If you do not learn from history.. it will repeat itself

[visionary]

130 - 140 AD Epistle of Barnabas was written in Alexandria where gnostic thought was prevailant and it was first anti-Sabbath literature that I know of. It was soon after that believers in Alexandria replace Sabbath with Sunday.

The Epistle of Barnabas contains no clue to its author nor to those for whom it was intended. Its aim is to impart to its readers the perfect wisdom (gnosis), that is an exact knowledge of the economy of salvation. The author wishes to make his readers comprehend the real nature of the Old Testament. He shows how the ordinances of the Law should be understood as referring allegorically to the Christian virtues and institutions, and he pauses to make plain by a series of symbolical explanations, that are often singular, how the Old Testament prefigures Christ, His Passion, His Church, etc. According to many scholars he teaches that it was never intended that the precepts of the Law should be observed in their literal sense, that the Jews never had a covenant with God, that circumcision was the work of the Devil, etc.; thus he represents a unique point of view in the struggle against Judaism.

 

[visionary]

The growing influence of sunday worship in political dominance during this time period can be shown through 218-222 AD when Emperor Elagabalus brings Syrian sun worship to Rome as an state instituted observance. By 270-275 AD Emperor Aurelian establishes sun worship as state religion of Rome. So then the tide turns on the believers who remain Sabbath keepers when in 284-305 AD Emperor Diocletian worships the sun and persecutes Christians who do not bow down to the state instituted religion.

So then we get to that famous moment in 306-337 AD when Constantine was the first Roman emperor to claim he is of the "Christian" religion. It is a far cry from the faith of Yeshua and His disciples.

By 313 AD Constantine legalizes this Christian religion. It is during this time [aprox. 314-335 AD] that Pope Sylvester I promotes anti-Jewish Sabbath fast to make it more impalpable to the believers. Now also during this time period around 320 AD according to Ethiopian church tradition two Syrian youth, Frumentius and Edesius are taken as slaves to the imperial court at about this time; they eventually planted the Christian faith there; Frumentius becomes first patriarch of Ethiopia.

It was 321 AD that the Edict of Constantine went into effect making it also first law concerning Sunday observance. Did you know that among the many things that the 343-381 AD Council of Laodicea authorized, one was reading of Gospels at Sabbath services and condemns Jewish form of Sabbath observance. This is not to say that there were not objections from the religious powers that be. In 364 AD Ambrose, bishop of Milan, prefers not to fast on Sabbath.

Fleeing for their lives, Sabbath keepers spread far and wide and 389-461 AD the life of Sabbath keeping Patrick, Celtic Christian missionary to Ireland spread the more Judaic version of the faith where ever he went, planting seeds and establishing congregations. This went on for over 100 years with Columba. 521-597 AD Columba, Celtic Christian missionary went to Scotland. Back in Rome around 590-604 AD Pope Gregory I identifies Sabbath keepers with anti-christ.

And I am sure this is not all that happened in the first 500 years after Yeshua.