PLANETARY ASSOCIATION WITH DAYS OF THE WEEK
The names of the days of the seven-day week in many languages are derived from the names of the classical planets in Hellenistic astrology (2nd
or early 1st century (BC), which were in turn named after contemporary deities. The practice of naming the days of the week after the planetary
bodies was already in use before Christ came as a man. There are two main points from this chart. The first is that the names of days after planets,
the Sun, and the moon has been around before Christ. The second point is that there is very strong evidence that the Church assembled as believers
on the first day of the week (Sunday) in celebration of our Lord's resurrection, and it was called, “the Lord's Day” (Rv.1:10).
Monday
Tuesday
Sun
Moon
Mars
Mercury
Jupiter
Venus
Named for the
Sun's astrological
alignment
Named for “Moon
Day” in honor of
the day's
alignment with
that planetary
body
Named
for Tyr, the Norse
god of war and
justice
(“Tiu's Day”)
(war god)
Named for Odin,
the king of the
Norse gods
(“Woden's Day”)
Named for the
Norse god of
thunder
(“Thor's Day”)
Named for Freya,
the Norse goddess
of magick, physical
love, fertility, and
peace
(“Freya's Day”)
(goddess)
Sunday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Saturn
Named for the
Roman god who
was the leader
of the Titans
(associated with
“the Norns”)
HISTORICAL REFERENCES IN EARLY CHURCH HISTORY
• The Roman historian Dio Cassius wrote his Roman History between A.D. 200-220. He reports that Jerusalem was captured both by Pompey in
63 B.C. and by Gaius Sosius in 37 B.C. “on the day even then called the day of Saturn.”
• 107AD, IGNATIUS OF ANTIOCH: “let every friend of Christ keep the Lord's Day as a festival, the resurrection-day, the queen and chief of all the
days of the week.” (Ignatius, Epistle to the Magnesians, chp 9. Ante-Nicene Fathers , vol. 1, pg. 62-63)
• 120AD, BARNABAS: “Moreover God says to the Jews, 'Your new moons and Sabbaths I cannot endure.' You see how he says, 'The present
Sabbaths are not acceptable to me, but the Sabbath which I have made in which, when I have rested [heaven: Heb 4] from all things, I will make
the beginning of the eighth day which is the beginning of another world.' Wherefore we Christians keep the eighth day for joy, on which also Jesus
arose from the dead and when he appeared ascended into heaven.” (15:8f, The Epistle of Barnabas, 100 AD, Ante-Nicene Fathers , vol. 1, pg. 147)
• 150AD, JUSTIN MARTYR: “But Sunday is the day on which we hold our common assembly, because it is the first day of the week and Jesus our
saviour on the same day rose from the dead.” (First apology of Justin, Ch 68)
• 190AD, CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: “He does the commandment according to the Gospel and keeps the Lord's day, whenever he puts away an
evil mind . . . glorifying the Lord's resurrection in himself.” (Vii.xii.76.4)
• 200AD, TERTULLIAN: “Others . . . suppose that the sun is the god of the Christians, because it is well-known that we regard Sunday as a day of
joy.” (To the Nations 1: 133)
<Please see http://www.earlychristianwritings.com for these and other early historical writings demonstrating the practice of assembling on Sunday>
Tom Elseroad • www.BibleLayout.com • 02-05-2016 • Planetary-Association-with-Days-of-the-Week.cdr