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Church Life: AD 150  /  Sabbath  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 3
Early Christians avoided fasting on Sunday, called it a day of “rejoicing,” and (per Peter of Alexandria) “not even to bow the knee” on that day; what do those practices reveal about their assumptions regarding joy, reverence, and bodily posture in worship—and how do those assumptions critique typical modern Sunday moods and habits?
Another way to ask: Early Christians treated Sunday as a joyful day and did not fast or even kneel. What does that show about how they viewed joy, respect, and body posture in worship, and how does it challenge how Sundays often feel today?

Direct Answer Bercot presents early Christians as treating Sunday worship as a celebratory, resurrection-shaped gathering where joy was a form of reverence, even expressed physically by standing rather than kneeling. This challenges modern habits that make Sunday mainly somber—or treat it as ordinary and entertainment-focused rather than worship-centered rejoicing.

Support from Transcript:

  • Tertullian notes pagans thought Christians were sun worshipers “because we make Sunday a day of festivity,” and he clarifies Christians rejoice “for a far different reason.”
  • Bercot explains their rejoicing was not “amusements… theater or the arena,” but “a celebration in the church… knowing that He was raised.”
  • Victorinus: on Saturday “we are accustomed to fast rigorously, so that on the Lord’s Day, we may go forth to our bread with Thanksgiving.”
  • Peter of Alexandria: “We celebrate the Lord’s day as a day of joy… not even to bow the knee on that day.”
  • Bercot explains posture: they prayed “with their heads up… arms outstretched… standing… a symbol of rejoicing.”
Discussion Follow-ups What would it change in your church if “joy because Christ rose” became the main emotional tone of Sunday—without turning it into shallow entertainment?

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