Sabbaths of Sabbaths
The seven Sabbath of Sabbaths ('ϹΑΒΒΑΤΑ ϹΑΒΒΑΤⲰΝ') are only properly defined in the Greek OT. The Hebrew OT provides here a term translated with 'sacred rest', 'solemn rest' or 'special day of rest', which is sometimes translated by extension with 'Extraordinary Sabbath' (see Lev 23:32) and commonly called 'Ceremonial Sabbaths' / 'High Sabbaths').
- Lev 16:31 Greek OT: "ϹΑΒΒΑΤΑ ϹΑΒΒΑΤⲰΝ ΑΝΑΠΑΥϹΙϹ ΑΥΤΗ ΕϹΤΑΙ ΥΜΙΝ, ΚΑΙ ΤΑΠΕΙΝⲰϹΕΤΕ ΤΑϹ ΨΥΧΑϹ ΥΜⲰΝ, ΝΟΜΙΜΟΝ ΑΙⲰΝΙΟΝ.
Translation: "A Sabbath of Sabbaths it shall be to you, and you shall humble your souls - it is an eternal statute."
Lev 23:32 Greek OT: "ϹΑΒΒΑΤΑ ϹΑΒΒΑΤⲰΝ ΕϹΤΑΙ ΥΜΙΝ, ΚΑΙ ΤΑΠΕΙΝⲰϹΕΤΕ ΤΑϹ ΨΥΧΑϹ ΥΜⲰΝ. ΑΠΟ ΕΝΑΤΗϹ ΤΟΥ ΜΗΝΟϹ ΑΠΟ ΕϹΠΕΡΑϹ ΕⲰϹ ΕϹΠΕΡΑϹ ϹΑΒΒΑΤΙΕΙΤΕ ΤΑ ϹΑΒΒΑΤΑ ΥΜⲰΝ."
Translation: "A Sabbath of Sabbaths it will be to you. And you shall humble your souls from the ninth of the month. From evening to evening you shall observe the Sabbath of your Sabbaths."
Translation from the Hebrew OT: "It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall deny yourselves on the ninth day of the month in the evening - from evening to evening you must observe your Extraordinary Sabbath."
Why Are The Sabbaths of Sabbaths Abolished?
IESOUS provided the ultimate atonement for our sins and made therefore obsolete the Day of Atonement.
The other 6 Sabbaths of Sabbaths cannot be celebrated anymore - due to the following reasons:
Under the Old Covenant Laws of Moses - specifically the former Ceremonial Laws.
The temple is now absent, required for the animal sacrifices being an integral part of those feasts.
Everyone who ate leavened bread during Passover, was put to death (Exo 12:15).
No uncircumcised foreigner (any national not being a Jew) was even allowed to eat the Passover (Exo 12:43-49).
Passover was always an Internal festival (Domestic & Inbound Tourism, only in Jerusalem according to Deut 16:5-6), not an International or Global festival. The only time it was kept outside of the land of Canaan, was on the evening when the Israelites were about to leave Egypt, but the biblical account makes it clear that the festival week itself starts on Abib 15, the precise day the Israelites left Egypt. "And if there should come to you a stranger in your land, and should keep the passover to KYRIOS, he shall keep it according to the law of the Passover and according to its ordinance: there shall be one law for you, both for the stranger, and for the native of the land." Num 9:14
Paul even left his church plant behind and traveled to Jerusalem to partake in the Pentecost (Act 20:16). He was not joined on this trip by the new converts. If there would be an obligation for Christians to follow this day, then Paul would have either shown the believers in Ephesus how to celebrate it or would have invited them to join him in Jerusalem. None of both options occurred. It is therefore clear that local Jews might still be free today to follow those specific days, but that there is no instruction for believers of other nations to do so.
The Apostle John specifically points out that the Passover Week and the Feast of Booths are of the Jews (Joh 6:4 "And the Passover was near, the celebration of the Jews." Joh 7:2 ". . . and the celebration of the Jews was near - that of Shelters . . ."
Most references quoted by Hebrew Roots, Messianic Jews, Pryguny, Seventh-Day-Adventists and the United Church of G-d include references prior to CHRISTOS' death & resurrection (Mat 26:2, 17, Mar 14:12-16, Luk 2:41-42, Luk 22:1, Joh 2:13, Joh 6:4, Joh 7:1-14, Joh 13:1-30), to communion erroneously being equated with Passover (1Cor 11:23-29), strictly metaphorical references (1Cor 5:6-8), extremely vague references (Act 18:21, Act 27:9), or future references where the sole mention of a trumpet call is suddenly a proof for the continuation of the Feast of Trumpets (Mat 24:30-31, 1Th 4:16-17, Rev 11:15).
Correct references include Act 2:1-21, Act 20:6, Act 20:16, 1Cor 16:8, but those celebrations were -NEVER- held outside of Israel. On all missionary trips, we find numerous references of obeying locally the Weekly Sabbath, but not once of obeying a Ceremonial Sabbath locally.
The following studies include more details about the Sabbaths of Sabbaths: