even if we accept the passage quoted from the _Didache_, the portion of that document in which the reference occurs cannot be placed earlier than 150, and it is probably much later. Since the facts as they appear in the New Testament can be easily obtained, I shall take only space enough to state them briefly. “The first day of the week,” Sunday, is definitely referred to but three times in the New Testament. Each of the Evangelists speaks of the day on which Christ’s resurrection was made known to His disciples. These references are all to the same day.[161] The book of Acts has but one reference to Sunday[162]; and there is but one in all the Epistles.[163] Three other passages are quoted in favor of Sunday observance.[164] It is so easy for the reader to examine these passages, and to compare them with popular notions and with what is said here, that I shall be content with the following summary of facts touching Sunday observance in the New Testament: