Sabbath and Rest: Eusebius on Sabbath as Time for Scripture

Eusebius of Caesarea (d. 339), the father of church history, wrote about the Lord's Day as a time especially devoted to Scripture and learning. He described early Christians as using their day of rest for spiritual education: "On the day called after the sun, all gather in one place and the memoirs of the apostles are read. When the reader has ceased, the teacher gives instruction and exhortation." The early church saw rest and learning as intimately connected.

Eusebius taught that intellectual engagement with Scripture is itself a form of rest -- rest for the body paired with nourishment for the soul. The Sabbath is not merely a day off but a day devoted to the things that matter most.

Practical application: Dedicate an hour of your Sabbath to unhurried Scripture reading or spiritual reading. Not study for a class or preparation for a talk -- but reading purely for the nourishment of your soul. Eusebius teaches that one of the greatest gifts of Sabbath rest is time for the kind of deep, slow reading that busy weekdays never allow.