One man esteems one day above another: another esteems every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
Read Chapter 14
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
At the moment, and without any deeper consideration, it seems to me that this is said about God and man, not about two men. He who judges on alternate days is man, who can judge one way today and another way tomorrow…. But the One whose judgment is the same every day is the Lord…. But let everyone dare to judge only insofar as is granted to human intelligence or at least to his own.
Between day Still observing the sabbaths and festivals of the law. (Challoner.)
And another judgeth every day. That is, thinks every day to be taken away, that was to be kept, merely because ordered under the Jewish law. And now since both they who keep days, or do not keep them; and they who eat, or who abstain, do these things which a regard to God, and according to their conscience, let no one judge, or condemn the one party, nor the other; in these things, let every man abound in his own sense. It is without grounds that some would pretend from hence, that Christians cannot be bound to fast, or abstain from flesh on certain days. The apostle speaks only of the distinction of meats, called clean and unclean, and of fasts or feasts peculiar to the law of Moses. It does not follow from hence, that the Catholic Church hath not power to command days of fasting, and abstaining, for self-denial or humiliation. (Witham)
The apostle here treats only of the subject in hand, viz. the Mosaic...
Here it seems to me that Paul is giving a subtle hint about fasting. For it is probable that those who fasted were always passing judgment on those who did not, and it is likely that some of those who fasted did so on particular days…. Paul releases those who fasted out of fear from their bondage by saying that it was something which was basically indifferent.
