Retrieving the meaning of Sabbath/Sunday for today

Abstract

The true meaning of Sabbath/Sunday seems to have been forgotten in today's secular world. This dissertation aims at discovering the true meaning of the Sabbath for today's Christians by retrieving its original meaning in the Old Testament, interpreted anew by Jesus and the Church in the New Testament, as applicable for today. This dissertation is divided into three main chapters with an introduction and a conclusion. The introduction gives a general view of the importance of the true meaning of the Sabbath/Sunday and the motivation for exploring this issue. In Chapter One this dissertation tackles the history and meaning/s of the Sabbath in the Old Testament. God chose the Sabbath Day for Himself and established it as His Day. The rest of the Old Testament delves into the meaning of God's Day. In Chapter Two this dissertation tackles the Church's interpretation of the Sabbath/Sunday through Jesus' perspective in the New Testament. Chapter Three presents a review of the Apostolic Letter Dies Domini of Pope John Paul II. This beautiful Apostolic Letter seeks to retrieve the true meaning of Dies Dominica for today's Christians. The conclusion ends this dissertation with some suggestions and practical hints on how the true meaning of Sunday can be lived in today's life.