This method of Sabbath keeping from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. was apparently advocated by other Seventh Day Baptist
groups, as indicated by the discussion of this issue in The Sabbath Recorder, a periodical of the Seventh Day Baptists.
Seventh-day Sabbath keeping was first introduced to Adventist believers in Washington, New Hampshire, early in
1844 by Rachel Preston Oakes, a Seventh Day Baptist. T. M. Preble was the first Adventist minister to accept and teach the Sabbath. In an article he
wrote in 1845, Preble seems to suggest that the Sabbath must be observed from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m.
During the first 10 years of their history Adventists generally observed the Sabbath from 6 p.m. Friday to 6
p.m. Saturday, although some kept it from sunrise to sunrise. The main promoter of the 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sabbath reckoning was Joseph Bates, an ex-sea
captain and a self-sacrificing crusader for truth who became a pioneer of the early Advent believers and an apostle for the Sabbath. In August 1846
Bates published a 48-page pamphlet entitled The Seventh-day Sabbath, a Perpetual Sign, which proved to be a mighty instrument in propagating
the message of the Sabbath.
The reasoning Bates gives in this pamphlet for beginning and ending the Sabbath at 6 p.m. is that one "cannot
regulate the day and night to have what the Savior calls twelve hours in the day [John 11:9] without establishing the time from the centre of the
earth, the equator, where at the beginning of the sacred year, the sun rises and sets at 6 o'clock." Bates continues reasoning that since in the
Arctic and Antarctic areas there are times when the sun never sets or never rises, then "the inhabitants of the earth have no other right time to
commence their twenty-four hour day, than beginning at 6 o'clock in the evening."
There is no evidence that Bates was influenced by German Seventh Day Baptists in forming his position on the
six o'clock beginning time for the Sabbath. "Rather, he came to these conclusions," Carl Coffman rightly notes, "as a result of his knowledge of a
seaman's computation of equatorial time."
In the spring of 1851 Bates defended his 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. position in an article entitled "Time to Begin
the Sabbath," where he appeals to two main Bible texts, namely, Leviticus 23:32 and Matthew 20:1-16.9 From the first text he derived the
principle of keeping the Sabbath "from even unto even," and from the second he established the time of "even," namely, 6
p.m.
The fact that in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) the master paid his laborers at
"even" (v. 8), which was the 12th hour of the day, led Bates to the conclusion that the 12 hours of the day were reckoned from 6 a.m. to 6
p.m. Thus 6 p.m. is the "even" which marks the beginning and end of the Sabbath.
To defend this view Bates argued that the Sabbath should be reckoned according to equatorial time, that is,
according to the length of the day and night at the equator. At the equator sunrise and sunset occur consistently throughout the year plus/minus 10
minutes at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. respectively.
Bates maintained that the Sabbath should be observed according to the "equatorial day" in all parts of the
world. What he meant is that the Sabbath is to be observed longitudinally from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. as it comes to each part of the earth in due time as
the earth revolves on its axis.
The majority of the early Adventist believers adopted Bates' position, especially because he was greatly
respected on account of his consistent Christian life and his zeal in proclaiming the distinctive Adventist beliefs. Writing in 1868 James White
acknowledges that Bates' "decided stand upon the question, and respect for his years, and his godly life, might have been among the reasons why this
point was not sooner investigated as thoroughly as some other points." Among those who accepted Bates' position were James and Ellen
White.
For several years most Adventist believers observed the Sabbath according to equatorial time, that is, from 6
p.m. to 6 p.m. Many, however, were not satisfied with this method. Thus some observed the Sabbath from sunset to sunset while other from sunrise to
sunrise. In reviewing the entire matter several years later (1868) James White wrote: "the six o'clock time was called in question by a portion of
believers as early as 1847, some maintaining that the Sabbath commenced at sunrise while others claimed Bible evidence in favor of
sunset."
The existing diversity in the time of Sabbathkeeping was of great concern to Adventist leaders, who feared
that unless this question could be clearly settled on Biblical grounds, the continuing divergence might splinter the Advent believers.
This concern led James White to urge first D. P. Hall and later J. N. Andrews to investigate this subject and
ascertain what the Bible actually taught regarding Sabbath reckoning. Hall failed to produce an article but Andrews submitted the results of his
investigation in the form of a paper which later appeared in article form in the December 4, 1855 issue of the Review and Herald.
Sabbath From Sunset to Sunset
In his paper J. N. Andrews argues convincingly that the New Testament defines "evening" not necessarily as 6
p.m. but rather as "sunset". He appeals especially to texts such as Mark 1:32 where it explicitly says: "That evening, at sundown,
they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons" (cf. Luke 4:40; Matthew 8:16). Here the evening which marks the end of the Sabbath
is clearly linked to sunset. Andrews gave additional references from the Old Testament where "even" is equated with the setting of the
sun.
Regarding the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, Andrews argues that it does not necessarily prove that
the 12th hour of the day coincided exactly with 6 p.m. He establishes this point by showing that the 12 hours of the day were not 12 sixty-minute
periods like ours, but rather 12 equal parts of the daylight time, which would vary somewhat according to season. This conclusion is explicitly
supported by John 11:9 where Jesus says: "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any one walks in the day, he does not stumble because he sees
the light of this world."
Support for Andrews' reasoning is found in the Talmud, where there is a discussion of the extent of reasonable
error in the estimate of the hour of the day and it is noted that "in the sixth hour the sun stands in the meridian." Thus Andrews rightly concluded
that the Jewish hour was not a fixed unit of time but the 12th part of the time between sunrise and sunset at any time of the year. Consequently the
parable of the laborers in the vineyard offers no valid justification for a 6 p.m. to a 6 p.m. method of beginning and ending the Sabbath.
Andrews presented two major reasons for ruling out the 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. method of Sabbath keeping. First,
such a method is dependent upon clocks or watches, which did not exist in Bible times. This would mean that in those days God's people would have
been at a loss to know when to begin and end the Sabbath. Second, "the Bible, by several plain statements, establishes the fact that evening is at
sunset."
The conclusions reached by Andrews are based on a sound analysis of the Biblical data. At the same time it
should be noted that the difference between the position of Andrews and that of Bates is relative as far as Palestine is concerned, because in that
country the difference between the earliest sunset in December (about 6 p.m.) and the latest sunset in July (about 8:00 p.m.) is about two hours. The
problem arises, however, in those parts of the earth farthest away from the equator where sunset time varies during the course of the year as much as
ten or more hours.
Andrews' paper was presented and discussed at a conference held in Battle Creek on Sabbath, November 17,
1855. The convincing and comprehensive analysis of Andrews was accepted by all, with the exception of a small minority. Two days later on November
19, 1855, Ellen White had a vision which confirmed the sunset reckoning.
Following the Sabbath conference of 1855, the sunset reckoning became widely accepted by practically all
Adventist believers. Writing in the Review in 1864, Uriah Smith, the editor, says: "Harmony now reigns where there might have been discord and
division." The only major problem that arose after the official acceptance of the sunset reckoning in 1855 was the application of this method in
those regions of the earth where the sun sets very early, or very late, or, as in the Arctic and Antarctic, not at all for a period of time. The
solutions adopted for these regions will be briefly summarized below.
How to reckon the Sabbath in the Arctic
The observance of the Sabbath according to the sunset reckoning in the Arctic regions becomes practically
impossible during part of the summer, when the sun never sets below the horizon, and during part of the winter, when the sun never rises above the
horizon. In these areas the common difficulties resulting from observing the seventh-day Sabbath in a society where most working schedules are built
around Sunday as the day of rest, are compounded by the problem of knowing when to begin and close the Sabbath during those weeks when the sun does
not rise or set.
The problem of observing the Sabbath in the Arctic region exists not only during the time when the sun does
not set or rise above the horizon, but also during the time just before the sun's disappearance for a certain period in winter and immediately
following its reappearance. At this time of the year the sun sets by noon time; thus half of the Sabbath falls within the civil time of Friday. This
means that according to the sunset reckoning, for several weeks every year, half of the Sabbaths falls during the civil time of Friday and half
during that of Saturday.
Under these conditions the observance of the Sabbath according to the sunset reckoning becomes a real problem,
because it requires the interruption of work on Friday by noon and the resumption of work on Saturday after the noon hour. This is not an imaginary
problem but a real one which Seventh-day Sabbath keepers face, for example, in the northern part of Norway and to a lesser degree in all Scandinavian
countries and Alaska. No easy solution can be offered on how to observe the Sabbath according to the sunset reckoning when the above conditions
prevail.
Several recommendations have been offered by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists to believers
living in the Arctic regions. The preferred recommended practice is that "during the winter period when there are no sunsets, the Sabbath be begun
and ended at the same time it was begun and ended when the last sunset occurred."
Other acceptable alternatives are:
-
During the winter when there are no sunsets, the end of the twilight, or in other words the beginning of
darkness, as indicated by astronomical tables, be looked upon as the beginning of the Sabbath.
-
That the Sabbath be kept according to astronomical computations for the moment when the sun is closest to
the horizon, or at its zenith, on Friday until it returns to this point on Saturday.
-
That the Sabbath be begun and ended during the winter period when there are no sunsets north of the Arctic
Circle at the same time as indicated on sunset calendars just south of the Arctic Circle.
These recommendations were endorsed by a study committee appointed by the Northern European Division of
Seventy-day Adventists to study the "borderlines of the Sabbath." However, this study group, which met at Skoodsborg, Denmark, from February 28 to
March 1, 1980, came up with a broader interpretation of the term "evening." They concluded that "the biblical material may offer a basis for a
flexible definition of 'evening' in areas where the diminishing of light rather than the setting of the sun is the observable natural phenomenon.
Such a definition of 'evening' would nevertheless remain in close touch with the sunset criterion."
Summing up the historical position of the Seventh-day Adventist Church on the time for beginning and ending
the Sabbath, we can say that the sunset reckoning has been accepted as the normative Biblical method since 1855. This method has also been the basis
for formulating recommendation for those regions where the sun does not set or rise for a certain period of the year.
Sabbath reckoning for Today
The foregoing brief historical survey has served to establish two major facts: (1) Seventh-day
Adventists have since 1855 regarded the sunset reckoning as the normative Biblical method for beginning and ending the Sabbath. (2) The
difficulty of following the sunset reckoning in the Arctic regions, where the sun for a certain period of time does not set or rise above the
horizon, has been met by broadening the meaning of "sunset" to include, for example, "the end of the twilight," "the diminishing of light," and "the
moment when the sun is closest to the horizon."
Recognition must be given to the early Adventist pioneers, especially to J. N. Andrews, for establishing from
the Scriptures the sunset to sunset method for beginning and ending the Sabbath. Commendation must also be given to Adventist leaders and believers
living in and near the Arctic regions, for observing the Sabbath as closely as possible to the sunset reckoning, even if it means facing the problem
of having to obtain exemption from work not only for Saturday but also for much of the civil time of Friday.
The following considerations are not intended to downplay the noble effort which has been made to establish
from the Scripture the sunset to sunset method of Sabbathkeeping and to implement such a method even in the midst of the most adverse circumstances.
Anyone who is willing to pay the price for what he or she believes to be the will of God deserves our commendation and not condemnation.
My intent rather is to ascertain on the basis of the Biblical material if a more satisfactory guideline can be
proposed to determine the beginning and end of the Sabbath in those regions of the earth where the sunset at certain times of the year does not
provide a rational division between the day and the night. It is my fervent hope that the guideline to be proposed will contribute to the solution
and not to the complications of an already complex problem.
Any attempt to ascertain the Biblical teaching on the time for beginning and ending the Sabbath ought to
start from a study of the Fourth Commandment itself as found in Exodus 20:8-11. After all, the manner and the time of Sabbathkeeping ought to be
reflective of the principles enunciated in the commandment itself.
It may be surprising to some to note that no specific instructions are given in the Fourth Commandment on the
manner and time of Sabbathkeeping. The only injunction given is to "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy" by doing all one's work in six
days and by resting the seventh day "to the Lord your God."
Regarding the manner, the commandment does not offer, for example, any injunction to attend religious services
on the Sabbath. Why? The reason may be found in the divine awareness of the plight of those believers who through the centuries have been prevented
by sickness or circumstances from participating in a corporate religious service.
Similarly the absence of any instruction in the Fourth Commandment regarding the time to begin and end the
observance of the Sabbath may reflect divine awareness of the predicament of those believers who would be called to live in regions of the earth
where sometimes it would be impossible to observe the Sabbath from sunset to sunset.
If the Fourth Commandment had spelled out that the seventh-day Sabbath is to be observed everywhere on earth
from sunset to sunset, then those believers who live in those northern regions, where at least for a time there is no sunset, would have felt guilty
for beginning and ending the Sabbath according to a different criterion.
The absence, then, in the Fourth Commandment of specific instructions on the exact manner and time of
Sabbathkeeping is indicative of divine wisdom in formulating a principle whose application could be adapted to different cultures and geographical
locations. It is thus important to note at the outset that the method of observing the Sabbath from sunset to sunset is dictated not by the Fourth
Commandment itself, but by the method of sunset reckoning which became normative in Jewish history.
Several reasons have contributed to make the sunset reckoning normative for the observance of the annual
feasts in general and of the weekly Sabbath in particular. A first reason is suggested by the legislation regarding the Day of Atonement, which, as
noted in the previous chapter, implies that the beginning of the fast was anticipated from the morning of the 10th day to the evening of the 9th day
(Leviticus 23:27-32), presumably to help people better to prepare themselves for the solemn services that began the following morning.
Similarly the beginning of the observance of the Sabbath on Friday evening at sunset could have been dictated
by the necessity to help believers to be better prepared and predisposed to enter into the daylight celebration of the Sabbath.
A second reason is suggested by the fact that in Bible times for all practical purposes sunset marked the end
of the working day. This fact is clearly illustrated in the parable of the laborers in the vineyard where the owner in the "evening" calls the
laborers to pay them their wages (Matthew 20:8). Being the end of a working day, the "evening" represented in a sense the end of the day itself and thus
the beginning of a new day.
A third reason, which is closely related to the second, is implied in the injunction: "Six days you shall
labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is the sabbath to the Lord your God" (Exodus 20:9-10). The implication here is that the observance
of the seventh day begins at the completion of the sixth day of work. Since in Bible times the sixth day of work, as just noted, ended in the
"evening" (Matthew 20:8), the same "evening" could naturally function as the beginning of the rest and sanctification of the seventh day.
A last reason is suggested by the psychological and social function of sunset. Psychologically the setting of
the sun marks the end of our working day and the beginning of the new cycle of rest and work of another day. Thus sunset offers an ideal
psychological beginning for the celebration of the Sabbath as the day or rest, worship, and service unto the Lord.
Socially, the setting of the sun has the effect of bringing the family members back together. The work of the
day scatters the family in different directions, but the setting of the sun brings the family members back together for the evening supper and
fellowship. Thus sunset offers an ideal sociological moment, when the family members are together again at the end of a working day, to begin
together the celebration of the Sabbath day.
It is no wonder that in the course of Jewish history a very rich and meaningful ritual was developed to mark
the arrival and the departure of the Sabbath at sunset. After all, the Sabbath was a family celebration, which in Bible times included all dependent
workers (Exodus 20:10). Thus, by rallying the family members together, sunset time provided an ideal moment for beginning and ending the
Sabbath.
It is also no wonder that while, in the previous chapter we saw indications of the existence in Bible times
of a sunrise method of day reckoning, no explicit indications were found suggesting that such a method was ever used for reckoning the beginning and
end of the Sabbath.
All the passages in the Old and New Testament which refer to the time element of Sabbathkeeping clearly
suggest a sunset reckoning. Luke, for example, explicitly designates the late Friday afternoon when Jesus' body was taken from the cross as "the
day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning" (Luke 23:54). Similarly Mark explains that the people waited until the "evening at
sunset" (Mark 1:32; cf. Luke 4:40) to bring to Christ the sick and demon-possessed. Passages such as these clearly indicate that the Sabbath was
observed by the Jewish people in general from sunset to sunset.
In the light of the foregoing considerations we conclude that the sunset reckoning for beginning and ending
the Sabbath-though it is not dictated directly by the Fourth Commandment-became the normative method in Jewish history.
In my view the sunset reckoning is still valid and valuable today, wherever the sunset does provide, as in
Palestine, a logical termination of the working day and a balanced division between daytime and nighttime. My conviction rests on the fact that the
reasons mentioned above which made the sunset reckoning normative for Sabbathkeeping in Bible times, are reasons still valid and relevant
today.
As in Bible times, the beginning of the Sabbath on Friday evening at sunset enables believers today to be
better prepared to enter into the daylight celebration of the Sabbath. As in Bible times, in most countries today sunset marks the end of the sixth
working day and the beginning of the rest and sanctification of the seventh day.
As in Bible times, in most countries today, sunset can bring the family together at the end of the sixth
working day to begin together the celebration of the Sabbath day. The sunset reckoning, then, is still a valid and valuable method for beginning and
ending Sabbath wherever sunset provides a balanced division between daytime and nighttime, as in Bible lands.
Equatorial Sunset Time for the Arctic
The use of the sunset reckoning becomes problematic especially in Arctic regions of the earth where at certain
times of the year the sun sets as early as noon, or as late as midnight or not at all. The crucial question is: should the beginning and the end
of the Sabbath be determined in these regions on the basis of the sunset reckoning?
As noted earlier, Seventh-day Adventists, historically, have endeavored to follow the principles of sunset
reckoning even in the Arctic regions by broadening the meaning of "sunset" to include, for example, the end of twilight, the diminishing of light,
and the moment when the sun is closest to the horizon.
Past attempts to extrapolate from the sunset reckoning some broader criteria to determine the beginning and
end of the Sabbath for the Arctic regions are indicative of the conviction that the sunset reckoning is the normative Biblical method for determining
the beginning and end of the Sabbath everywhere, irrespective of geographic location.
Personally I respect this conviction, but I have difficulty in accepting it as the only valid Biblical option
for at least four reasons. In the first place, the sunset reckoning is not dictated by the Fourth Commandment where, as noted earlier, no instruction
is given regarding the time to begin and end the observance of the Sabbath. We concluded that the absence of such instruction may be indicative of
divine wisdom in formulating a principle adaptable to different geographical locations.
The Fourth Commandment establishes the principle of believers keeping the Sabbath holy by working six days and
resting on the seventh day unto the Lord. The application of this principle is dependent upon what constitutes the end of the working day in any
given geographical area of the world.
Second, the application of the sunset reckoning in the Arctic regions when, for example, the sun sets by
noon, makes it impossible to observe the first part of the Fourth Commandment which enjoins: "Six days you shall labor, and do all your work"
(Exodus 20:9).
To stop any gainful employment on Friday sometime before noon in order to be ready to begin the observance of
the Sabbath at noon-sunset, means to reduce the working time of the sixth day, which in Biblical thought consists of approximately 12 hours from
sunrise to sunset (John 11:9; Matthew 20:1-8), to only the first two or three hours of the morning.
Moreover, to resume work on Saturday after the noon-sunset means to fulfill the working time of the sixth day,
half during the "daytime" of the sixth day and half during the "daytime" of the seventh day. By the same token to begin the celebration of the
Sabbath on Friday at noon-sunset and to end it on Saturday at the noon-sunset, means to observe the Sabbath half during the "daytime" of Friday and
half during the "daytime" of Saturday. Such a practice can hardly reflect the intent of the Fourth Commandment, which explicitly enjoins completing
one's work in six days and then resting unto the Lord on the seventh day.
A third reason why the sunset reckoning is not suitable in or near the Arctic regions for determining the
beginning and end of the Sabbath is simply because in these areas daytime is defined by the clock and not by the sun.
While in Bible lands the time between sunrise and sunset ranges constantly between 12 and 14 hours during the
course of the year, in the Arctic regions the range can be from less than 3 hours in December to more than 18 hours in July. This means that while in
Bible lands sunrise and sunset provide a logical and balanced division between daytime and nighttime, or working time and resting time, in the Arctic
regions this division must be defined, not by sunrise and sunset, but by the clock.
To insist on using the sunset reckoning in the Arctic regions for determining the end of the sixth day and
thus the beginning of the seventh day means to disrupt the balance established by God between the daytime for work and the nighttime for rest. If, as
Christ said, there are "twelve hours in the day" (John 11:9), then in those places where the sunset reckoning would reduce the daytime to 6
hours or less, the end of the daytime and the beginning of the Sabbath must of necessity be determined not by the sun but by the clock.
A final reason for favoring a different method from the sunset reckoning in or near the Arctic regions is the
apparent coexistence of two methods of day reckoning in Bible times: sunrise to sunrise and sunset to sunset.
If this conclusion is correct, and in my view the evidence favors it, then the Bible provides a justification
for adopting a different method of day reckoning in those Arctic regions where the sunset reckoning is difficult and even impossible to use for
certain periods. What method should then be used in the Arctic regions for determining the beginning and the end of the Sabbath?
In the light of the foregoing discussion, the most suitable method of Sabbath reckoning in the Arctic regions
is, in my view, according to the equatorial sunset time, that is from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. This method, as noted earlier in this chapter, was first
introduced by Joseph Bates and was used by the early Adventist believers during the first 10 years of their history.
Reasons for equatorial sunset in Arctic
My reasons for favoring the equatorial sunset time for the Arctic regions are essentially three.
First, the observance of the Sabbath in the Arctic regions from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. would preserve the integrity
of the working time of the sixth day which is presupposed in the first part of the Fourth Commandment: "Six days you shall labor, and do all your
work" (Exodus 20:9).
An important point often ignored is that the Fourth Commandment ordains not only rest on the seventh day unto
the Lord, but also work on six days to endeavor to complete one's work by the end of the sixth day.
In fact, it is the fulfillment of the latter which makes the former possible. The sunset reckoning in Arctic
regions, by shortening the working time of the sixth day at certain periods of the year to half a day or less, undermines the integrity of the
working time of the sixth day, and thus makes it more difficult to complete one's work in preparation for the Sabbath.
To respect the integrity of the working time of the sixth day, however, does not imply that one ought to be
engaged in gainful employment until the very end of the day. On the contrary, Friday was rightly called the "Day of Preparation" because part
of the work done on that day was in preparation for the Sabbath.
Emperor Caesar Augustus himself acknowledged the right of the Jews to be released from civil obligations
earlier on Friday by legislating that Jews "be not obliged to go before any judge on the day of preparation after the ninth hour," that is, after
about 3 p.m. The obvious reason for this legislation was to enable the Jews to have adequate time to prepare themselves for the arrival of the
Sabbath.
A second reason for favoring the equatorial sunset time for the Arctic regions is the fact that it is quite
compatible with the sunset time of the Bible lands.
A comparison between the sunset tables at the latitude of Palestine with those at the equator reveals that on
the average there is less than one hour of difference between the two during the course of the year. Thus the equatorial sunset time comes very close
to that of Bible lands while providing at the same time a consistent method of day reckoning.
A third reason is suggested by the fact that equatorial sunset time is compatible with the working schedule
of most people living in the Arctic regions.
Compatibility with the equatorial or Palestinian sunset time per se is not a determining factor. Nowhere does
the Bible or even common sense suggest that the sunset time of Palestine or of the equator must be the normative time for determining the end of the
day and the beginning of a new day in all the regions of the earth. What makes this compatibility recommendable, however, is the fact that the sunset
time of Palestine, like the one of the equator, does respect the working schedule of most people living in such northern lands as Alaska, Norway,
Sweden, Finland.
In these northern lands, as in most industrialized nations, the working day of most people terminates between
5 and 6 p.m. This hour of the day is rightly known as the "rush hour" because it is the hour when most people are rushing home at the end of their
working day.
The equatorial sunset time, then, by being compatible with the termination of the working day of most people
living in the Arctic regions, offers a rational method for observing the Sabbath from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m. Furthermore, we have seen that this method is
compatible with the Palestinian sunset time, besides preserving the integrity of the sixth day of work (Exodus 20:9), which is presupposed by the Fourth
Commandment.
Conclusion
Three major conclusions can be drawn from the investigation conducted in this article:
First, the absence of any specific instruction in the Fourth Commandment regarding the time for
beginning and ending the Sabbath suggests that divine wisdom has chosen to leave the determination of the time factor open to accommodate differing
geographical situations.
Second, the reasons which made the sunset reckoning normative in Bible times for beginning and ending
the Sabbath are reasons which are still valid and valuable today. This is true wherever sunset respects to a large degree the integrity of the sixth
working day by providing a balanced division between daytime and nighttime as in Bible lands.
Lastly, in the Arctic regions where the sun sets very early, very late, or not at all, it is advisable
in my view to observe the Sabbath from 6 p.m. to 6 p.m., according to the equatorial sunset time. This method, we have seen, preserves the integrity
of the sixth working day, is compatible with the sunset time of Bible lands, and respects the working schedule of most people living in the Arctic
regions.
The intent of this last recommendation is not to make an already difficult situation worse by suggesting a
different method of reckoning the Sabbath. Rather, it is my fervent hope that this study with its resulting recommendation, will contribute to the
resolution of the complex problem of Sabbath reckoning in the Arctic regions and not to its intensification.
If differing views should persist on the time for beginning and ending the Sabbath in the Arctic regions, it
is my hope that the spirit of mutual respect, compassion, and charity will prevail.
Written by: Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi
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