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From Sabbath to Sunday A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday Observance in Early Christianity
From Sabbath to Sunday is a translation and an adaptation of my Italian doctoral dissertation, originally presented at and published by the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1977. The investigation establishes that the change from Saturday to Sunday began approximately one century after the death of Christ, as a result of an interplay of political, social, pagan and Christian factors. The change in the day of rest and worship was not merely a change of names or of numbers, but rather a change of meaning, authority and experience. Essentially it was a change from a Holy Day into a holiday.
From Sabbath to Sunday has the distinction of being the first book written by a non-Catholic ever to be published by a Pontifical press with the Catholic imprimatur (approval). The book has already been reprinted fourteen times in English and has been translated in several other languages. Hundreds of scholars of different persuasions have praised this book as a definitive treatment of the early history of the Lords Day. I received a gold medal from Pope Paul VI for earning the academic distinction of summa cum laude in my research and school work at the Pontifical Gregorian University, in Rome, Italy.
From Sabbath to Sunday has the distinction of being the first book written by a non-Catholic ever to be published by a Pontifical press with the Catholic imprimatur (approval). The book has already been reprinted fourteen times in English and has been translated in several other languages. Hundreds of scholars of different persuasions have praised this book as a definitive treatment of the early history of the Lords Day. I received a gold medal from Pope Paul VI for earning the academic distinction of summa cum laude in my research and school work at the Pontifical Gregorian University, in Rome, Italy.
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First published January 1, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 1, 2020
This is quite an exhaustive study of the origins and thoughts behind Sabbath keeping and Sunday observance. It reviews both historical events and interpretations of scriptures. I highly recommend it for truth-seekers.
July 24, 2017
Great book. Much research done at the Vatican Library. Well documented.
August 11, 2019
A great book to inform us about some aspect of history.
December 16, 2021
This was really well written! I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this book.
March 12, 2025
Truth. Plain and simple. Even the Pope verified that they were the ones to change the sabbath to Sunday on pain of mortal death AFTER Roman Catholicism was formed, proving followers of Jesus continued worshipping according to when Yahweh said to.
December 15, 2019
This was a reread for me. The last time I read the book was back in 1995, when some doctrinal changes in the church I was attending were going on. Back then, I thought the book useful, but I'm not sure how interesting I found it. It seemed quite scholarly, perhaps even a bit difficult.
Having now worked with scholarly books for more than twenty years and having read more extensively among the works Bacchiocchi examines, this book now seems like a fairly easy read. The more interesting parts for me are those that focus on the historical shift to Sunday and those that discuss specific scriptures used to justify the shift. Much of the early portion of the work focuses more on other scholars' claims regarding the shift, showing how those claims don't pass muster. In that sense, those early sections are where the book seems most scholarly and most tied to the dissertation from which it derives. When Bacchiocchi is dealing with primary sources, as the later chapters do, the work is much more interesting, indeed, for me, gripping.
Having now worked with scholarly books for more than twenty years and having read more extensively among the works Bacchiocchi examines, this book now seems like a fairly easy read. The more interesting parts for me are those that focus on the historical shift to Sunday and those that discuss specific scriptures used to justify the shift. Much of the early portion of the work focuses more on other scholars' claims regarding the shift, showing how those claims don't pass muster. In that sense, those early sections are where the book seems most scholarly and most tied to the dissertation from which it derives. When Bacchiocchi is dealing with primary sources, as the later chapters do, the work is much more interesting, indeed, for me, gripping.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews