Rome's Challenge

I would like to discuss "Rome's Challenge." No doubt you've heard of it.

Back in September 1893, one James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, Maryland, approved a four-piece article for his personal newsletter, the Catholic Mirror. The title was "the Christian Sabbath."

In these articles we find someone who designs to represent the Roman Catholic Church thumping their chest against Protestantism by claiming that Sunday is the Christian day of worship by sole authority of the Catholic Church, thus all Protestantism has no reason to observe Sunday except by authority of the Catholic Church alone. Therefore, they might as well return to Saturday worship. This has taken on the name "Rome's Challenge."

I see a lot of the Rome's Challenge these days. It seems as if every Armstrongist must have been issued a copy, along with talking points. (Why was I never issued a copy??) It is often used in a passive-aggressive attack, to accuse me of following the pagan sun-worship of the Nimrod-Pope in Rome. Here is a sample comment: "The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church takes great credit in establishing Sunday (yes, in the 3rd century)".

This is nothing new. Sermons and articles during my whole time in the Worldwide Church of God were peppered by references to it. Second only, perhaps, to references to the Catholic Encyclopedia 1911 edition. Since the time it was written, the Adventists have taken to Rome's Challenge with a special fondness.

Truth be told, what Archbishop Gibbons allowed to be published does not exactly match with the official catechism of the Catholic Church. And if it doesn't mesh with the Catechism, then it doesn't mesh with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. It most certainly does not support Sabbath observance. Telling Protestants to return to Saturday observance is tantamount to telling them to leave the New Covenant. And to top it off, crucial details are being conveniently left out  that you should know about.

I want to divert over to a little history lesson, and then I would like to introduce you to someone I hope you'll enjoy.

IMPORTANT HISTORY

If you're new here, you might be dumbfounded to learn that the term "catholic" was used since the early second century or perhaps earlier. Our first-known written record of the word comes from Ignatius of Antioch, student of the Apostle John:

"...wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic church"
-Ignatius, "Letter to the Smyrnaeans" 8: 2 (circa 110 AD).

There is no solid reason to believe that this term was coined by Ignatius; it was likely already coming into use. The word catholic simply means "universal", or in other words "worldwide". (By the way, they also called themselves "Church of God".) All Gentile Christians, in the east and in the west, came to use this as a general "nick name" for the Christian faith.

But one absolutely, positively must not confuse the phrase "catholic church" with the proper name "Catholic Church".

There was no Bishop in Rome holding an office with the power, authority, and trappings that we would recognize as Pope until after the third century. Pope, meaning "papa", was a term used of all Deacons, Presbyters, and Bishops until the Bishops declared it would only apply to them. Each city had a Bishop presiding over it, and it eventually developed that the more prestigious the city, the more authority the Bishop of that city - so the Bishop of Rome naturally inherited the most authority among the Bishops with the Bishop of Alexandria and then the Bishop of Antioch close behind. You can catch glimpses of this authority in the 200s AD.
When Constantine moved the capital of Rome to the previously unimportant Byzantium (aka Constantinople, now it's Istanbul), this upset the hierarchy in the church and caused a huge division between east and west. The Bishop of Rome didn't want to lose his prestige, so alliances were made and power was concentrated in Rome. The claim of the Bishop of Rome's unbroken ordination from the Apostle Peter now gained the forefront (and there is documentation, attested to by several early sources, demonstrating a nearly unbroken line). This arrangement evolved until the first person who could arguably be described as the first "Pope" of any real power was Leo I "the Great" (440-461 AD). I'm not saying the Catholic Church did not exist before this time - it did exist from 33 AD as a unified church with the Orthodox and Coptics; I am saying that the way the "Roman" Catholic Church is perceived today did not exist before this time.
After the fall of Rome to somewhere around Charlemagne, during those centuries between the 400s and 800s, the Latin West took a back seat to the Greek East. The real power was in Constantinople. The first Pope to truly wield power in a religious and secular sense was Pope Nicholas "The Great" I (858-867 AD). Nicholas the Great was the first of the kind of Pope most people think of when they envision a powerful Medieval Pope. And a division truly began to form between East and West. These divisions would never be healed, to our day. Finally, in 1054 AD, the unified catholic church formally split in two, with the eastern churches taking on the name "Orthodox Catholic Church" and the western churches taking on the name "Catholic Church" (commonly called "Roman Catholic Church"). The modern Catholic Church fully born.
The infamous doctrine of Papal Infallibility was not formally declared until Vatican I in 1870 AD.

Now, add into this mix the undeniable fact that we have documentation going back to the first century that clearly shows Sunday observance was the norm for Christians. Didache, Justin Martyr, Gospel of Peter, Epistle of Barnabas, Dionysius' Epistle to Romans, Tertullian, Cyprian, etc, all wrote about it. They called it "the Lord's Day" (kyriake hemera), not to be confused with "Day of the Lord" (hemera tou kyriou). For more on this, see our post "Constantine vs the Sabbath".

Why all this boring history stuff?

Because if we didn't go through this history, we wouldn't be able to see that the Bishop of Rome didn't have the authority to declare a change from Saturday to Sunday when it occurred, nor would we be able to see that there was no official [Roman] Catholic Church proper until after 1054 AD, so they did not change Saturday to Sunday. What's so important about that?

It's important because now we can see that the entire premise of Adventism's use of Rome's Challenge is that Saturday was exchanged for Sunday on authority of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, and that simply is not possible.

I find it terribly convenient that Armstrongists accuse the Catholic Church of being filled with little more than the most untrustworthy and pagan liars..... except when they print something inadvertently favorable to Armstrongism; then they're all of a sudden the most trustworthy people on earth. When the Catholic Church has the story straight (which it quite often does), they are called liars. But when it is to the advantage of Herbert Armstrong, that is when they are adamantly accused of telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

But that isn't quite enough information to get the full picture. You see, in the mind of the Catholic Church, they are telling the truth. What I'm about to say is critical, so please read this twice:

One must keep in mind that, according to Catholic doctrine, the Catholic Church was started on that Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was first sent to Christians, and they consider Peter their first Pope. Ergo the Apostles, as with all Christians at the time, were Catholic.

Without understanding this absolutely vital bit of information you cannot possibly understand Cardinal Gibbons' position in Rome's Challenge. Nor can you hope to avoid bearing false witness should you represent the Challenge to others. And I for one know that you are quite concerned with truth and accuracy or you wouldn't be here.

Building upon our last point, it is also important for you to understand this:

The official Catholic doctrine states that it was none other than the Apostles themselves who declared the Sabbath Command to be non-binding on Christians, and set up Sunday observance as a tradition.

(A position with which we at ABD tend to agree.) 

The Catholics do not claim the Pope in the third century changed Saturday to Sunday. They claim the Apostles did. Since it was the Apostles who did this, and since the Catholic Church claims to be unbroken since that time, we now see why the Catholic Church claims it was on their authority that this thing occurred. To them, the Apostles were the first of the Catholic Church!

In a sentence: Rome's Challenge says the Apostles changed the Sabbath to Sunday.

If you do not represent Rome's Challenge in that way, then you are bearing false witness. If you say, "The Catholics admit the Pope changed...", then you distort it. If you say, "The Catholics admit they changed...", but do not also specify "they" means Apostles, then you distort it. Disagree with Rome's Challenge all you like, but don't sin by bearing false witness.

The fact is, someone on Archbishop Gibbons' staff had a bone to pick with the Protestants, and mis-used the Catholic Mirror as a bully-pulpit to undermine all Protestantism (this was still fashionable in some circles, since it was yet the Counter-Reformation age). Rather than seeking to heal wounds and find peace, they inadvertently made the problem worse. Adventists take advantage of this, and take advantage of our own ignorance in not knowing the details, and they paint a perfectly distorted picture in order to disparage anyone who goes to church on Sunday.

To clear this mess up a bit, I would like to introduce someone to you.

INTRODUCING D. M. CANRIGHT

Mr. Dudley Marvin Canright lived from 1840 to 1919. Twenty two years of his life were dedicated as a pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He was as familiar with Adventism as anyone could be. This is relevant to the Worldwide Church of God because the SDA church is a direct ancestor of the WCG. I think if you took some time to get to know Mr. Canright, you would be shocked at how the SDA church in the 19th century was making many of the very same arguments as the WCG did in the 20th century -- including Rome's Challenge!

I would like to paste here, for your reading enjoyment, an excerpt from Mr. Canright's 1915 book entitled "The Lord's Day From Neither Catholics nor Pagans: An Answer to Seventh-Day Adventism on this Subject" [which I found on truthorfables.com]. This book concentrates on answering Adventists regarding Rome's Challenge. One could say the book answers "The Adventists Challenge." In my opinion, he more than answers that challenge, he decimates it! I highly recommend reading the whole book.

These excerpts I paste here, from Chapter IV, "CATHOLICS LOCATE THE CHANGE OF THE SABBATH BACK WITH THE APOSTLES", have to do with the history of the Catholic Church, and why they claim to have been the ones to change Saturday to Sunday. I think this is important because it is not new, it will clear up the Roman Catholic view on a few things, and it makes plain the outright deception and mangling of facts still being employed after nearly a century.

In 1913 Monsignor John Bunyan was the special representative of the Pope in America. Next to the Pope, he was then the highest official authority of that Church in the United States, and what he says is authoritative. "Why Sunday is the First Day" was the title of an article he furnished the Washington Times, October 11, 1913. He says: "In the New Law the time for the fulfillment of this [Sabbath] obligation was changed by the apostles from the Sabbath, or the seventh day of the week, to Sunday, or the first day of the week, primarily to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who, early in the morning on the first day of the week, arose, glorious and triumphant, from the dead. Hence it is that in Scripture, the first, day of the week is called the 'Lord's Day' (Rev 1:10). It was also on this same day of the week that the Holy Ghost came down upon the apostles, and that the faith and law of Christ was for the first time solemnly published to the world by them."  

On this the Advent Review and Herald, October 23, 1913, says:

"As we read this article we should not forget that we are reading the deliberate declaration of the highest official in America of that Church which claims to reach back to Apostolic days."  

Here, then, by the highest authority deliberately stated, is the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church as to who changed the Sabbath and the time when it was done. It was done by the apostles, in the time of the apostles. All Seventh-Day Adventists certainly know this, for it was published by the editor in their official organ, The Advent Review. Now will they cease teaching that the Catholic Church claims to have changed the Sabbath several hundred years after Christ without Apostolic authority? Remember again the question here is not whether the apostles really did make the change, but what does the Catholic Church claim about it? The papal delegate has settled that.  

Cardinal Gibbons comes next in authority. I wrote him with regard to when his Church began and when the day was changed. Here is the answer:

Baltimore, Md., July 1896 

REV. D. M. CANRIGHT,

Dear Sir: In reply to your favor of the 20th inst., to his Eminence the Cardinal, I beg to say:

First. The Catholic Church dates back to the day when our Lord made St. Peter the visible head of the Church, and when St. Peter established, first at Antioch, then at Rome, the seat of his residence and jurisdiction.

In these days and those immediately following, we find traces of the beginning of the custom of the Sunday observance. You may refer to the Christian writers of that period. (Confer Ignatius ad Magnes, 9; Justin Martyr, 1, Apol. 59; Tertul., Apol. 16.) All these writers speak of the Sunday as the Lord's Day; no other more distinct trace has been preserved, and the mention which occurs in the following centuries rests on the fact of a previous custom more or less general.

C. T. THOMAS, Sect.  

It will be seen that the Cardinal locates the introduction of the Lord's Day at the beginning of the Church with St. Peter.  

After the Cardinal, the next highest dignitary in America is Archbishop Ireland. In answer to my question as to when the Catholic Church changed the Sabbath, this high prelate answered as follows:

St. Paul, March 1914

My dear Sir:

In answer to your question I would state that the Jewish Sabbath was simply a positive precept in the Mosaic law and lapsed with that law. The apostles and early Christians instituted the Sunday as a day of special prayer in honor of the great mysteries of the Christian religion, the resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit, both occurring on the first day of the week.

Very sincerely, 

JOHN IRELAND.  

That is clear, positive, and directly to the point. Here is another high Catholic authority, "The Catholic Encyclopedia on Doctrine," Article, "Sunday": "Sunday was the first day of the week according to the Jewish method of reckoning time, but for the Christians it began to take the place of the Jewish Sabbath in apostolic times as the day set apart for the public solemn worship of God" (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10). The same Encyclopedia, Article, "Sabbath," says: "St. Paul enumerates the Sabbath among the Jewish observances which are not obligatory on Christians (Col. 2:16; Gal. 4:9-10; Rom. 14:5). The Gentile converts held their religious meetings on Sunday (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2), and with the disappearance of the Jewish Church, with the Christian Churches the day was exclusively observed as the" Lord's Day."  

Notice that Catholics quote the same texts as Protestants do to indicate the change. They trace its origin to the New Testament the same as we do and thus claim Scripture authority for it. It will be seen that all these high Catholic authorities agree in locating the change in the days of the apostles and by the apostles.  

The following is from "The Catholic Dictionary, the Universal Christian Educator, Containing Doctrine of the Church," by Rev. Wm. A. Addis and Thomas Arnold, A.M., both of the Royal University of Ireland. Endorsed by Cardinal Manning and Cardinal McClosky. There could be no better Catholic authority. Now read, Article, "Sunday": "The precept of observing the Sabbath was completely abrogated in the Christian Church. In commemoration of Christ's resurrection, the Church observes Sunday. The observance does not rest on any positive law, of which there is no trace. Sunday is of merely ecclesiastical institution, dating however from the time of the apostles. Such is the opinion of St. Thomas. The Scripture given above (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10) shows that the observance of Sunday had begun in the apostolic age; but even were Scripture silent, tradition would put the point beyond doubt."  

I quote all these to show only one point; viz., the time when Catholics claim the change was made by the Church. They all say it was made by the apostles. No other date is given or suggested.  

Now read the written testimony of two Catholic priests:

TESTIMONY OF A CATHOLIC PRIEST

"Having lived for years among the Seventh-Day Adventists, I am familiar with their claims that the Pope of Rome changed the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week. Such assertions are wholly unfounded. Catholics claim no such thing; but maintain that the apostles themselves established the observance of Sunday and that we received it by tradition from them. The councils and Popes afterwards simply confirmed the keeping of the day as received from the apostles."

JOHN MEILER, 

Rector of St. John's Church, Healdsburg, Cal.  

The following statement I drew up, and read to a leading Catholic priest of Grand Rapids, Mich., who readily signed it, as will be seen below:

"The Catholic doctrine of the change of the Sabbath is this: The apostles, by instruction from Jesus Christ, changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday to commemorate the resurrection of Christ and the descent of the Holy Ghost, both of which occurred on Sunday. The change was made by the apostles themselves, and hence by divine authority, at the very beginning of the Church. There are references to this change in Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1, 2; Rev. 1:10, etc. Yet these texts do not state positively such a change; hence Catholics go to the statements of the early Christian Fathers, where this change by the apostles is confirmed and put beyond doubt. Catholics also rely upon the tradition of the Church which says that the change was made by the apostles. Catholics never teach that the change of the day was made by the Church two or three hundred years after Christ. Such a statement would be contrary to all the facts of history and the traditions of the Church.  

"The Holy Catholic Church began with the apostles. St. Peter was the first Pope. Hence, when they say that the Church changed the Sabbath, they mean that it was done by the Church in the days of the apostles. Neither the Church nor the Pope, two or three hundred years after the apostles, had anything whatever to do with changing the Sabbath, for the change had been made ages before. Catholics do not call the first day of the week the Sabbath, for that was Saturday; but they call it Sunday, or the Lord's Day.  This above statement by Rev. D. M. Canright is true and pure Catholic doctrine."

Rev. James C. Pulcher, Pastor of St. James' Church, Grand Rapids, Mich.  

See how all these Catholic authorities agree. Now come to the catechisms which Adventists are so fond of quoting. This is from a " Systematic Study of the Catholic Religion." It is the one used by all students in the Catholic High School in Grand Rapids, Mich. On page 294 I read, "The Church from the time of the apostles has changed the Sabbath into the Lord's Day." In the Advent book, "Who Changed the Sabbath?" page 9, the following is quoted from the "Catholic Christian Instructed."

"Quest. What are the days which the Church commands to be kept holy?

"Ans. The Sunday, or our Lord's Day, which we observe by apostolic tradition instead of the Sabbath."  

You see this catechism refers the change of the Sabbath back to the apostles the same as all other Catholic writers do. The Church did this in the time of the apostles, just as all Protestants teach. Here follows another from the same catechism:

"Quest. What warrant have you for keeping the Sunday, preferable to the ancient Sabbath, which was the Saturday?

"Ans. We have for it the authority of the Catholic Church, and apostolic tradition."  

Here we are again referred right back to the apostles as before.

I will close this testimony of the Catholics with the following from a "Mission Priest." These are priests of the very highest education and influence. Their "mission" is to go from city to city in all the states to their great church centers and give a course of lectures on Catholic doctrines to both Catholics and non-Catholics. They are the best educated and best posted priests in that Church. So what they teach is of the highest character and reliable as expressing Catholic doctrines. I have obtained from my next door neighbor (a Catholic family whose daughter attends the Catholic High School here) the following book: "A Full Course of Instruction in Explanation of the Catechism," by Rev. J. Perry, edited and adapted to the present wants of Colleges, Academies, and Private Families, by a priest of the Mission. It is endorsed by the Archbishop of St. Louis, Mo.  Notice that this is the authority studied in families, high schools, colleges, and academies. Is there any better witness? Now read: "Third [Sabbath] commandment. Its obligation transferred from Saturday to Sunday." "What day of the week is the seventh day or Sabbath Day?" "It is Saturday." "Then why do we not keep Saturday holy?" " Because the Church in the apostles' time transferred the obligation from the seventh to the first day of the week." "Why was this done?" "In honor of Jesus Christ, and therefore the first day of the week is called the Lord's Day (Rev. 1:10). It was on the first day of the week (or Sunday) that Christ rose from the dead; that He commissioned His apostles to teach all nations; that He empowered them to forgive sins; that He sent down upon them the Holy Ghost; it was on this day that the apostles began to preach the doctrines of Christ and to establish the Christian religion "(pages 168-169).  

Here it will be seen that the Catholics use exactly the same arguments for the change of the day that all Protestants do, and locate the change at the same date, in the time of the apostles and by the apostles.  

But do not the catechism and Catholic writers, when controverting Protestants, assert that the "Holy Catholic Church" changed the day? Certainly, but they also claim that the Catholic Church began with the apostles who changed the day. Do not Adventists know this? Yes. Why, then, do they not tell the whole facts in the case? Let them answer.  

Consider the high Catholic authorities quoted on this subject - the Council of Trent; the papal delegate, Cardinal Gibbons; Archbishop Ireland; the Catholic Encyclopedia; the Catholic Dictionary; written statements of priests; and the teachings of the catechism. All agree that the change in the day was made by the apostles. Beyond dispute, this establishes the doctrine of the Catholic Church on the origin of the Lord's Day. Not a single Catholic authority can be quoted teaching that the change of the Sabbath was made by the Popes or by the Papacy centuries later. That is purely an invention of Seventh-Day Adventists. Here, then, is the testimony of two hundred and fifty million Roman Catholics, all agreeing that the observance of Sunday as the Lord's Day originated with the apostles. Now if Adventists quote the Catholics, then let them abide by their testimony.

Now read "Rome's Challenge," "Father Enright's Challenge," and a lot of other Catholic "challenges," which Adventists gleefully gather up and endorse and peddle the world over as unanswerable. Read them very carefully and notice particularly that not one of these Catholic "challenges" ever locates the time when the "Catholic Church" made the change. In all these "Challenges" they adroitly leave this point out, and presume on the ignorance of the general public, which supposes that the Catholic Church began centuries after Christ. Then Adventists take advantage of this popular idea of the Catholic Church and locate the change about 300 years after Christ. Such deception is unworthy of Christian teachers.

Now, if you've made it this far, I applaud you. I also hope that this clears up a few things.

It is my assertion that one cannot hold up Rome's Challenge and say "Look! It's true! The Catholics even admit it." Then turn right around and deny the very reason why the Catholics make that claim. If we are to say Rome's Challenge is true, and the Catholics instituted Sunday, then it follows one must say the very reason why the Catholic Church makes this claim is also true - which means one admits the Apostles instituted Sunday as a day of worship, and the Catholic Church is as old as it claims to be - as this is what the Catholic Church is actually saying when they make Rome's challenge, which Armstrongists say is true. You can't have one without the other.

In closing, I would like to quote Canright regarding the ongoing distortion of facts:

"Why, then, do they [the Armstrongists who perpetuate the distortions] not tell the whole facts in the case? Let them answer."

Indeed!

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It is important that you understand; Everything on this blog is based on the current understanding of each author. Never take anyone's word for it, always prove it for yourself, it is your responsibility. You cannot ride someone else's coattail into the Kingdom. ; )

Acts 17:11 

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