guardian Snow
Guest
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 Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 6:59 am Post subject: Re: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire online.... |
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On Aug 4, 3:26 pm, "Chuck Stamford" <shell-stamf...@cox.net> wrote:
| Quote: | "Al Smith" <inva...@address.com> wrote in message
news:ucwlk.4103$nu6.1111@edtnps83...
On Aug 4, 10:09 am, "Fred A Stover" <fredstov...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
Read online:
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
by Edward Gibbons
6 volumes
In the public domain in the U.S. (in other countries, check the
copyright
laws).
www.selah.zxq.net
What do you believe cause the "fall of Rome". I question if Rome ever
truly fell when we still have the Vatican standing very tall and proud
to this very date wielding it's influence over the entire church.
That is because, Snow, to your mind's eye it's difficult to see where the
Roman Empire ends and the Christian Church begins. Not many in the real
world suffer from such historical myopia.
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I'll quote my favorite book here, "Come out of her, my people" written
by C.J. Koster. Keep in mind that your the one that venerates the day
of the Sun even besides the fact that no verse in the scriptures can
be use to alter the Sign of Elohim and his people.
http://www.isr-messianic.org/downloads/copreface.pdf
The Oxford Classical Dictionary, Second Edition, p. 233, states,
"Constantine combined veneration for the 'Unconquered Sun my
companion' with that of Christ." This frank and honest statement is
confirmed by the three other authoritative sources. One of the most
knowledgeable scholars in this field, Franz Cumont, candidly states on
p. 288 of his book, Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism, "The vague
deism of Constantine strove to reconcile the opposition of helioatry
[sun-worship] and Christianity." John Ferguson, in The Religions of
the Roman Empire, p. 56, states, "Constantine's god was a fusion of
the Unconquered Sun and Christ the Victorious." Another scholarly
researcher, Legge, on pp. 118-119 of Forerunners and Rivals of
Christianity, relates what happened in the first few centuries of our
common era, before this fusion took place, and then that which
followed, " . . . the . . . importance thus given to the worship of
the material sun, which henceforth forms the centre of adoration in
all non-Christian religions . . . All the post Alexandrian legends of
the gods were turned the same way, and Serapis, Mithras, Attis were
all identified with the Sun, whom philosophers like Pliny and
Macrobius declared to be the one supreme god concealed behind the
innumerable lesser deities of the Graeco-Roman pantheon. Even the
Christians could not long hold out against the flood, and the marks of
the compromise to which the Catholic Church came in the matter may
perhaps be seen in the coincidence of the Lord's Day with Sunday and
the Church's adoption of the 25th day of December, the birthday of the
Unconquered Sun-god, as the anniversary of the birth of Christ. It is
certainly by no accident that the emperors whose reigns immediately
preceded the establishment of Christianity all turned towards the
worship of the Sun-god who was looked upon as the peculiar divinity of
the family to which Constantine belonged."
Pagan worship is forbidden to the people of the Almighty, even if
mixed with True Worship. Many Scriptures testify to this: Deut.
4:13-19, Deut. 12:1-4, Deut. 12:29-32, Deut. 18:9, Lev. 20:23-26, Jer.
10:2-3, Eph. 4:1722, Eph. 2:1-4,2 Cor. 6:17,1 Cor. 10:14-21,1 John
5:21 etc. Notice especially in 2 Kings 17:33 and 41 how True Worship
was mixed with idol worship. Note also, that even the high priest
Aaron was persuaded by his people to lead them into a mixed worship,
Exod. 32:5. The Almighty's wrath was kindled and He wanted to destroy
everybody except Moses. Other examples of mixed worship are Eze.
23:38-39, Jer. 7:2 and 8-18.
In an attempt to justify this assimilation of Sun-worship with the New
Testament Faith, much appeal was made, especially in the early
centuries, to Malachi 4:2, the prophetic promise (interpreted by many
to mean the Messiah) of the "sun of righteousness". However, this
figure of speech cannot justify the adoption of Sun-worship, just as
the figurative reference to the Messiah as "the Lion of the tribe of
Judah" (Rev. 5:5) cannot justify the adoption of lion-worship!
For primitive man, ignorant of the True Worship and the True Mighty
One, it is only natural to start venerating or paying homage to the
sun, moon and stars (the host of heaven), of which the sun is the most
important, giving warmth to man and animal, and life-giving growth to
plants. That is the reason why, when Yahúweh commanded His people to
keep the Ten Commandment Covenant, He warned them against the
corruption of worshipping and serving the sun, and the moon, and the
stars - the host of heaven - things which Yahúweh has divided unto all
nations (Deut. 4:13- 19). The Wycliffe Bible Commentary comments on
Deut. 4:19, "The worship of the visible and creaturely was
characteristic of the Gentile nations whom [Elohim] had abandoned to
their perverse folly." Dr. J.H. Hertz, in Pentateuch and Haftorahs
comments, "The heavenly luminaries exercised a great fascination upon
early man . . . The 'host of heaven' was the dominant influence in
Babylonian religion. The Egyptians also reverenced the sun, the moon,
and the stars as symbols of deities. Associated with this worship was
also the superstition that the heavenly bodies influenced the lives of
mortals, a superstition which is not yet altogether extinct . . .
[Elohim] had suffered the heathens to worship the sun, moon and
stars ...." Because of similar comments by others, the Good News Bible
took the liberty of rendering Deut. 4:19, ". . . the sun, the moon,
and the stars ... Elohim has given these to all other peoples for them
to worship." The New English Bible also relates this verse this way.
We do not want to justify this rather free translation, but in the
light of Acts 7:38, 39 and 42, as well as Jer. 10:2, it prompts us to
carefully heed His warning to remain in His Covenant, His Law, lest we
become as the heathen who worship the host of heaven. In Acts 7:38-42
we read of the Spirit-filled Stephen reprimanding his fellow Jews for
not keeping the Law (Acts 7:53), just like their forefathers who
received the "Living Words" (verse 38 Green's Interlinear and NIV),
but the forefathers did not obey the Living Words. Therefore, what
happened? Acts 7:42 reads, "Then Elohim turned and gave them up to
worship the host of heaven ...." In Jer. 10:2 we read, "Thus says
Yahúweh: 'Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed
(awed - NEB) at the signs of heaven; for the Gentiles are dismayed
(awed - NEB) at them.' " This is astrology and astrological religion,
which had its origin in ancient Chaldea (Babylon), and later on moved
to Rome, being based on the different paths of the sun through the
sky, displaying the sun at the centre of the zodiac. The people of
Yahúweh are forbidden to participate in these things which are the
customs of the Gentiles. Being secretly enticed by the sun or the
moon, or any homage paid to them, is an iniquity and a denial of Elohim
—Job 31:2628.
In Eze. 8:3-16 we see the most alarming description of how idolatrous
worship is fused with True Worship, especially in verses 14-16 where
Sun-worship has been brought into the House of Yahúweh. The Tammuz -
worship of v. 14 is just one form of Sun-worship, Tammuz being the
incarnate Sun, the young rising Sun as a deity.2 In verse 16 the
prophet was also shown the twenty-five men worshipping the Sun towards
the East, and that is exactly what started happening in post-apostolic
Christianity. This praying towards the Sun in the East is recorded in
the writings of Clement of Alexandria (150215), as well as in the
writings of his scholar, Origen. They were both guilty of trying to
justify this practice, which Yahúweh labelled "wicked
abominations" (Eze. 8:9). The Bishop of Carthage, Cyprian, in the year
258 also exhorted Christians to pray to the East at sunrise. On the
other hand, in the year 197, Tertullian writing in his Ad nationes
1,13, accused fellow Christians of Sun worship because of their
praying to the East and because of making Sunday a day of festivity.
Despite this warning by Tertullian, Augustine (354- 430), in his many
writings, was repeatedly trying to justify his prayers to the East.
This was a regular practice in the basilica of St. Peter in Rome,
which caused Pope Leo the Great to make a vigorous attack on this
practice in the year 461. However, his objection was ignored and they
continued with this in the basilica up to the year 1300, as we shall
see later. Another voice in the wilderness was crying out against this
practice, that of Eusebius of Alexandria, who wrote, "and not only Sun-
worshippers and heretics do this, but also Christians, departing from
the faith, mingle with heretics." These important facts are all well
documented in Dr. F.J. Dolger, Sol Salutis, as well as in Dr. Samuele
Bacchiocchi, From Sabbath to Sunday.
In Eze. 8:9 Elohim calls this a "wicked abomination". In Deut. 17:3-5
the civil law demanded that those of Israel who were found guilty of
worshipping "the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven", were to
be stoned to death. Has our Mighty One changed? "For I am Yahúweh, I
do not change," Mal. 3:6. He is "the Father of lights, with Whom there
is no variation or shadow of turning, " James 1: 17. The civil laws of
the Scriptures are not being applied today, but Yahúweh has not
changed and will still mete out the just penalty. "Or do you despise
the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not
knowing that the goodness of Elohim leads you to repentance? But in
accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are
treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of
the righteous judgment of Elohim, Who will render to each one
according to his deeds: eternal life to those who by patient
continuance in doing good seek for esteem (glory), honour, and
immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath, tribulation and
anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also
of the Greek; but esteem (glory), honour, and peace to everyone who
works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there
is no partiality with Elohim. For as many as have sinned without law
will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law
will be judged by the law; for not the hearers of the law are just in
the sight of Elohim, but the doers of the law will be justified," Rom.
2:4-13. Let us not despise His forbearance and long suffering. Because
of His forbearance and long suffering, we have come to salvation —
think of it! He is patiently leading us to repentance, repentance from
every form of sin. The Law cannot forgive and save us, but the purpose
of the Law is to tell us what sin is - 1 John 3:4, Exod. 20:20, Rom.
3:20, Rom. 4:15, Rom. 7:7.
In Deut. 12:30 Israel was warned not to follow the Gentiles in their
idolatrous religion, "Take heed to yourself that you do not inquire
after their elohim, saying 'How did these nations serve their elohim?
I also will do likewise.' " Israel was prohibited the frank worship of
idols, as was also the manner in which the idols were worshipped. Not
only is frank Sun-worship forbidden, but also the mode, the manner and
means by which the Sun was worshipped - the "how". This is important.
We shall now discuss the manner of Sun-worship, the customs and the
"how" of Sun- worship, which was fused with the Messianic Faith by
emperor Constantine and others that followed, political leaders, but
especially religious leaders. In spite of subsequent attempts to
justify the adoptions of these components of Sun-worship, their origin
is important, and it must be exposed. Let us get complete clarity on
the attempts made to justify these adoptions, this "canonization",
this "Christianization" or ''sanctification'' of heathen customs,
deities or festivals. The Scriptures are very clear on this: These
things cannot be "sanctified" - only repentant sinners, humans, can!
IGNORANCE OF, AND DEVIATING FROM, THIS MOST BASIC SCRIPTURAL
PRINCIPLE, HAS BEEN THE ROOT CAUSE FOR THIS GREAT SICKNESS OF
"SOLARIZATION" THAT HAS BEFALLEN US, THE CHURCH. We must repent of
this great sin if we earnestly seek for a restoration or a revival!
Chapter II - WHAT COMPONENTS OF THE WORSHIP OF THE SUN AND THE HOST OF
HEAVEN HAVE BEEN ADOPTED?
The following customs or "hows", giving homage to, or veneration of
the Sun and the rest of the host of heaven, have been adopted and are
even practised today. Although they are still found in Christianity,
they are not found in the Scriptures, Old Testament or New Testament.
However, a few words or names are found in our translated Scriptures,
which are incorrect according to the inspired original Scriptures, as
far back as we can trace them. They have been brought into the
translations because the Almighty turned and gave us up "to worship
the host of heaven", just as He did to Old Testament Israel at various
stages, Acts 7:42. He has done the same to us. Read 2 Thess. 2:3-12
too, where the shocking words appear, "Elohim will send them strong
delusion, that they should believe the lie" those who do not believe
the Truth!
1. SUNDAY
The Supreme Authority on the True Faith is our Saviour Yahushua
Himself: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them . . .
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo,
I am with you always, even to the end of the age," Matt. 28: 1820. All
modern translations admit this correct rendering: "authority". He is
the only One, Who, with the authority given to Him by His Father, can
authoritatively decide on all spiritual matters - Matt. 23:8-10, Heb.
1:1-2, Matt. 7:24-29, Matt. 11:29, Jn. 18:37, Jn. 12:48-50, Lk. 9:35,
Jn. 6:63 & 68, Jn. 8:31-36, Jn. 3:34, Jn. 14:6, Rev. 19:13, Rev. 19:
16, 1 Tim. 6:3-4, 2 Jn. v. 9 etc. We have no other Supreme Authority.
In Colossians and in Ephesians He is repeatedly called the Head of the
Body "head" having the figurative meaning of "authority".
What is Yahushua's supreme, ultimate and authoritative verdict on the
great controversy between Sabbath and Sunday? First of all, He is our
supreme example (1 Jn. 2:6, 1 Pet. 2:21, Jn. 10:27, Jn. 21:19 & 22
etc.) And it was His custom to keep the Sabbath - Luke 4:16; just like
the custom that Paul followed too - Acts 17:2, Acts 13:14 & 42-44,
Acts 16: 13, Acts 18: 4 & 11. Secondly, Yahushua commands us to keep
His Father's Ten Commandments (of which the Sabbath is the Fourth
Commandment), authoritatively and very clearly - Matt. 19:17, Lk.
10:28 and Jn. 12:50. Indeed, He clearly says that the keeping of His
Father's Commandments is a condition for inheriting eternal life!
Again in His final revelation to us, He repeats this in Rev. 22:14,
"Blessed are those who do His Commandments, that they may have the
right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the
city." This text has been changed later on to such an extent that the
necessity of Commandment- keeping as a prerequisite for entry to the
New Jerusalem is here completely hidden. Long before the New Testament
books were canonised to form the New Testament as we know it, this
correct rendering of Rev. 22: 14 (which stresses the necessity for
keeping the Commandments) was quoted by Tertullian in the year 208,
and again by Cyprian in the year 251. Yahushua, through John, defines
the True Worshippers in Rev. 12: 17 and in Rev. 14: 12 as those who
also keep the Father's Commandments. The Apostles also reaffirm this
necessity in 1 Cor. 7: 19, 1 Tim. 6: 13- 14, 1 John 5:2-3, 2 John w.
4-6 Rom. 3:31, Rom. 2:26-29, Rom. 2:13, Rom. 7:22, Rom. 8:7 James
2:10-12, Heb. 10:16, and Heb. 8:10. According to James 2: 10-12 we are
to keep all ten Commandments, not just some of them. But why not the
Fourth Commandment, the keeping of the Sabbath, too? Why was it
changed to Sunday? or simply done away with? If Scripture defines the
Sabbath as the only sign of Separation (Sanctification)—Ex. 31:13 &
17, Eze. 20:12 & 20, dare we ignore it? Some might argue that the
keeping of the Sabbath is not commanded in the New Testament - but it
is! If they had only translated Heb .4:9 truthfully, there would have
been no doubt. The Greek text reads as follows, "There remains a
keeping of Sabbath to the people of Elohim" (see margin of KJV). This
is confirmed by Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 3, p. 411
(Ed. Colin Brown). The correct rendering "keeping of Sabbath" is also
found in the Emphatic Diaglott, in the Rotherham Version, Henry Alford
Translation and Lamsa Bible. This word sabbatismos means "the keeping
of Sabbath" and nothing else. Barnes Notes on the New Testament
comments, "It properly means: a keeping Sabbath." The authoritative
Liddell and Scott's Greek - English Lexicon gives this as the only
meaning. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words agrees on
this. In fact, almost all Greek dictionaries give this as the only
meaning. Why has this word sabbatismos been translated theologically
instead of literally and truthfully? The true rendering "keeping of
Sabbath" clearly emphasises the present-time obligation, in fact, the
exhortation for its present observance. The keeping of the Sabbath now
is a type, a shadow, of the world to come. Colossians 2:17 speaks of
the Sabbaths which "are [not 'was'] a shadow of things to come". The
present obligation to keep the Sabbath, which is a shadow or type of
the eternal rest to come, is mandatory, for the Sabbath is the only
Scriptural sign of Separation (Sanctification) Ex. 31:13 & 17 and Eze.
20:12 & 20. Remember: without Separation (Sanctification) no one shall
see the Sovereign - Heb. 12:14.
Thirdly, in His prophecy on the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:14,15-21),
Yahushua foresaw His followers continuing to observe the Sabbath, and
He is concerned that they will be confronted with the problem of
fleeing on the Sabbath. He said in Matt. 24:20, "And pray that your
flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath." Our Messiah clearly
foresaw the permanence of Sabbath-keeping by True Worshippers.
Yahushua did not abolish the Sabbath, which is part of the Ten
Commandment Law. He explicitly stated: He did not come to destroy the
Law. The correct and literal rendering of Matt. 5:17-19 from the Greek
text is, "Do not think that I came to destroy [or abolish or annul]
the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy [or abolish or
annul] but to fill. For verily I say to you, till heaven and earth
pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Law
till all come to pass [or be accomplished]. Whoever therefore breaks
one of these Commandments the least, and teaches men so, shall be
called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches
[them], he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." This word
"fill" in v.17 (Greek pleroo) has different meanings when used
figuratively. The New English Bible renders it as "complete", and so
does the Canisius Translation. This word pleroo cannot mean "annul" or
"abolish" here in v.17, because, firstly, then Yahushua would have
contradicted Himself in one and the same verse. Secondly, this same
word pleroo is used in Matt. 3:15 and Col. 1:25 where it would be
preposterous to even suggest a meaning of "annul" or "abolish". The
word pleroo in Matt. 5:17 can best be rendered as "fill" or
"complete". The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, like others,
suggests: complete, confirm, meeting the full requirements,
corroborate, establish, totalise or even: fully preach (the best
rendering for Col. 1 :25). Others have suggested: execute, or live up
to, or comply with, as the best rendering, especially in Matt. 3:15.
In Matt. 5:19, the correct rendering of "breaking one of these
Commandments the least" (see any Interlinear or the Rotherham
Version), clarifies the difficulty created by the ordinary
translations and brings it into harmony with all Scripture. In Luke
16:17 Yahushua confirms the permanent validity of the Law: "And it is
easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the
Law to fail." Dare we appeal to any other human authority in an
attempt to evade Commandment-keeping, including the Fourth - the
Sabbath? We cannot over-emphasise Yahushua's statement, "All authority
has been given to Me in heaven and on earth," Matt. 28:18. He is our
only Supreme Authority. He is the only Head (authority) of His Body,
the congregation or assembly. Read also 1 Tim. 6:3-4 and 2 John v.9.
What about the Pharisees' accusations that our Messiah was breaking
the Sabbath? What about the many allegations made through the
centuries that Yahushua annulled the Sabbath? First of all, the
Pharisees' accusations did not hold against Yahushua's authoritative
replies. When the time of His trial had come, they were no longer
attempting to raise this accusation against Him, which had been proven
false by Him. Secondly, a thorough study of the New Testament,
together with a knowledge of how the Pharisees had brought in added
burdens in Sabbath-observance, will clarify any argument. Yahushua was
simply refuting the man-made 39 additional traditional laws pertaining
to Sabbath- keeping which the Jews had legislated in their Mishnah,
Shabbath 7,2. He strongly reprimanded the Pharisees for not keeping
the Commandments of Yahuweh while holding fast to their own man-made
laws, their traditions, Matt. 15: 3-9 and Mark. 7: 5-13. These
traditional laws are still upheld by the Jews today and are commonly
known to them as the "oral law". The Dictionary of New Testament
Theology discusses this alleged Sabbath-annulling by Yahushua, and
then concludes, "We may conclude then, that though [Yahushua] broke
through the rabbinic tradition about the Sabbath, there was no
annulling of the observance of the day."
Why then has Sunday become the day of worship instead of Sabbath? Why
are we not keeping Sabbath while Sabbath-observance will be practised
in the new earth by those who have survived the end-time judgment?
Isa. 66:23. Who then changed the Sabbath to Sunday? Is the change
Scriptural? Cardinal Gibbons in Faith of Our Fathers, 92nd ed., p. 89,
says, "You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will
not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The
Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which
we never sanctify." During the many centuries of the Dark Middle Ages
the ordinary people had no access to the Scriptures. When it
eventually became available to them, because of the Reformation and
the invention of the printing press, the supreme authority of the
Scriptures was contested. Finally, after debating this issue for many
years, the Archbishop of Reggio at the Council of Trent in 1562 set
all hesitation aside by openly declaring that tradition stood above
Scripture! His words were, "The authority of the Church could
therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the
Church had changed . . . the Sabbath into Sunday, not by the command
of Christ, but by its own authority." Canon and Tradition, p. 263.
Similar confessions as to the unscriptural origin of this change are
to be found in theological works of all the major denominations.
How then did this change come about? All books of history tell the
same story: Just before and after the time of Messiah Yahushua, Sun-
worship became popular and the Sun-deity was assimilated to all the
known deities. All the deities of the nations were identified with the
Sun-deity. When Christianity came to Rome a struggle between Sun-
worship and Christianity ensued, for by then the Sun-deity had taken
over from the older pantheon of Rome. This struggle eventually ended
when Constantine fused Christianity and Sun- worship. Even before
Constantine fused these two religions, Christianity had already been
joined by unconverted pagans and the half-Christian Gnostic sects were
thriving. These Gnostic sects were, in a variety of forms, an
admixture of Christianity, Neoplatonic philosophy, Sun-worship and the
worship of some of the older idols. The difference between them and
Christianity (which by now consisted mostly of Gentiles), was at times
difficult to determine. Clement, Origen, Cyprian, Jerome, Tertullian,
Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, were all guilty of justifying certain Sun-
worship practices. Also, Ignatius, Justin, Chrysostom and Barnabas all
had a major share in promoting anti-Judaism, which made the rejection
of the "Jewish Sabbath" an almost natural consequence. At the
beginning of the 4th century the conditions were more than ripe for
the fusion to take place. Firstly, in the year 313, Constantine,
together with Licinius, held a conference at Milan where they
concluded a friendly alliance and adopted a policy of universal
religious freedom. 12 Some have called these documents the "Edict of
Milan". This ended the long-standing persecution of the Christians,
giving them the freedom to observe their own form of worship,
unrestricted. This promoted a thankful attitude and an affinity
towards Constantine, and likewise, he too was beginning to show some
partiality towards the Christians. Subsequently he extended further
rights and concessions towards them. The next great step further, the
decisive breakthrough for Sun-worship, was the famous Edict of
Constantine in the year 321.
Let us first consider what influence Sun-worship had amongst
Constantine's predecessors, the emperors before him. Elagabalus, Nero,
Diocletian and Aurelian were each involved in Sun-worship, especially
Elagabalus and Aurelian. Likewise, Constantine's family had been Sun-
deity worshippers, and so was Constantine himself. Constantine called
the Sun- deity: "Unconquered Sun, my companion". His edict in the year
321 legislated the "venerable day of the Sun" to be a rest day. This
rest was commanded in honour of the Sun, and not in honour of Messiah.
The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible emphasizes the motive of
Constantine for legislating the Sunday as a day of rest, and stresses
"the general importance of the Sun-god in the Empire. Indeed, this god
was the titulary divinity of Constantine's family, and from the fourth
century there is an increasing assimilation of Christ to the Sun-god
(as Sun of Righteousness), the Christos Helios (cf. Eusebius Life of
Constantine 1.4.18; and the notable mosaic of Christos Helios recently
uncovered in the tomb of the Julii under the Vatican)." But this theme
of "Christ-the-True- Sun" had already been diffusely proclaimed by
Clement of Alexandria (ca. 150-215) in many of his writings. Origen
followed in the footsteps of Clement, his teacher, and proclaimed our
Saviour to be "the Sun", "the True Sun". Cyprian also called our
Saviour "the True Sun''. Because of this, Bishop Zeno of Verona
elaborated at great length on Christ-the-Sun as the True Sun, as the
Eternal Sun. Some might say that Helios also means the sun as the
physical sun. But, all encyclopaedias affirm that, in religion, Helios
means the Sun-deity.
This assimilation of our Saviour to the Sun-deity was not difficult,
for the pagans of the Roman Empire were steeped in Sun-worship and
they referred to their Sun deity as their "Lord" (Kurios). Helios, the
Sun-deity, was called "the Lord (Kurios) of the heaven and the earth."
Indeed, certain historians have felt that Sun-worship has really given
Sunday the name "Lord's day". A. Paiva writes, "The first day of each
week, Sunday, was consecrated to Mithra since times remote, as several
authors affirm. Because the Sun was god, the Lord par excellence,
Sunday came to be called the Lord's day, as later was done by
Christianity." Our Saviour was called "Lord" (Kurios) and the Sun-
deity was also called "Lord" (Kurios), the "Lord par excellence". So,
the name-titles being easy to unite, it made it easier to identify our
Saviour's "day" with the day of the Sun-deity! Thus, civically the
"venerable day of the Sun" was legislated to be the rest-day. It now
only remained for the Church to fall in line with the civil law of
Constantine, who, although being a Sun-worshipper, had already showed
some affinity towards Christians, especially by ending their
persecution. This change-over to Sunday by the Church happened in the
year 336 (some authorities give the date as 364) at the Council of
Laodicea, Canon 29: "Christians must not Judaize by resting on the
Sabbath, but must work on that day honouring rather the Lord's day by
resting, if possible, as Christians. However, if any shall be found
Judaizing, let them be shut out from Christ."
Bishop Eusebius (270-338 C.E.), who worked with Constantine, admits
the Church's decision to change from Sabbath to Sunday, "All things
whatsoever that it was duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have
transferred to the Lord's day." (Eusebius, Commentary on the Psalms,
quoted by Moses Stuart, Commentary on the Apocalypse, vol. II, 9.40.)
The Church had succumbed, the fusion was virtually accomplished. The
Unconquered Sun, the Sun deity, was proving the merit of its name - it
was invincible !
With the accession of the Severan dynasty, Sun-worship had become
dominant in Rome. The Sun as deity was a superb symbol and rallying-
point for the Empire. "The Unconquered Sun had taken over the role of
Jupiter, the Great Sky-god, as protector of Rome and of the Empire."
Upon the Sun were bestowed as many attributes and symbols and names of
"gods" or "goddesses" as possible. Serapis, the great deity of
Alexandria, as well as Mithras and Attis, "were all identified with
the Sun, whom philosophers like Pliny and Macrobius declared to be the
one supreme god concealed behind the innumerable lesser deities of the
Graeco-Roman pantheon. Even the Christians could not long hold out
against the flood, and the marks of the compromise to which the
Catholic Church came in the matter may perhaps, be seen in the
coincidence of the Lord's Day with Sunday .... It is certainly by no
accident that the emperors whose reigns immediately preceded the
establishment of Christianity all turned towards the worship of the
Sun-god who was looked upon as the peculiar divinity of the family to
which Constantine belonged." The great scholarly and honest Roman
Catholic theologian, Dr. F.J. Dolger, wrote, (I translate), "In his
Sunday-law (edict), Constantine probably instituted the meaning of the
familiar usage 'Sunday' without far-reaching intent; the expression
could be used without causing offence among the pagans of his portion
of the Empire. Since the days of emperor Aurelian in the second half
of the 3rd century, the Sun-god cult, under the title of Sol invictus,
i.e. 'Unconquered Sun', had experienced a tremendous furtherance at
the hands of the state. Other pagan cult groups of that time also
likened their supreme deity to the Sun-god or completely equated it to
the Sun-god. Attis was a Light-deity, Osiris too was Sun-god. Baal
Hammon of Carthage was Sun-Baal, Jupiter Anxur of Terracina and
Jupiter of Doliche and Heliopolis were all Sun-god, Sabazios had
become one with the Sun-god and the Persian Sun-god Mithras had
instituted a missionary campaign as no other religion next to
Christianity. For all these religious fellowships the imperial Sunday-
law (edict) meant a privilege, they all felt themselves honoured when
the Sunday was specially feastly dedicated to their deity, the Sun."
The Unconquered Sun, which had conquered all other religions, had
finally conquered its last major rival, Christianity, by joining it,
by being fused with it.
The Messianic Faith, being united with all the Sun-worshipping cults,
was to become one strong body which gradually overrun, assimilated and
syncretised all remaining obstacles, either by force, or by
"assimilation and compromise". The many half-Christian and mostly Sun-
worshipping Gnostic sects, heavily leaning towards allegorisation and
Neoplatonism, had already influenced or infiltrated the Christianity
of Alexandria and of Rome. Clement of Alexandria and Origen had
already been quoting freely from the books of the Gnostics Valentinus
and Heracleon. Irenaeus, Tertullian and Hippolytus later on also did
likewise with the writings of Valentinus and Ptolemy. Already in the
year 124 emperor Hadrian wrote from Alexandria (on his visit there)
the following, in a letter, "Those who worship Serapis are Christians
and those who call themselves bishops of Christ are vowed to
Serapis." (Serapis being the Sun deity of Alexandria). The
intermingling between Christianity and Gnosticism is typified by the
Christian leader Clement's repeated praise of the "true Gnostic",
meaning thereby the perfect Christian! Speaking of the Gnostics, Legge
states, "Most of them, ,moreover, sooner or later abandoned their
Gnosticism, and became practising members of the Catholic Church, who
sometimes went a long way to meet them. As Renan has said, none of
them ever relapsed into paganism, and in this way the so-called
heresies became at once the feeders of orthodox Christianity and its
richest recruiting ground. They offered in fact an easy road by which
the wealthy, the learned, and the high-placed could pass from paganism
to Christianity without suffering the inconvenience imposed upon the
first followers of the Apostles ... The Gnostics brought with them
into their new faith, the use of pictures and statues . . . and of all
the paraphernalia of the worship of heathen gods."And in a footnote,
Legge states, "Clement of Alexandria seems to have been initiated into
most of the heathen mysteries then current . . . Origen too, . . .
professes to know all about the Ophites' [a Gnostic sect] secret
opinions." Eusebius, who later wrote, was so upset about these
Gnostics being absorbed into Christianity, that he raised his voice in
the following words, "savage beasts crept secretly into the Church."
Legge comments on Eusebius' statement and adds, "and continued to
disseminate their doctrines by stealth.'' Some well-known Church
Fathers who came from Gnosticism were: Epiphanius who had been a
Nicolaitan, Ambrose of Milan who had been a Valentinian, and Augustine
who had been a Manichean for 9 years before joining the Catholic
Church. All these Gnostic sects were distinguished by their rejection
of the Old Testament Law, some of them even rejecting the Mighty One
of the Old Testament, and some of them even equated the Mighty One of
the Old Testament with the Evil One! In their rejection of the Old
Testament Law, the Valentinian Gnostics even rejected all moral laws,
leading to scandalous living. This Valentinianism acted as a half-way
house for two hundred years between heathenism and Christianity. The
Marcionites were later on refuted, but they also contributed toward
the aversion to, and even rejection of, the Old Testament. Sun-
worshipping Mithraism, who advanced Babylonian (Chaldean) astrology
with the Sun at the centre of it, played a major role in the resultant
fusion between Sun-worship and the Messianic Faith. Manes and his
followers, the Manicheans, from among whom Augustine came, "looked on
Judaism with horror, rejected the Old Testament entirely, and
[Manicheism] was not improbably born in an outbreak of anti-Semitic
fury." The Manicheans (who were half Christians) kept Sunday in honour
of the Sun, and not in honour of the Resurrection day.
However, the Council of Laodicea's directive in the year 336 (or 364),
that Christians are not to Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, was
apparently only obeyed in Rome and in Alexandria, the two centres
where Christianity was infiltrated by, and mixed with pagan religions.
Two contemporary historians, namely Sozomen in the year 440 and
Socrates in the year 439, both recorded this remarkable situation.
Socrates wrote, "although almost all churches throughout the world
celebrate the sacred mysteries on the Sabbath of every week, yet the
Christians of Alexandria and at Rome, on account of some ancient
tradition, have ceased to do this." Sozomen confirms this, "the people
of Constantinople, and almost everywhere, assemble together on the
Sabbath, as well as on the first day of the week," such a "custom is
never observed at Rome or at Alexandria." But gradually the influence
and power of the Roman Church grew, supported by political and civil
authorities with their power. Sabbath-keeping dwindled until there was
hardly a remnant left, scattered and persecuted.
So, the first contributory factor for the adoption of Sunday instead
of the Sabbath, was the assimilation of our Saviour to the Sun, even
the Sun as deity, Him being made into Christ Helios, Christ the True
Sun, Christ the Eternal Sun. The second contributory factor was the
general importance and popularity of Sun-worship that had become
deeply rooted in Alexandria and in Rome. The third contributory factor
was the strong anti-Judaism that prevailed, as has been mentioned
already. The fourth contributory factor was the Eastward orientated
prayers and worship. We have already touched on this subject, but we
need to study its origin, particularly in order to realise the
seriousness of the revelation and warning given to Israel, through
Ezekiel, in Eze. 8:9-16, Elohim calling this a "wicked abomination".
In verse 16 we read of the 25 men "worshipping the Sun towards the
East." Israel was commanded to shun such an abominable practice by
rather praying towards Jerusalem, 1 Kings 8:29-48, Ps. 138:2 and Dan.
6:10. In the Law, Israel was sternly warned against Sun-worship, Deut.
4:19, as we have already seen. .J. Dolger, in his comprehensive Sol
Salutis, devoted many pages to this Eastward orientated prayer and
worship. The Roman Christians, whose ranks were flooded with half-
converted believers coming from pagan worship, especially Sun-worship
in its various forms, simply continued the practice of worshipping the
Sun towards the East, or praying to the Sun in the East. This manner
of Sun-worship was a well-known custom of the Manicheans37 and the
Mithras-cult, two of the most popular forerunners and cradles of the
fused Church. This Eastward orientated Sun-worship had come from
Apollo worship, the Greeks, the Syrians (Antioch and Baalbek or
Heliopolis), the Persian religions, from India, Babylon, Assyria,
Ethiopia, Arabia, Egypt, the Hermetic religion, the Osiris religion,
from Carthage (Tunis), the Phoenicians, and Thrace.39 Other
contemporary and preceding cults practising Sun-worship were the
Pythagoreans, the Therapists and the Magi.40 Prayer and worship
towards the East was also practised by Socrates, and later by the
Neoplatonists too. But perhaps the strongest influence was that of
Alexandria, firstly because of its spreading Serapis-Isis cult (both
these idols being identified with the Sun), and secondly and more
dangerously, the Hellenised, allegorising, syncretistic Alexandrian
Christianity, the product of Clement and Origen. These two teachers,
through their many writings, had done much to justify the adoption of
Greek philosophy, Gnostic teachings and also Sun-worship, into
Christianity. Origen not only called our Saviour "the True Sun", as
mentioned before, but both Clement and Origen attempted to justify
Eastward orientated prayer and worship. Clement tried to justify this
by allegorising Ps. 132:7, 2 Cor. 4:6, and Matt. 4:16 (Isa. 9:2).
Origen. his scholar, continued this allegorisation of Scripture to
justify Sun-worship, and quoted Zech. 6:12 from the Greek Septuagint,
where the Hebrew "branch" had been badly mistranslated as anatole
(rising, east or day spring). Justin was also intrigued with this
anatole and often quoted anatole as if pointing to the Messiah, also
by attempting to identify the Messiah as the "sun" of Ps. 72:17.43
Origen, in his Genesin Homilia 1,5 and 1,8 identified the Messiah with
the Sun. Even Tertullian, in the year 197, as previously stated, was
perturbed at the praying towards the Sun in the East, but found it
acceptable if this was done "on other grounds than Sun-worship"! The
other text that was used in an attempt to justify the identifying of
our Saviour with the Sun, was the well- known Mal. 4:2, which I
discussed earlier. We also read of Origen's Commentary on John,
wherein he equates Messiah's resurrection with the rising Sun in the
East. They also twisted Matt. 24:27 in an attempt to prove the
Messiah's Second Coming to be from the East.45 They did the same with
Mal. 1:11.
Shalom,
*´¨)
¸.•´ ¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.•´ (¸.• (Snow(.¸.•*´¨)
Be thou the rainbow in the storms of life. The evening beam that
smiles the clouds away, and tints tomorrow with prophetic ray.
Lord Byron
Portions of this post have been reprinted from (Scriptures +1998)
version which you can download for free at
http://www.isr-messianic.org/
Please come post your comments at
http://groups.google.com/group/messianicYehoshua
A moderated forum.
http://www.ucg.org/index.htm
A Worldwide Sabbath practicing Church.
Isa 45:19 “I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth.
I have not said to the seed of Yaʽaqoḇ, ‘Seek Me in vain..’ I am יהוה,
speaking righteousness, declaring matters that are straight.
Isa 45:20 “Gather yourselves and come; draw near together, you who
have escaped from the gentiles. No knowledge have they who are lifting
up the wood of their carved image, and pray to a mighty one that does
not save.
Isa 45:21 “Declare and bring near, let them even take counsel
together. Who has announced this from of old? Who has declared it from
that time? Is it not I, יהוה? And there is no mighty one besides Me, a
righteous Äšl and a Saviour, there is none besides Me.
Isa 45:22 “Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I
am Äšl, and there is none else. |
|
Fred A Stover
Guest
|
| Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2008 9:27 pm Post subject: Re: Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire online.... |
|
|
guardian Snow wrote:
| Quote: | On Aug 4, 3:26 pm, "Chuck Stamford" <shell-stamf...@cox.net> wrote:
"Al Smith" <inva...@address.com> wrote in message
news:ucwlk.4103$nu6.1111@edtnps83...
On Aug 4, 10:09 am, "Fred A Stover" <fredstov...@sbcglobal.net
wrote:
Read online:
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
by Edward Gibbons
6 volumes
In the public domain in the U.S. (in other countries, check the
copyright
laws).
www.selah.zxq.net
What do you believe cause the "fall of Rome". I question if Rome
ever truly fell when we still have the Vatican standing very tall
and proud to this very date wielding it's influence over the
entire church.
That is because, Snow, to your mind's eye it's difficult to see
where the Roman Empire ends and the Christian Church begins. Not
many in the real world suffer from such historical myopia.
I'll quote my favorite book here, "Come out of her, my people" written
by C.J. Koster. Keep in mind that your the one that venerates the day
of the Sun even besides the fact that no verse in the scriptures can
be use to alter the Sign of Elohim and his people.
|
What was explained to me by someone who is Jewish is that the sabbath was a
sign between the Lord (Yahweh) and His people, and the uncircumcised among
the Jews were not to observe the sabbath, being required to break at least
one of the sabbath prohibitions. Honoring the Lord on the day after the
sabbath would suffice.
It makes no difference what a Christian eats or which day a Christian
honors: "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect
of an holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a
shadow of things to come" (Col. 2:16-17). Worship on Sunday and eat all the
lobster and grits that your heart desires.
--
His,
More @ www.selah-tx.net
ho echon ota akoueto Preparing the way of the
Lord
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Verily I say unto you, Whosoever
shall not receive the kingdom of God
as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
(Mark 10:15)
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<)))))))><
| Quote: |
http://www.isr-messianic.org/downloads/copreface.pdf
The Oxford Classical Dictionary, Second Edition, p. 233, states,
"Constantine combined veneration for the 'Unconquered Sun my
companion' with that of Christ." This frank and honest statement is
confirmed by the three other authoritative sources. One of the most
knowledgeable scholars in this field, Franz Cumont, candidly states on
p. 288 of his book, Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism, "The vague
deism of Constantine strove to reconcile the opposition of helioatry
[sun-worship] and Christianity." John Ferguson, in The Religions of
the Roman Empire, p. 56, states, "Constantine's god was a fusion of
the Unconquered Sun and Christ the Victorious." Another scholarly
researcher, Legge, on pp. 118-119 of Forerunners and Rivals of
Christianity, relates what happened in the first few centuries of our
common era, before this fusion took place, and then that which
followed, " . . . the . . . importance thus given to the worship of
the material sun, which henceforth forms the centre of adoration in
all non-Christian religions . . . All the post Alexandrian legends of
the gods were turned the same way, and Serapis, Mithras, Attis were
all identified with the Sun, whom philosophers like Pliny and
Macrobius declared to be the one supreme god concealed behind the
innumerable lesser deities of the Graeco-Roman pantheon. Even the
Christians could not long hold out against the flood, and the marks of
the compromise to which the Catholic Church came in the matter may
perhaps be seen in the coincidence of the Lord's Day with Sunday and
the Church's adoption of the 25th day of December, the birthday of the
Unconquered Sun-god, as the anniversary of the birth of Christ. It is
certainly by no accident that the emperors whose reigns immediately
preceded the establishment of Christianity all turned towards the
worship of the Sun-god who was looked upon as the peculiar divinity of
the family to which Constantine belonged."
Pagan worship is forbidden to the people of the Almighty, even if
mixed with True Worship. Many Scriptures testify to this: Deut.
4:13-19, Deut. 12:1-4, Deut. 12:29-32, Deut. 18:9, Lev. 20:23-26, Jer.
10:2-3, Eph. 4:1722, Eph. 2:1-4,2 Cor. 6:17,1 Cor. 10:14-21,1 John
5:21 etc. Notice especially in 2 Kings 17:33 and 41 how True Worship
was mixed with idol worship. Note also, that even the high priest
Aaron was persuaded by his people to lead them into a mixed worship,
Exod. 32:5. The Almighty's wrath was kindled and He wanted to destroy
everybody except Moses. Other examples of mixed worship are Eze.
23:38-39, Jer. 7:2 and 8-18.
In an attempt to justify this assimilation of Sun-worship with the New
Testament Faith, much appeal was made, especially in the early
centuries, to Malachi 4:2, the prophetic promise (interpreted by many
to mean the Messiah) of the "sun of righteousness". However, this
figure of speech cannot justify the adoption of Sun-worship, just as
the figurative reference to the Messiah as "the Lion of the tribe of
Judah" (Rev. 5:5) cannot justify the adoption of lion-worship!
For primitive man, ignorant of the True Worship and the True Mighty
One, it is only natural to start venerating or paying homage to the
sun, moon and stars (the host of heaven), of which the sun is the most
important, giving warmth to man and animal, and life-giving growth to
plants. That is the reason why, when Yahúweh commanded His people to
keep the Ten Commandment Covenant, He warned them against the
corruption of worshipping and serving the sun, and the moon, and the
stars - the host of heaven - things which Yahúweh has divided unto all
nations (Deut. 4:13- 19). The Wycliffe Bible Commentary comments on
Deut. 4:19, "The worship of the visible and creaturely was
characteristic of the Gentile nations whom [Elohim] had abandoned to
their perverse folly." Dr. J.H. Hertz, in Pentateuch and Haftorahs
comments, "The heavenly luminaries exercised a great fascination upon
early man . . . The 'host of heaven' was the dominant influence in
Babylonian religion. The Egyptians also reverenced the sun, the moon,
and the stars as symbols of deities. Associated with this worship was
also the superstition that the heavenly bodies influenced the lives of
mortals, a superstition which is not yet altogether extinct . . .
[Elohim] had suffered the heathens to worship the sun, moon and
stars ...." Because of similar comments by others, the Good News Bible
took the liberty of rendering Deut. 4:19, ". . . the sun, the moon,
and the stars ... Elohim has given these to all other peoples for them
to worship." The New English Bible also relates this verse this way.
We do not want to justify this rather free translation, but in the
light of Acts 7:38, 39 and 42, as well as Jer. 10:2, it prompts us to
carefully heed His warning to remain in His Covenant, His Law, lest we
become as the heathen who worship the host of heaven. In Acts 7:38-42
we read of the Spirit-filled Stephen reprimanding his fellow Jews for
not keeping the Law (Acts 7:53), just like their forefathers who
received the "Living Words" (verse 38 Green's Interlinear and NIV),
but the forefathers did not obey the Living Words. Therefore, what
happened? Acts 7:42 reads, "Then Elohim turned and gave them up to
worship the host of heaven ...." In Jer. 10:2 we read, "Thus says
Yahúweh: 'Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed
(awed - NEB) at the signs of heaven; for the Gentiles are dismayed
(awed - NEB) at them.' " This is astrology and astrological religion,
which had its origin in ancient Chaldea (Babylon), and later on moved
to Rome, being based on the different paths of the sun through the
sky, displaying the sun at the centre of the zodiac. The people of
Yahúweh are forbidden to participate in these things which are the
customs of the Gentiles. Being secretly enticed by the sun or the
moon, or any homage paid to them, is an iniquity and a denial of
Elohim -Job 31:2628.
In Eze. 8:3-16 we see the most alarming description of how idolatrous
worship is fused with True Worship, especially in verses 14-16 where
Sun-worship has been brought into the House of Yahúweh. The Tammuz -
worship of v. 14 is just one form of Sun-worship, Tammuz being the
incarnate Sun, the young rising Sun as a deity.2 In verse 16 the
prophet was also shown the twenty-five men worshipping the Sun towards
the East, and that is exactly what started happening in post-apostolic
Christianity. This praying towards the Sun in the East is recorded in
the writings of Clement of Alexandria (150215), as well as in the
writings of his scholar, Origen. They were both guilty of trying to
justify this practice, which Yahúweh labelled "wicked
abominations" (Eze. 8:9). The Bishop of Carthage, Cyprian, in the year
258 also exhorted Christians to pray to the East at sunrise. On the
other hand, in the year 197, Tertullian writing in his Ad nationes
1,13, accused fellow Christians of Sun worship because of their
praying to the East and because of making Sunday a day of festivity.
Despite this warning by Tertullian, Augustine (354- 430), in his many
writings, was repeatedly trying to justify his prayers to the East.
This was a regular practice in the basilica of St. Peter in Rome,
which caused Pope Leo the Great to make a vigorous attack on this
practice in the year 461. However, his objection was ignored and they
continued with this in the basilica up to the year 1300, as we shall
see later. Another voice in the wilderness was crying out against this
practice, that of Eusebius of Alexandria, who wrote, "and not only
Sun- worshippers and heretics do this, but also Christians, departing
from the faith, mingle with heretics." These important facts are all
well documented in Dr. F.J. Dolger, Sol Salutis, as well as in Dr.
Samuele Bacchiocchi, From Sabbath to Sunday.
In Eze. 8:9 Elohim calls this a "wicked abomination". In Deut. 17:3-5
the civil law demanded that those of Israel who were found guilty of
worshipping "the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven", were to
be stoned to death. Has our Mighty One changed? "For I am Yahúweh, I
do not change," Mal. 3:6. He is "the Father of lights, with Whom there
is no variation or shadow of turning, " James 1: 17. The civil laws of
the Scriptures are not being applied today, but Yahúweh has not
changed and will still mete out the just penalty. "Or do you despise
the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and long suffering, not
knowing that the goodness of Elohim leads you to repentance? But in
accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are
treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of
the righteous judgment of Elohim, Who will render to each one
according to his deeds: eternal life to those who by patient
continuance in doing good seek for esteem (glory), honour, and
immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath, tribulation and
anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also
of the Greek; but esteem (glory), honour, and peace to everyone who
works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there
is no partiality with Elohim. For as many as have sinned without law
will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law
will be judged by the law; for not the hearers of the law are just in
the sight of Elohim, but the doers of the law will be justified," Rom.
2:4-13. Let us not despise His forbearance and long suffering. Because
of His forbearance and long suffering, we have come to salvation -
think of it! He is patiently leading us to repentance, repentance from
every form of sin. The Law cannot forgive and save us, but the purpose
of the Law is to tell us what sin is - 1 John 3:4, Exod. 20:20, Rom.
3:20, Rom. 4:15, Rom. 7:7.
In Deut. 12:30 Israel was warned not to follow the Gentiles in their
idolatrous religion, "Take heed to yourself that you do not inquire
after their elohim, saying 'How did these nations serve their elohim?
I also will do likewise.' " Israel was prohibited the frank worship of
idols, as was also the manner in which the idols were worshipped. Not
only is frank Sun-worship forbidden, but also the mode, the manner and
means by which the Sun was worshipped - the "how". This is important.
We shall now discuss the manner of Sun-worship, the customs and the
"how" of Sun- worship, which was fused with the Messianic Faith by
emperor Constantine and others that followed, political leaders, but
especially religious leaders. In spite of subsequent attempts to
justify the adoptions of these components of Sun-worship, their origin
is important, and it must be exposed. Let us get complete clarity on
the attempts made to justify these adoptions, this "canonization",
this "Christianization" or ''sanctification'' of heathen customs,
deities or festivals. The Scriptures are very clear on this: These
things cannot be "sanctified" - only repentant sinners, humans, can!
IGNORANCE OF, AND DEVIATING FROM, THIS MOST BASIC SCRIPTURAL
PRINCIPLE, HAS BEEN THE ROOT CAUSE FOR THIS GREAT SICKNESS OF
"SOLARIZATION" THAT HAS BEFALLEN US, THE CHURCH. We must repent of
this great sin if we earnestly seek for a restoration or a revival!
Chapter II - WHAT COMPONENTS OF THE WORSHIP OF THE SUN AND THE HOST OF
HEAVEN HAVE BEEN ADOPTED?
The following customs or "hows", giving homage to, or veneration of
the Sun and the rest of the host of heaven, have been adopted and are
even practised today. Although they are still found in Christianity,
they are not found in the Scriptures, Old Testament or New Testament.
However, a few words or names are found in our translated Scriptures,
which are incorrect according to the inspired original Scriptures, as
far back as we can trace them. They have been brought into the
translations because the Almighty turned and gave us up "to worship
the host of heaven", just as He did to Old Testament Israel at various
stages, Acts 7:42. He has done the same to us. Read 2 Thess. 2:3-12
too, where the shocking words appear, "Elohim will send them strong
delusion, that they should believe the lie" those who do not believe
the Truth!
1. SUNDAY
The Supreme Authority on the True Faith is our Saviour Yahushua
Himself: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them . . .
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo,
I am with you always, even to the end of the age," Matt. 28: 1820. All
modern translations admit this correct rendering: "authority". He is
the only One, Who, with the authority given to Him by His Father, can
authoritatively decide on all spiritual matters - Matt. 23:8-10, Heb.
1:1-2, Matt. 7:24-29, Matt. 11:29, Jn. 18:37, Jn. 12:48-50, Lk. 9:35,
Jn. 6:63 & 68, Jn. 8:31-36, Jn. 3:34, Jn. 14:6, Rev. 19:13, Rev. 19:
16, 1 Tim. 6:3-4, 2 Jn. v. 9 etc. We have no other Supreme Authority.
In Colossians and in Ephesians He is repeatedly called the Head of the
Body "head" having the figurative meaning of "authority".
What is Yahushua's supreme, ultimate and authoritative verdict on the
great controversy between Sabbath and Sunday? First of all, He is our
supreme example (1 Jn. 2:6, 1 Pet. 2:21, Jn. 10:27, Jn. 21:19 & 22
etc.) And it was His custom to keep the Sabbath - Luke 4:16; just like
the custom that Paul followed too - Acts 17:2, Acts 13:14 & 42-44,
Acts 16: 13, Acts 18: 4 & 11. Secondly, Yahushua commands us to keep
His Father's Ten Commandments (of which the Sabbath is the Fourth
Commandment), authoritatively and very clearly - Matt. 19:17, Lk.
10:28 and Jn. 12:50. Indeed, He clearly says that the keeping of His
Father's Commandments is a condition for inheriting eternal life!
Again in His final revelation to us, He repeats this in Rev. 22:14,
"Blessed are those who do His Commandments, that they may have the
right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the
city." This text has been changed later on to such an extent that the
necessity of Commandment- keeping as a prerequisite for entry to the
New Jerusalem is here completely hidden. Long before the New Testament
books were canonised to form the New Testament as we know it, this
correct rendering of Rev. 22: 14 (which stresses the necessity for
keeping the Commandments) was quoted by Tertullian in the year 208,
and again by Cyprian in the year 251. Yahushua, through John, defines
the True Worshippers in Rev. 12: 17 and in Rev. 14: 12 as those who
also keep the Father's Commandments. The Apostles also reaffirm this
necessity in 1 Cor. 7: 19, 1 Tim. 6: 13- 14, 1 John 5:2-3, 2 John w.
4-6 Rom. 3:31, Rom. 2:26-29, Rom. 2:13, Rom. 7:22, Rom. 8:7 James
2:10-12, Heb. 10:16, and Heb. 8:10. According to James 2: 10-12 we are
to keep all ten Commandments, not just some of them. But why not the
Fourth Commandment, the keeping of the Sabbath, too? Why was it
changed to Sunday? or simply done away with? If Scripture defines the
Sabbath as the only sign of Separation (Sanctification)-Ex. 31:13 &
17, Eze. 20:12 & 20, dare we ignore it? Some might argue that the
keeping of the Sabbath is not commanded in the New Testament - but it
is! If they had only translated Heb .4:9 truthfully, there would have
been no doubt. The Greek text reads as follows, "There remains a
keeping of Sabbath to the people of Elohim" (see margin of KJV). This
is confirmed by Dictionary of New Testament Theology, vol. 3, p. 411
(Ed. Colin Brown). The correct rendering "keeping of Sabbath" is also
found in the Emphatic Diaglott, in the Rotherham Version, Henry Alford
Translation and Lamsa Bible. This word sabbatismos means "the keeping
of Sabbath" and nothing else. Barnes Notes on the New Testament
comments, "It properly means: a keeping Sabbath." The authoritative
Liddell and Scott's Greek - English Lexicon gives this as the only
meaning. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words agrees on
this. In fact, almost all Greek dictionaries give this as the only
meaning. Why has this word sabbatismos been translated theologically
instead of literally and truthfully? The true rendering "keeping of
Sabbath" clearly emphasises the present-time obligation, in fact, the
exhortation for its present observance. The keeping of the Sabbath now
is a type, a shadow, of the world to come. Colossians 2:17 speaks of
the Sabbaths which "are [not 'was'] a shadow of things to come". The
present obligation to keep the Sabbath, which is a shadow or type of
the eternal rest to come, is mandatory, for the Sabbath is the only
Scriptural sign of Separation (Sanctification) Ex. 31:13 & 17 and Eze.
20:12 & 20. Remember: without Separation (Sanctification) no one shall
see the Sovereign - Heb. 12:14.
Thirdly, in His prophecy on the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:14,15-21),
Yahushua foresaw His followers continuing to observe the Sabbath, and
He is concerned that they will be confronted with the problem of
fleeing on the Sabbath. He said in Matt. 24:20, "And pray that your
flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath." Our Messiah clearly
foresaw the permanence of Sabbath-keeping by True Worshippers.
Yahushua did not abolish the Sabbath, which is part of the Ten
Commandment Law. He explicitly stated: He did not come to destroy the
Law. The correct and literal rendering of Matt. 5:17-19 from the Greek
text is, "Do not think that I came to destroy [or abolish or annul]
the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy [or abolish or
annul] but to fill. For verily I say to you, till heaven and earth
pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the Law
till all come to pass [or be accomplished]. Whoever therefore breaks
one of these Commandments the least, and teaches men so, shall be
called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches
[them], he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." This word
"fill" in v.17 (Greek pleroo) has different meanings when used
figuratively. The New English Bible renders it as "complete", and so
does the Canisius Translation. This word pleroo cannot mean "annul" or
"abolish" here in v.17, because, firstly, then Yahushua would have
contradicted Himself in one and the same verse. Secondly, this same
word pleroo is used in Matt. 3:15 and Col. 1:25 where it would be
preposterous to even suggest a meaning of "annul" or "abolish". The
word pleroo in Matt. 5:17 can best be rendered as "fill" or
"complete". The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, like others,
suggests: complete, confirm, meeting the full requirements,
corroborate, establish, totalise or even: fully preach (the best
rendering for Col. 1 :25). Others have suggested: execute, or live up
to, or comply with, as the best rendering, especially in Matt. 3:15.
In Matt. 5:19, the correct rendering of "breaking one of these
Commandments the least" (see any Interlinear or the Rotherham
Version), clarifies the difficulty created by the ordinary
translations and brings it into harmony with all Scripture. In Luke
16:17 Yahushua confirms the permanent validity of the Law: "And it is
easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the
Law to fail." Dare we appeal to any other human authority in an
attempt to evade Commandment-keeping, including the Fourth - the
Sabbath? We cannot over-emphasise Yahushua's statement, "All authority
has been given to Me in heaven and on earth," Matt. 28:18. He is our
only Supreme Authority. He is the only Head (authority) of His Body,
the congregation or assembly. Read also 1 Tim. 6:3-4 and 2 John v.9.
What about the Pharisees' accusations that our Messiah was breaking
the Sabbath? What about the many allegations made through the
centuries that Yahushua annulled the Sabbath? First of all, the
Pharisees' accusations did not hold against Yahushua's authoritative
replies. When the time of His trial had come, they were no longer
attempting to raise this accusation against Him, which had been proven
false by Him. Secondly, a thorough study of the New Testament,
together with a knowledge of how the Pharisees had brought in added
burdens in Sabbath-observance, will clarify any argument. Yahushua was
simply refuting the man-made 39 additional traditional laws pertaining
to Sabbath- keeping which the Jews had legislated in their Mishnah,
Shabbath 7,2. He strongly reprimanded the Pharisees for not keeping
the Commandments of Yahuweh while holding fast to their own man-made
laws, their traditions, Matt. 15: 3-9 and Mark. 7: 5-13. These
traditional laws are still upheld by the Jews today and are commonly
known to them as the "oral law". The Dictionary of New Testament
Theology discusses this alleged Sabbath-annulling by Yahushua, and
then concludes, "We may conclude then, that though [Yahushua] broke
through the rabbinic tradition about the Sabbath, there was no
annulling of the observance of the day."
Why then has Sunday become the day of worship instead of Sabbath? Why
are we not keeping Sabbath while Sabbath-observance will be practised
in the new earth by those who have survived the end-time judgment?
Isa. 66:23. Who then changed the Sabbath to Sunday? Is the change
Scriptural? Cardinal Gibbons in Faith of Our Fathers, 92nd ed., p. 89,
says, "You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will
not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The
Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which
we never sanctify." During the many centuries of the Dark Middle Ages
the ordinary people had no access to the Scriptures. When it
eventually became available to them, because of the Reformation and
the invention of the printing press, the supreme authority of the
Scriptures was contested. Finally, after debating this issue for many
years, the Archbishop of Reggio at the Council of Trent in 1562 set
all hesitation aside by openly declaring that tradition stood above
Scripture! His words were, "The authority of the Church could
therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the
Church had changed . . . the Sabbath into Sunday, not by the command
of Christ, but by its own authority." Canon and Tradition, p. 263.
Similar confessions as to the unscriptural origin of this change are
to be found in theological works of all the major denominations.
How then did this change come about? All books of history tell the
same story: Just before and after the time of Messiah Yahushua, Sun-
worship became popular and the Sun-deity was assimilated to all the
known deities. All the deities of the nations were identified with the
Sun-deity. When Christianity came to Rome a struggle between Sun-
worship and Christianity ensued, for by then the Sun-deity had taken
over from the older pantheon of Rome. This struggle eventually ended
when Constantine fused Christianity and Sun- worship. Even before
Constantine fused these two religions, Christianity had already been
joined by unconverted pagans and the half-Christian Gnostic sects were
thriving. These Gnostic sects were, in a variety of forms, an
admixture of Christianity, Neoplatonic philosophy, Sun-worship and the
worship of some of the older idols. The difference between them and
Christianity (which by now consisted mostly of Gentiles), was at times
difficult to determine. Clement, Origen, Cyprian, Jerome, Tertullian,
Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, were all guilty of justifying certain Sun-
worship practices. Also, Ignatius, Justin, Chrysostom and Barnabas all
had a major share in promoting anti-Judaism, which made the rejection
of the "Jewish Sabbath" an almost natural consequence. At the
beginning of the 4th century the conditions were more than ripe for
the fusion to take place. Firstly, in the year 313, Constantine,
together with Licinius, held a conference at Milan where they
concluded a friendly alliance and adopted a policy of universal
religious freedom. 12 Some have called these documents the "Edict of
Milan". This ended the long-standing persecution of the Christians,
giving them the freedom to observe their own form of worship,
unrestricted. This promoted a thankful attitude and an affinity
towards Constantine, and likewise, he too was beginning to show some
partiality towards the Christians. Subsequently he extended further
rights and concessions towards them. The next great step further, the
decisive breakthrough for Sun-worship, was the famous Edict of
Constantine in the year 321.
Let us first consider what influence Sun-worship had amongst
Constantine's predecessors, the emperors before him. Elagabalus, Nero,
Diocletian and Aurelian were each involved in Sun-worship, especially
Elagabalus and Aurelian. Likewise, Constantine's family had been Sun-
deity worshippers, and so was Constantine himself. Constantine called
the Sun- deity: "Unconquered Sun, my companion". His edict in the year
321 legislated the "venerable day of the Sun" to be a rest day. This
rest was commanded in honour of the Sun, and not in honour of Messiah.
The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible emphasizes the motive of
Constantine for legislating the Sunday as a day of rest, and stresses
"the general importance of the Sun-god in the Empire. Indeed, this god
was the titulary divinity of Constantine's family, and from the fourth
century there is an increasing assimilation of Christ to the Sun-god
(as Sun of Righteousness), the Christos Helios (cf. Eusebius Life of
Constantine 1.4.18; and the notable mosaic of Christos Helios recently
uncovered in the tomb of the Julii under the Vatican)." But this theme
of "Christ-the-True- Sun" had already been diffusely proclaimed by
Clement of Alexandria (ca. 150-215) in many of his writings. Origen
followed in the footsteps of Clement, his teacher, and proclaimed our
Saviour to be "the Sun", "the True Sun". Cyprian also called our
Saviour "the True Sun''. Because of this, Bishop Zeno of Verona
elaborated at great length on Christ-the-Sun as the True Sun, as the
Eternal Sun. Some might say that Helios also means the sun as the
physical sun. But, all encyclopaedias affirm that, in religion, Helios
means the Sun-deity.
This assimilation of our Saviour to the Sun-deity was not difficult,
for the pagans of the Roman Empire were steeped in Sun-worship and
they referred to their Sun deity as their "Lord" (Kurios). Helios, the
Sun-deity, was called "the Lord (Kurios) of the heaven and the earth."
Indeed, certain historians have felt that Sun-worship has really given
Sunday the name "Lord's day". A. Paiva writes, "The first day of each
week, Sunday, was consecrated to Mithra since times remote, as several
authors affirm. Because the Sun was god, the Lord par excellence,
Sunday came to be called the Lord's day, as later was done by
Christianity." Our Saviour was called "Lord" (Kurios) and the Sun-
deity was also called "Lord" (Kurios), the "Lord par excellence". So,
the name-titles being easy to unite, it made it easier to identify our
Saviour's "day" with the day of the Sun-deity! Thus, civically the
"venerable day of the Sun" was legislated to be the rest-day. It now
only remained for the Church to fall in line with the civil law of
Constantine, who, although being a Sun-worshipper, had already showed
some affinity towards Christians, especially by ending their
persecution. This change-over to Sunday by the Church happened in the
year 336 (some authorities give the date as 364) at the Council of
Laodicea, Canon 29: "Christians must not Judaize by resting on the
Sabbath, but must work on that day honouring rather the Lord's day by
resting, if possible, as Christians. However, if any shall be found
Judaizing, let them be shut out from Christ."
Bishop Eusebius (270-338 C.E.), who worked with Constantine, admits
the Church's decision to change from Sabbath to Sunday, "All things
whatsoever that it was duty to do on the Sabbath, these we have
transferred to the Lord's day." (Eusebius, Commentary on the Psalms,
quoted by Moses Stuart, Commentary on the Apocalypse, vol. II, 9.40.)
The Church had succumbed, the fusion was virtually accomplished. The
Unconquered Sun, the Sun deity, was proving the merit of its name - it
was invincible !
With the accession of the Severan dynasty, Sun-worship had become
dominant in Rome. The Sun as deity was a superb symbol and rallying-
point for the Empire. "The Unconquered Sun had taken over the role of
Jupiter, the Great Sky-god, as protector of Rome and of the Empire."
Upon the Sun were bestowed as many attributes and symbols and names of
"gods" or "goddesses" as possible. Serapis, the great deity of
Alexandria, as well as Mithras and Attis, "were all identified with
the Sun, whom philosophers like Pliny and Macrobius declared to be the
one supreme god concealed behind the innumerable lesser deities of the
Graeco-Roman pantheon. Even the Christians could not long hold out
against the flood, and the marks of the compromise to which the
Catholic Church came in the matter may perhaps, be seen in the
coincidence of the Lord's Day with Sunday .... It is certainly by no
accident that the emperors whose reigns immediately preceded the
establishment of Christianity all turned towards the worship of the
Sun-god who was looked upon as the peculiar divinity of the family to
which Constantine belonged." The great scholarly and honest Roman
Catholic theologian, Dr. F.J. Dolger, wrote, (I translate), "In his
Sunday-law (edict), Constantine probably instituted the meaning of the
familiar usage 'Sunday' without far-reaching intent; the expression
could be used without causing offence among the pagans of his portion
of the Empire. Since the days of emperor Aurelian in the second half
of the 3rd century, the Sun-god cult, under the title of Sol invictus,
i.e. 'Unconquered Sun', had experienced a tremendous furtherance at
the hands of the state. Other pagan cult groups of that time also
likened their supreme deity to the Sun-god or completely equated it to
the Sun-god. Attis was a Light-deity, Osiris too was Sun-god. Baal
Hammon of Carthage was Sun-Baal, Jupiter Anxur of Terracina and
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