Q&A Home > F > Feasts When did the first church including St. Mary and the Apostles depart from the old Jewish rituals? The transition from the Jewish to Christian rituals and celebrations came gradually. We cannot say that on a certain date everything was converted from Jewish to Christian rituals. The changes started of course at the time of the Apostles and we read in the book of Acts "Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread" (Acts 20:7). The Apostles continue to participate in some of the Jewish feasts, not to celebrate the occasion itself but to have an opportunity to teach and gain more converts to the church. St. Paul says to the Ephesians "I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing" (Acts 18:21). St. Cyril's Liturgy, we pray with today, is a modified version of the liturgy composed by St. Mark the apostle. There were no churches built during the time of the Apostles because of the persecutions. However the apostles used to gather in houses and break bread (Acts 2:46).
It is hard to say precisely which feasts the apostles celebrated but we know that they celebrated the feasts of the Resurrection of our Lord and the Pentecost commemorating the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church (Acts 20:6; 20:16; 1 Cor 5:7-8; 1 Cor 16:8).
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