Sunday, April 21, 2013

8th day in architecture

The "8th Day" was used by some early Christians to justify Sunday in place of Sabbath. The argument was given that He rose on the 8th day to begin a new cycle of Creation. Refering here of course to Sunday being both the first, and 8th day.
In the late 4th and into the 5th century Christians began to build martryia, buildings around relics of dead saints, in octangonally designed shapes to commemorate the 8th day of a new beginning.

But what day did the early Christians observe?
"For 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. The Egyptians in the neighborhood of Alexandria, and the inhabitants of Thebaïs, hold their religious assemblies on the sabbath, but do not participate of the mysteries in the manner usual among Christians in general:" Socrates Scholasticus. "Church History, Book V

And what did God write in Stone with His finger?
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God:
Exodus 20:8-10