The Church Fathers have shown the world many proofs that Sunday, the day of the Lord, is the first, and not the seventh day of the week. We will offer some of these proofs for consideration by readers. Together with the overwhelming majority of Christian historians and scholars, we believe that not only the New Testament texts, but also the following quotations, reject the Sabbath. We will see examples of systematic answers that will show us the basics of the Christian faith.

1. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, wrote in the year 110: "If, then, those who, through the study of ancient practices, come to find new hopes, no longer considering the Sabbath, but basing the order of their lives in relation to Sunday, the Day of the Lord, on which our lives are resurrected through Him, and we can become His disciples, disciples of our only Master."

2. Justin Martyr (100-165) "And on the day called Sunday, all the inhabitants of cities and villages gather together, in remembrance of the tradition of the apostles, or read prophecies as far as time permits... Sunday is the day on which we all gather together, for it is the first day that God produced the world by turning darkness into light, and on this very day Jesus Christ, our Savior, rose from the dead.

3. The Epistle of Barnabas (120-150 AD): "New Moons and Saturdays, festive gatherings I cannot endure..." (Isaiah 1:13). You feel Him saying: Your present Sabbaths are not acceptable to me, but what I have created by giving rest to all creatures, I must make the beginning of the eighth day, which is the beginning of another world. Another reason for us to honor the eighth day and spend it in joy is that it was on this day that Jesus rose from the dead."

4. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons (circa 178): "The mystery of the Resurrection of Christ cannot be celebrated on any day except on Sunday, the Day of the Lord."

5. Bardaisan (b. 178): "Wherever we are, each of us is called by the name of our Messiah, a Christian, and only on one day, which is the first day of the week, we gather together and abstain from food on certain days."

6. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage (200-258): "The day of the Lord is both the first and the eighth day."

7. Eusebius (circa 315): "The Churches of the rest of the world consider the practice, which has prevailed from the time of the apostolic tradition to our own time, that it would be wrong to leave the vanity of our lives on any other day than the day of the resurrection of our Saviour. As a consequence, the decrees of all the synods of our bishops on this subject, which have been sent to churches throughout the world, declare that the mystery of the Lord's Sunday is to be celebrated on any day other than Sunday, the Lord's Day."

8. Peter, Bishop of Alexandria (circa 300) "We honor Sunday as a day of joy, because He rose on that day."

9. Didache of the Apostles (circa 70-75): "On Sunday, the Day of the Lord Himself, let us gather together to break bread and give thanks."

10. The Epistle of Pliny (circa 112, addressed to the Emperor Trajan): "They (the Christians) confirm... that all their crimes or mistakes can be expressed only by the fact that they were in the habit of gathering together on a certain day before sunrise, and repeating among themselves a hymn to Christ as to God, binding themselves by a sacred oath (sacramentum)...; This was duly carried out, and their habit began to disperse and gather again for meals, which was not something unusual and socially dangerous. Even in this way they ceased to follow my decree, by which, by your orders, I forbade the further existence of the community."

Thus, since the time of the Apostles and the times of the Holy Fathers, the Christian Church regards Sunday, the first day of the week, as the Day of the Lord, and in the words of St. Clement of Alexandria (c. 194 A.D.), "The Jewish Sabbath is no more than an ordinary working day."

In their quest to establish the Sabbath, Adventists dismiss opposing views as unreliable (thereby conflicting with mainstream theological views) or ignore the beliefs of early Christianity. Although these arguments against the Adventist position have little impact on Adventists and their views, the fact remains that the Christian Church (both according to the teaching of the Apostles and according to the traditions of the Holy Fathers) recognizes the observance of Sunday instead of Saturday.