Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1904-06-11
Did st. Paul Abol-
ish the Sabbath?
Continued From Page Four

except lnat by so doing an escape
from religious duty seems to be af.
forded Without question. Paul was
the most intelligent, appreciative and
sympathetic, as well as the most in.
tellectual, Of the successors and inter-
prefers of Jesus. But he had his lin.
itations. Let us note some Of these
limitations which affect his compet-
ency to supersede Jesus,
First Of all, Paul was not a per-
sonal disciple or associate of Jesus
during the Teachers lifetime. This in
itself greatly limits his knowledge Of
the full content of Jesus teaching.
Again, Paul never saw or read any of
the Gospels which contain the story
of Jesus life and teachings. Paul
was dead before any one Of these was
written. 1t is therefore most prob
able that Paul had only a fragmentary
knowledge OF the great mass of the
utterances of Jesus. What he knew,
he learned from conversation with
those more or less acquainted per-
sonally with Jesus. He himself denies
that Peter, James and John, the prin-
cipal associates of Jesus during his
ministry, had taught him anything.
He had no doubt come into possession
Of the main facts in the career OF
Jesus, and his marvellous insight en-
abled him to construct the fabric of
Christian principles and ideals which
has immortalized his name. Yet his
actual knowledge Of the details Of the
teachings Of Jesus must have been
very incomplete.
Still further, Paul apparently believ-
ed implicitly and literally in the i'm.
mediateness Of the return Of Jesus to
earth as its Judge and king, A day,
a week, a month, and He would sure
~ return! All earthly institutions,
secular and religious alike, would be
swept away. In a view like this, what
place could there be for the organized
Christianity of the ages? Paul's pro-
gram simply had NO place for organic
ed Christian institutions. Even the
Sabbath might seem to have no place
or time for observance. What a strik-
ing light is thus thrown on the neces-
sary incompleteness of Paul's religious
program!
Note again, that among the Gentle
converts Of Paul, it was impossible
to establish a day of rest and worship.
A large proportion of them were
slaves and therefore unable to set
apart any religious day. There was
no legal recognition of the right of
Christianity to exist and the early
church had to hide itself to escape
extinction by persecution. No OBJ
servanee which required publicity was
possible. Christian ideas were crude.
Uniformed, unintelligent, undeyeloped.
All Christian institutions were merely
in embryo. Remembering all these
conditions and limitations HI there
any ground for surprise that a dis.
tinctive Christian institution like the
Sabbath had not shaped itself, espe.
cially when to do so il must expose
itself in public demonstrations?
But does not Paul in Colossians 2.
1917 affirm that the SABBATH has no
place In the Christian religion2 by
no means. Paul is arguing j~ustifiabiy
that the Jewish ceremonial worship
is not obligatory on Christians. These
ceremonials, viz: washings, Hastings.
prostrations, animal sacrifices. ritual
prayers. holding certain days 20 be In.
trinsically sacred In distinction from
other days, all this ceremonialism
Paul rightly affirmed not TO be Of the
essence Of spiritual religion But does
this not include the Sabbath? The
ceremonial Sabbath? Yes. The Sab.
bath principle, no. The seventh day
Is not intrinsieally holy, ais disting.
uished from other days in universal
time. But most assuredly the Sabbath
principle Is not ~annulled or abrogatel
by the fact that all time Is Of the
same Inherent quality. All places and
localities are equally sacred. or sec
ular. ss you please. but that fact does
not destroy the obligation to worship
God solemnlyf and publicly. So the
fact thatewe know that no particular
portion Or universal time Is In itsell
sacred in no way lessons u obliga
ton to use a portion Of universal Tins
for religious purposes.
We may easily understand that II
conditions where no Sabbath coult
be observed, Paul did not attempt t
teach a new idea about such obsery
anca. esnpcialIy AZ those whom hi