![\"\"](\"\/bacchiocchi.jpg\")
\nSamuele Bacchiocchi<\/p>\n
\nSamuele Bacchiocchi<\/p>\n
COGwriter<\/a><\/p>\n Famed SDA scholar and historian Samuele Bacchiocchi died on December 20, 2008.\u00a0 On this anniversary of his death, I would like to reflect on some of what he did that influenced my own work and research.<\/p>\n Samuele Bacchiocchi was challenged on the biblical holy days, and even though most Adventists do not observe them, he correctly decided that the Bible taught otherwise.\u00a0 He also wrote several books about them, which I purchased and have found helpful.<\/p>\n Dr. Bacchiocchi realized that biblical scholarship supported the seventh-day Sabbath<\/a>, and even was able to receive his doctorate from the the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and was awarded a gold medal by Pope Paul VI for his summa cum laude<\/em> class work and dissertation, \u201cFrom Sabbath to Sunday: A Historical Investigation of the Rise of Sunday Observance in Early Christianity.\u201d<\/p>\n Samuele Bacchiocchi realized that although many SDAs were observing Christmas<\/a>, that this would not biblically appropriate.\u00a0 He correctly observed, \u201cIt is a known fact that the pagan feast of the Dies Natalis Solis Invicti \u2013 the birthday of the Invincible Sun, was held on that date.”<\/p>\n Samuele Bacchiocchi’s writings helped me better document changes that his church made in regards to its understanding of the Godhead. (The SDAs were once “semi-Arians<\/a>” but now are almost exclusively trinitarians<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Samuele Bacchiocchi and I occasionally corresponded through emails.\u00a0 He encouraged my project on Ignatius and the Sabbath (see Another Look at the Didache, Ignatius, and the Sabbath<\/a>) and I encouraged him to update the book based upon his dissertation as it had one or more referential issues that needed correction as some where relying on an error he had made (see TPM: Passover on the 14th or 15th?<\/a>).<\/p>\n Anyway, Dr.\u00a0 Bacchiocchi was a valuable resource to me and personally he seemed to like me.\u00a0 Because of him, I also made other contacts within the SDA movement that has helped me with some other research projects.\u00a0 Samuele Bacchiocchi is still missed, however, a year after his death.<\/p>\n