Eoghan
Puritan Board Senior
Maybe Paul did not hold a service on Sunday
It has long been held that Paul met on the "first day of the week" Acts 20:7 this may be untrue. It might be a cultural translation that misreads the text, the Greek text actually uses the term Sabbath!
The possible reason for a misunderstanding is that the Jewish day follows the pattern of Scripture, there was "evening and morning" (Genesis)
Thus the Sabbath starts at dusk on our cultural (as opposed to Biblical) Friday night. Sabbath ends on our cultural (not Biblical) Saturday night.
The greek of the text suggests that Paul met with the disciples at the close of the Sabbath (i.e. our cultural Saturday evening?). The meeting lasted until midnight. Indeed Paul continued talking until dawn (i.e. our culturally dawn on Sunday?).
This would explain the emphasis on artificial lighting (verse 8)
It would explain why Eutychus fell asleep and fell backwards out a window (verse 9)
If the meeting was held at the close of Sabbath - an all nighter - should it be the pattern for our services?
Paul worshipped on the Sabbath before his conversion - and after, was this a sabbath meeting?
-----Added 4/10/2009 at 03:43:41 EST-----
Going on the greek text alone i.e. Scripture we get a possibly different reading from the cultural accretions that might overlay a cultural mistranslation.
Are we brave enough to set aside tradition long enough to seriously examine what the greek text tells us?
It has long been held that Paul met on the "first day of the week" Acts 20:7 this may be untrue. It might be a cultural translation that misreads the text, the Greek text actually uses the term Sabbath!
The possible reason for a misunderstanding is that the Jewish day follows the pattern of Scripture, there was "evening and morning" (Genesis)
Thus the Sabbath starts at dusk on our cultural (as opposed to Biblical) Friday night. Sabbath ends on our cultural (not Biblical) Saturday night.
The greek of the text suggests that Paul met with the disciples at the close of the Sabbath (i.e. our cultural Saturday evening?). The meeting lasted until midnight. Indeed Paul continued talking until dawn (i.e. our culturally dawn on Sunday?).
This would explain the emphasis on artificial lighting (verse 8)
It would explain why Eutychus fell asleep and fell backwards out a window (verse 9)
If the meeting was held at the close of Sabbath - an all nighter - should it be the pattern for our services?
Paul worshipped on the Sabbath before his conversion - and after, was this a sabbath meeting?
-----Added 4/10/2009 at 03:43:41 EST-----
Going on the greek text alone i.e. Scripture we get a possibly different reading from the cultural accretions that might overlay a cultural mistranslation.
Are we brave enough to set aside tradition long enough to seriously examine what the greek text tells us?
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