Acts 20:6-14

“We sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and carne unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep; and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted. And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul; for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene.”ChSa 63.3

We give this narrative in full, because it is considered by first day observers as one of the strongest evidences in behalf of Sunday. This is the only instance given in the New Testament where a religious meeting is said to have been held on the first day of the week.ChSa 64.1

We learn from this scripture and its connection the following facts: This was a night meeting, “many lights” being necessary, as it continued till daybreak. Eutychus fell out of the window about midnight, Paul went down and healed him, after which he continued to speak till daylight, then departed on his journey to Assos, nineteen and a half miles across the peninsula. Luke and his companions, with the ship, “went before,” i.e., started earlier, intending to go around this point of land, and take in Paul when he reached Assos. In this way Paul gained several hours in which he could speak to the disciples.ChSa 64.2

To understand this narrative correctly, it becomes important to ascertain whether this meeting occurred on what we now call Saturday night or on Sunday night. It is very easily shown that it must have been the former. We have already stated that in the Bible reckoning of time the civil day began at the going down of the sun. “The evening and the morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:5), and the same statement is made of other days of creation week also. The Bible is consistent with itself throughout on this subject, and it is impossible to find in it any other time for beginning the civil day. “From even unto even shall you celebrate your Sabbath.” Leviticus 23:32. The Sabbath began at the same time as the other days. The evening began at the going down of the sun. “At even, when the sun did set.” Mark 1:32.ChSa 64.3

No intelligent person will dispute the fact that the Jews, from time immemorial to the present day, have begun the civil day at the going down of the sun. The “Bible Dictionary” of the American Tract Society says, “The Hebrews began their day in the evening.” We use Roman time, which came into vogue among Christians some centuries this side of the Christian era.ChSa 65.1

What, then, must we conclude? In order for this night meeting to have been on the first day of the week, it would have to be on what we call Saturday night. That first day began at sundown. These facts, then, must follow: Paul traveled on foot to Assos, nineteen and one-half miles, during the daytime of that Sunday; and Luke and his companions spent still more of the hours of that day in traveling to the same point by ship. This conclusion is inevitable from the record, so plain, indeed, that a large number of first-day observers have felt compelled to admit its truthfulness. We quote from a few of them as follows:ChSa 65.2

H. B. Hackett, D. D., Professor of Biblical Literature in Newton Theological Institute, in his comments on Acts 20:7, says: “The Jews reckoned the day [in its broad sense, Genesis 1:5] from evening to evening. And on that principle the evening of the first day of the week would be our Saturday evening. If Luke reckons so here, as many commentators suppose, the apostle then waited for the expiration of the Jewish Sabbath, and held his last religious service with the brethren at Troas at the beginning of the Christian Sabbath, i.e., on Saturday evening, and consequently resumed his journey on Sunday morning.” Prof. Hackett tries, however, to make it appear that Luke reckons according to the pagan method in this instance.ChSa 65.3

Dr. John Kitto says: “The evening of the first day of the week would be our Saturday evening. If Luke reckoned so here, as many commentators suppose, the apostle then waited for the expiration of the Jewish Sabbath, and held his last religions service with the brethren at Troas at the beginning of the Christian Sabbath, i.e., on Saturday evening, and consequently resumed his journey on Sunday morning.”-Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature, art. Lord’s Day.ChSa 66.1

In Conybeare and Howson’s Life and Epistles of the Apostle Paul, it is said, speaking of this meeting, “It was the evening which succeeded the Jewish Sabbath. On the Sunday morning the vessel was about to sail.” And of the journey that day it says: “He [Paul] pursued his lonely road that Sunday afternoon in spring, among the oak woods and the streams of Ida.”-People’s Edition of 1878, p. 629.ChSa 66.2

Professor McGarvey, of the Disciple (Church of Christ) denomination, says: “I conclude, therefore, that the brethren met on the night after the Jewish Sabbath, which was still observed as a day of rest by all of them who were Jews or Jewish proselytes. And considering this the beginning of the first day of the week, spent it in the manner above described. On Sunday morning Paul and his companions resumed their journey.”-Commentary on Acts.ChSa 66.3

Other authors might be quoted; but let it be noticed that these are all writers who observed Sunday themselves. They would not make these admissions unless their sense of truth required it. They express the fact that “many commentators” hold the same opinion. Professor McGarvey admits that all the Jewish disciples and proselytes still regarded the Sabbath sacredly as a day of rest. That was in the year 59, some twenty-six years after the resurrection. According to the Bible chronology, all the apostles, Paul included, with all the companions of Christ, still regarded the seventh day as sacred. Surely this is a good admission, coming from a first-day commentator. These apostles had not learned, then, that another Sabbath had taken its place.ChSa 66.4

We see, therefore, that this scripture, which on the whole is regarded as the strongest text to be found in the Bible in behalf of Sunday, proves just the opposite from what it is cited to prove. This instance is really the second mention of the first day of the week we have seen thus far in the historical record, the day of Christ’s resurrection being the first, on which some of the disciples walked fifteen miles. It is strange that such instances should ever be thought to furnish evidence in behalf of the institution of a new Sabbath.ChSa 67.1

Should any desire to imitate apostolic example concerning Sunday, they should hold meetings on Saturday night, and work during the light part of the day; for this is precisely what Paul and his companions did.ChSa 67.2