Listin Diario, by Vanahi Bello Dotel: The practice of weekly rest has roots as old as humanity itself. However, its institutionalization as a right and its connection to Sunday date back to a complex historical, religious, and legal evolution.
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the day of rest—the Sabbath—occupies a central place in the spiritual experience, while in modern Western culture, Sunday has acquired both religious and professional connotations.
How did this shift occur? What role did imperial power, nascent Christianity, and current legal norms play in this transformation?
The origin of the day of rest is rooted in the Bible and is found in the book of Genesis (2:2-3), where it is recounted that God, after completing creation, rested on the seventh day, blessed it, and sanctified it. This divine act gave rise to the Fourth Commandment, recorded in Exodus 20:8-10: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy… the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.”
Thus, the Sabbath, or seventh day, was consecrated as a sacred day, profoundly shaping the religious observance of the Jewish people.
For centuries, this Sabbath practice was distinctive of Judaism and, in its origins, also of early Christianity. Over time, and under external influences, this observance shifted to Sunday.
The decisive turning point occurred on March 7, 321 AD, when Emperor Constantine the Great, who ruled a still predominantly pagan Roman Empire, issued an edict declaring Sunday a mandatory day of rest. His edict acted as a civil-religious dogma in the nascent imperial Christendom.
According to historical analysts, this decision was not motivated by Christian beliefs, but rather by cultural reasons: Sunday was the day dedicated to Sol Invictus, the solar deity venerated in the Empire and a symbol of the emperor’s personal faith. In fact, it is still debated whether Constantine’s conversion to Christianity was genuine or a political control strategy, as it is said that his baptism only occurred on his deathbed.
Later, the Synod of Laodicea (363–364 AD) solidified the shift to Sunday. Its 29th canon instructed that “Christians should not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but rather work on that day and honor the Lord’s Day.” From this arose the term Dies Dominicus (the Lord’s Day), the origin of the word “Sunday” in many Romance languages.
This change had not only theological implications, but also disciplinary ones: those who persisted in observing the Sabbath were considered anathema, that is, cursed or excluded from the Christian community.
For the Catholic Church, Easter Sunday represents the culmination of Christian hope: Christ’s victory over death and the promise of eternal life, which unites communities around the mystery of the resurrection.
In 1998, Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter Dies Domini, addressed to the bishops, clergy, and faithful on the sanctification of Sunday, recalled the importance of this practice: “It is necessary, therefore, to reread the great page of creation and delve deeper into the theology of the Sabbath, in order to enter into a full understanding of Sunday.”
With these words, the Pope invites us to rediscover the profound value of Sunday rest, not only as a religious obligation, but as an experience that connects daily life with sacred history and with the spiritual dimension of the human being.
Today, weekly rest, and in particular Sunday rest, has transcended its religious significance to become a recognized labor right in most Western countries.
In the Dominican Republic, the current Labor Code (Law 16-92)—currently being amended—clearly establishes this mandate as positive law:
• Article 163. It stipulates that every worker has the right to an uninterrupted weekly rest period of thirty-six hours. This rest period will be agreed upon by both parties and may begin on any day of the week. In the absence of an express agreement, it begins on Saturday at noon. This right expressly extends to domestic workers.
• Article 262. Domestic workers enjoy the weekly rest period established in Article 163.
• Article 168. It establishes that, on Sundays and non-working days, establishments selling provisions, meats, poultry, vegetables, or fruits at retail may remain open until 1:00 p.m.
Furthermore, in the absence of an agreement between employer and employee, the weekly rest period begins on Saturday at noon, which has a symbolic connection to the ancient Sabbath.
Similarly, collective bargaining agreements may establish a different weekly rest day, but they cannot eliminate it. If the agreed day.
Prophetic Link:
“In seeking to cast contempt upon the divine statutes, Satan has perverted the doctrines of the Bible, and errors have thus become incorporated into the faith of thousands who profess to believe the Scriptures. The last great conflict between truth and error is but the final struggle of the long-standing controversy concerning the law of God. Upon this battle we are now entering—a battle between the laws of men and the precepts of Jehovah, between the religion of the Bible and the religion of fable and tradition.” Great Controversy, 582.2
This article has been translated to English. The original article was written in Spanish.
Comments