Why True Orthodox Christians Keep Saturday as a non-working day

Why the East and West Orthodox Christians have an continue to observe it

At the height of the great Schism, Cardinal Humbert wrote (as the main Legate of the Latin Pope to the Greek Orthodox world), he stated,

THE CENTRAL COMPLAINT OF THE GREAT SCHISM:

“Because you observe the sabbath with the Jews and the Lord’s Day with us, you seem to imitate with such observances the sect of Nazarenes who in this manner accept Christianity in order that they be not obliged to leave Judaism.”

Patriarch +St Michael I Cerularius Concluding the Great Schism of 1054, Patriarch Michael said: “we are commanded to honor the Sabbath, to keep it and not to work on it.” (Migne, Patrologia Latina, vol. 143)
more on this central point is covered in the book "Sabbath in the Orthodox Church" by Dr Brunswick (40 Early Church Fathers are cited as promoting the Saturday Sabbath).

There were good ones all the time. Orthodox jurisdictions have a lot of autonomy and aren't required to follow any of the church councils. This new world council of churches in the 1960's tried redefining orthodoxy under the Bolshevik installed new bishops around the world. The "Russian Catacomb church" has from Bolshevik times till today, with their millions of members, called themselves the "True Orthodox Church", in response to the Bolshevik massacres, burning down 30,000 places of worship etc. (see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catacomb_Church and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Orthodox_church where we have gained associate Bishops in Western Europe within our OCC https://st-andrewsocc.org institutions).

Russians have retained the Biblical faith like their past "sabbotniks", especially the Christian Orthodox Molokan church, which was half the whole Orthodox Church at the time when Sunday was installed in the 1600s by a Royal Decree, and half the Royal family protected the Molokan church. Now several other sects which are successors of the orthodox who split the Russian church long ago in favor of a more strict Saturday Sabbath, and no icons etc. Previous to the formation of the Subotnik Molokans. Before this split, more than half the church was of the original opinions, as in the In the Stoglav, an official manuscript of the Russian Orthodox Church, dated in the year 1556, and containing materials from the Moscow Council during the reign of Ivan IV (1531-1584), It has a chapter on the Sabbath, mandating that no one in Russia works on Saturdays(this has been the mainstream view till the 1960s, now shamefully few confess it completely anymore):

“By the Authority of Peter and Paul, we command to the people to work during the week. But on Subota (Sabbath) and on Nedelja (Sunday) let them worship in the Church and pray, and let them learn something for the sake of good faith. The Subota is the image of the whole creation, while the Nedelja is the day of the resurrection.”

Several more examples of True Orthodoxy in the East (and West):

Orthodox Patriarch Cyril Lucarius of Constantinople (1572-1638) enforced a Protestant Creed fully in support of Calvinism (no icons etc).

All Eastern Patriarchates together with the Tsars of Russia have often formally agreed Britain is an independent Orthodox jurisdiction from the First Century. (“History of the Nonjurors…” by Lathbury)
The Orthodox worldwide celebrate the First Century Bishop of Britain, St Aristobulus, assistant of the Holy Apostle St Andrew.

The Russian Orthodox decided in 1907 that the English BCP Liturgy is Canonical, rooted in the Sarum Missal and purely Orthodox.

Archbishop Parker of Canterbury promised Calvin that England would “retain her Episcopacy; but not as from Pope Gregory, who sent Augustine the monk hither, but from Joseph of Arimathea.” (“The Life and Acts of Archbishop Parker ” By John Strype, Published in 1711.)

Some great books covering the Orthodox (East and West) Keeping Sabbath include "the Truth Triumphant" by BG Wilkinson, "Sabbath in the Orthodox church" by Dr Brunswick, and the "Celtic Church in Britain" by Hardinge. As found at https://orthodoxchurch.nl

Besides these historical factoids, you may wish to research more how God made great irrevocable covenant promises “for ever” it’s God’s day that He will do a special work(Leviticus 23), and that it’s “for ever” a sign you’re His true people (Exodus 31:13) (now it’s somewhat dormant, but much of Christendom still has Saturday classified as a weekend / non-working day, or it’s culturally accepted as not in the 5 work days. Therefore, this grace coming from Christian piety ensure that everyone has freedom as a true Israel nation, to find work that doesn’t require Saturday labor. That is except for some emergency / critical positions. However for most jobs, including in those lines of work you can still find relative work where Saturdays are non-working days for all employees absolutely. There are many blessings coming to those who “call the Sabbath a delight” and one of those is that you will be “fed with the heritage of Jacob your father, and will be made to ride upon the high places of the earth” and also that you will then find the true “delight in YAHWEH” (Isaiah 56). I hope this message was a blessing to you, for those who will seek, they will find, and repent, and they will be forgiven and brought into closer relationship with God and His work in the earth.

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