TY  - BOOK
AU  - Popolo, Ignatius Kapula 
TI  - The Sabbath as Creation and Redemption: A Zambian Contextual Reading 
PY  - 2023///
CY  - Johannesburg
PB  - South African Theological Seminary
KW  - Sabbath
KW  - Biblical teaching
KW  - Creation
N2  - This thesis discusses how pastors and church leaders in Zambia may use theologies of 
creation and redemption to create a contextual understanding of the Sabbath. Having 
conducted the literature review on the Sabbath, it was discovered that the Sabbath is a 
highly contested issue, especially with some Sabbath debates predominantly focusing 
on its validity for Christianity. Such contestations are pivoted on the relationship of the 
old covenant to the new, the nature and role of the biblical law, interpretation of the 
Decalogue, Christ’s attitude and teaching about the Sabbath, and how the church has 
historically related the subject of the Sabbath. Yet it is widely accepted that the abbath 
in Decalogue encapsulation was motivated by creation and redemption, the two central 
concepts in the redemptive history climaxed in Christ Jesus. Also, it was discovered that some pastors and church leaders in Zambian Christianity discuss the Sabbath largely in terms of day of worship. 

Sabbath passages like Gen 2:1-3, Exod 20:8-11, Deut 5:12-15, Lev 23:1-3, and Isa 56:1-8 were examined to determine what the Hebrew Bible (OT) teaches about the Sabbath. It was discovered that the OT understands the Sabbath to be eternally binding on humanity and affected socioreligious relationships. 

Then, secondary sources on the Sabbath were examined and diverse views informed 
the Sabbath perspectives in the light of the person and work of Christ. The study 
discovered that there are diverse Sabbath positions, which sustain the creation and 
redemptive aspects of the Sabbath. Also, it discovered that Christ did not abrogate the 
Sabbath, but fulfilled it to be become an everyday life experience for humanity. An 
analysis of how the church attempts to implement the cause for creation and 
redemption was done. 

Since creation and redemptive theologies remain central to the Sabbath, the study attempted to investigate their implications at family and community socioreligious relations in Zambian context. Recommendations were made in the light of identified gaps requiring further explorations to supplement the discoveries of this study.

ER  -