Which Adventist theologian links Col 2:16 and Ezek 45:17?

Theological parallels between the Epistle to the Colossians and the prophet Ezekiel reveal the profound meaning of the biblical Sabbath. Adventist scholar Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi analyzed in detail the connection between these passages, defending faithfulness to God's law against erroneous interpretations.

Who Samuele Bacchiocchi Was and His Contribution
Samuele Bacchiocchi (1938–2008) made history as the first non-Catholic graduate of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he was awarded a gold medal for his doctoral dissertation. His monumental works, particularly "From Sabbath to Sunday" and "The Sabbath Under Crossfire," became key reference points in Adventist Sabbath theology. Bacchiocchi engaged in careful linguistic analysis of Holy Scripture to answer traditional objections from critics who claimed that the Apostle Paul had abolished the weekly Sabbath.

The Linguistic Parallel: Feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths
The primary argument of critics is often the passage from the Epistle to the Colossians:

"So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths" Col 2:16

Bacchiocchi pointed out that the triad "festival, new moon, sabbath" represents an established Old Testament sequence of sacred times: annual feasts, monthly new moon days, and weekly Sabbaths. The theologian directly linked this passage to the prophecy of Ezekiel, where an identical structure is used:

"It shall be the prince's part to give burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the New Moons, the Sabbaths, and at all the appointed seasons of the house of Israel" Ezek 45:17

This sequence is repeatedly confirmed in Chronicles and the prophetic books as well, for example:

"and at every presentation of a burnt offering to the Lord on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons and on the set feasts, by number according to the ordinance governing them, regularly before the Lord" 1 Chr 23:31

By acknowledging that the word "sabbaths" (Greek sabbaton) in Col 2:16, through its parallel with Ezek 45:17, can include the weekly Sabbath, Bacchiocchi fundamentally changed the course of the discussion. He showed that Adventists do not need to artificially argue that the text refers exclusively to ceremonial annual sabbaths.

The Essence of the Colossian Heresy: Judgment, Not the Abolition of the Law
Why, then, does Paul write about the Sabbath alongside food and drink? Bacchiocchi explains that Paul was not contending against the observance of the seventh day, but against a syncretic pseudo-philosophy and asceticism that had infiltrated the church at Colossae. False teachers were attempting to impose strict rules of bodily mortification upon believers, viewing the observance of festivals and the Sabbath as a means of placating the "elements of the world" or angelic powers.

The Apostle speaks out not against God's rest, but against human traditions dictating rules of conduct on that day:

"Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations—'Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle'?" Col 2:20-21

All the sacrifices and ritual prescriptions about which the prophet Ezekiel wrote regarding sabbaths and feasts pointed forward to Christ. When Christ came and gave His life on the cross, the shadow gave way to the substance, which is the Savior Himself. Ellen White emphasized that God's moral law, inscribed on tablets of stone, is eternal and unchangeable, whereas the ceremonial ordinances associated with sin offerings found their complete fulfillment at Calvary.

Practical Significance for the Modern Christian
The research of Samuele Bacchiocchi helps every believer view the fourth commandment in the right light. The Sabbath is not a means of self-justification or an instrument of Pharisaic self-torment through numerous prohibitions. It was given to mankind as a gift of grace, a joyful communion with the Creator and Redeemer.

The practical lesson is never to allow human regulations or criticism to distract us from the heart of Sabbath rest. Genuine Sabbath celebration is a celebration of the fullness of our salvation in Christ, free from fear and condemnation, filled with spiritual power and love for God and our neighbors.