Sunday Law

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Emperor Constantine officially recognized Christianity as one of the legitimate religions of the empire through the [[Edict of Milan]] in 313, and subsequently implemented preferential policies for Christianity. He exempted Christian clergies from the obligation to pay taxes and military service, and legalized inheritances to Christian churches. Since pagan priests already had these rights, they were not a privilege only for Christianity.<ref>Chapter 20 Fall In The West, History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon, 1836, ''Harper & Brothers'' </ref> Constantine declared Sunday as an official day of rest on March 7, 321, and this law was passed down through the ''[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Code-of-Justinian Code of Justinianus]'' compiled in the sixth century.

{{quote|“All judges, city-people and craftsmen shall rest on the '''venerable day of the Sun [Sunday]'''. But countrymen may without hindrance attend to agriculture, since it often happens that this is the most suitable day for sowing grain or planting vines, . . . 7 March 321.” CONSTANTINE'S Edict (Code of Justinianus III xii 3)|Tim Dowley, ''The History of Christianity (A Lion Handbook)'', Lion Publishing, 1994, p. 152}}

The expression ~~the “venerable~~ day of the Sun” shows that Constantine regarded Sunday as a day of worshiping the sun-god rather than a day of Christian worship. At that time, the most influential religion in Rome was [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mithraism Mithraism], which worshiped Mithra, the sun god. Mithraism considered Sunday a holy day. Sunday law was issued to be considerate of not only Christians in Rome, who had been worshiping on Sundays since the 2nd century, but also the followers of Mithra, who made up the majority of the Romans at that time.

The expression “the venerable day of the Sun” shows that Constantine regarded Sunday as a day of worshiping the sun-god rather than a day of Christian worship. At that time, the most influential religion in Rome was [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mithraism Mithraism], which worshiped Mithra, the sun god. Mithraism considered Sunday a holy day. Sunday law was issued to be considerate of not only Christians in Rome, who had been worshiping on Sundays since the 2nd century, but also the followers of Mithra, who made up the majority of the Romans at that time.

==Constantine’s Intention==

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 Emperor Constantine officially recognized Christianity as one of the legitimate religions of the empire through the [[Edict of Milan]] in 313, and subsequently implemented preferential policies for Christianity. He exempted Christian clergies from the obligation to pay taxes and military service, and legalized inheritances to Christian churches. Since pagan priests already had these rights, they were not a privilege only for Christianity.<ref>Chapter 20 Fall In The West, History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire, Edward Gibbon, 1836, ''Harper & Brothers'' </ref> Constantine declared Sunday as an official day of rest on March 7, 321, and this law was passed down through the ''[https://www.britannica.com/topic/Code-of-Justinian Code of Justinianus]'' compiled in the sixth century.
 {{quote|“All judges, city-people and craftsmen shall rest on the '''venerable day of the Sun [Sunday]'''. But countrymen may without hindrance attend to agriculture, since it often happens that this is the most suitable day for sowing grain or planting vines, . . . 7 March 321.” CONSTANTINE'S Edict (Code of Justinianus III xii 3)|Tim Dowley, ''The History of Christianity (A Lion Handbook)'', Lion Publishing, 1994, p. 152}}
-The expression the “venerable day of the Sun” shows that Constantine regarded Sunday as a day of worshiping the sun-god rather than a day of Christian worship. At that time, the most influential religion in Rome was [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mithraism Mithraism], which worshiped Mithra, the sun god. Mithraism considered Sunday a holy day. Sunday law was issued to be considerate of not only Christians in Rome, who had been worshiping on Sundays since the 2nd century, but also the followers of Mithra, who made up the majority of the Romans at that time.
+The expression “the venerable day of the Sun” shows that Constantine regarded Sunday as a day of worshiping the sun-god rather than a day of Christian worship. At that time, the most influential religion in Rome was [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mithraism Mithraism], which worshiped Mithra, the sun god. Mithraism considered Sunday a holy day. Sunday law was issued to be considerate of not only Christians in Rome, who had been worshiping on Sundays since the 2nd century, but also the followers of Mithra, who made up the majority of the Romans at that time.
 ==Constantine’s Intention==

Sunday Law: Difference between revisions