[Avgustslim]

To All,

It seems to me that there is no need to get upon a "band wagon" to re-name Sunday, the Lord's Day! It seems to me that every day is to be the "Lord's Day" At least that is how I see it! Each morning as I awake, it is for me a "New Day" a gift from God, offered to Him to His praise and glory, in thanksgiving for the Breath of Life, as I strive to live more fully in Christ, this "today" of my life in preparation for, and as part of the great "Lord's Day" at the end of time.

"This is the Day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."

marie_duquette

[blogforloversxx]

I have noticed that more and more people are using this term "Lordsday" in reference to what we commonly know as Sunday. i think this is good because it is KYRIAKI in the Bible, ie the "Lord's Day". It was also called this in old English anyway. I think?

[G778G9P0]

...Sabbath, which, in turn, is derived from the Hebrew Shabat...

[Dayreive]

Also, in Hebrew "Sabbath" means both "the seventh day" and "the day of rest", it has little to do with Saturday exept the fact that the Judaist's Sabbath falls on Saturday. But we Christians can as well consider Sunday as Sabbath and apply the God's commandment to observe Sabbath (the seventh day) to Sunday. If our Pascha doesn't aligh with Judaist's Pesakh, our Sabbath may as well not have to allign with Saturday.

[Pete789]

You can call the days of the week whatever you like.

[Pete789]

Dear Kosmas,

Among traditionalist Orthodox circles in the English speaking world, this is becoming the practice. Just like, we are saying Pascha instead of Easter, Theophany instead of Epiphany, Nativity instead of Christmas (although there is nothing wrong linguistically or theologically with using Christmas or Epiphany).

As for the days of the week, Old English never used Lordsday, rather Sunnandaeg, following the other Germanic languages from which it is rooted.
Thus:
Sunday= day of the Sun
Monday= day of the Moon
Tuesday= Tiwaz day (Germanic pagan god of war
Wednesay= Odin or Woden's day (chief Nordic and German pagan god)
Thursday= Thor's day (Nordic pagan god of thunder)
Friday= Frigga's day (Odin's wife, Nordic pagan goddess)
Saturday= Saturn's day (Roman pagan god of agriculture)

It is a strange phenomenon with English that even after England was Christianized, the language retained names for the days that are clearly rooted in Paganism. Perhaps this is mainly because the ecclesiastical language of the English Church, even when it was Orthodox, was Latin.

[blogforloversxx]

EASTERN ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN TERMINOLOGY & CUSTOMS VS CONFUSIONS WITH WESTERN TERMS ETC

Offers an interesting read on how western terminology has perverted our understanding of Christianity.

[IRMartin]

Curiously, Portuguese is the one of the few European languages that 'depaganized' the name of the days due to a missionary from Constantinople.
St. Martin of Dume was born in Panonia and was educated in Constantinople. He became missionary in Lusitania and Archbishop of the See of Braga, the oldest of Portugal. In true Orthodox Tradition, he was the first to translate to Latin the Sayings of the Desert Fathers. He presided over two local councils and fought the heresy of priscilianism ( http://mb-soft.com/believe/txc/priscill.htm ).

In his mission to convert the Suevs and other local pagans, he changed the name of the days. Thus:

Sunday - Domingo (from Latin "Domine")
Monday - Segunda-Feira (Second Fair)
Tuesday - Terça-Feira (Third Fair)
Wednesday - Quarta-Feira (Fourth Fair)
Thursday - Quinta-Feira (Fifth Fair)
Friday - Sexta-Feira (Sixth Fair)
Saturday - Sábado (from Sabbath)

Also Christmas is Natal, from Nativity and Easter is Páscoa.

He also intended to change the names of the planets but unfortunately either he did not come up with names or it did not stick. :P

[Marat]

I just wanted to point out to non-Greek people that in Greek, "Kuriaki" is not just a reference to the "Lord's Day" but broken down is "Kuria" which also translates to the "main day" of the week.

We then follow up with "Deftera", the second day, followed by "Triti" and then "Tetarti", third and fourth respectively and then we say "Pempti" for fifth day from the main day .. and we conclude with "paraskevi" and "savvato" ... Paraskevo is to "make preparation for" and "savvato" - u all have enough translations of that by now

[Marat]

“And there was evening, and there was morning— the first day” (Genesis 1:5)
“And there was evening, and there was morning— the second day” (Genesis 1:8)
“And there was evening, and there was morning— the third day” (Genesis 1:13)
“And there was evening, and there was morning— the fourth day” (Genesis 1:19)
“And there was evening, and there was morning— the fifth day” (Genesis 1:23)
“And there was evening, and there was morning— the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31)

Those wrotten Greek Orthodox ... how could they possibly be the only people to use the following naming structure (not paganistic) for the days of the week:
Sunday = Κυριακή (Kyriakh)
Monday = Δευτέρα (Deutera)
Tuesday = Τρίτη (Trith)
Wednesday = Τετάρτη (Tetarth)
Thursday = Πέμπτη (Pempth)
Friday = Παρασκευή (Paraskeuh)
Saturday = Σάββατο (Savvato)

[biannaruh]

To add to Vasiliki's post:

Kyriaki (Sunday) indeed refers to the Lord's day, but it also means "the principal day". The root word in Greek for Lord (Kyrios), Lady (Kyria), and foremost (kyrion) are the same. This cannot be a coincidence. It is even reflected in the hymnody for Easter (Paskha). Greeks are renowned for their love of wordplay, and liturgical texts are no exception.

[somozasayre]

Also, in Hebrew "Sabbath" means both "the seventh day" and "the day of rest", it has little to do with Saturday exept the fact that the Judaist's Sabbath falls on Saturday.

There is another connection between Saturday and Sabbath.

In Hebrew, Saturn is named "Shabbatai", from "Shabbat". Shabbat is the seventh day of the week, and Saturn is the seventh planet.

[viagradiscounttt]

Those wrotten Greek Orthodox ... how could they possibly be the only people to use the following naming structure (not paganistic) for the days of the week:
Sunday = Κυριακή (Kyriakh)
Monday = Δευτέρα (Deutera)
Tuesday = Τρίτη (Trith)
Wednesday = Τετάρτη (Tetarth)
Thursday = Πέμπτη (Pempth)
Friday = Παρασκευή (Paraskeuh)
Saturday = Σάββατο (Savvato)

They aren't; the Georgian Orthodox do too.

Interesting information about St Martin of Dume - thank you, Fabio.

[Marat]

Ok, I know that there is an explanation for "Sunday" by Saint Nikodemus the Aghiorite from a book titled "Confessions of Faith" (? I think?). I have the explanation in Greek but I think most people wont understand

I dont have time to translate and it wouldnt do it justice anyway. If someone had a copy of this book, they could look up what he has to say about Sunday and type it here for us perhaps?