Samuele R Bacchiocchi was a Seventh-day Adventist author and theologian, best known for his work on the Sabbath in Christianity, particularly in the historical work From Sabbath to Sunday, based on his doctoral thesis from the Pontifical Gregorian University.
22 Facts About Samuele Bacchiocchi
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Samuele Bacchiocchi was known within the Seventh-day Adventist church for his opposition to rock and contemporary Christian music, jewelry, the celebration of Christmas and Easter, certain dress standards and alcohol.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi was born in Rome, Italy on 20 January 1938.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology from Newbold College in England, which was followed by a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Divinity at Andrews University in Michigan, United States; finishing in 1964.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi moved with his wife Anna to Kuyera, Shashamane district, Ethiopia, where he lectured in Bible and history.
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In 1969 they returned to Rome where Samuele Bacchiocchi studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi was the first non-Catholic to be admitted since its establishment in the 16th century.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi completed a Doctoratus in Church History in 1974 on the subject of the decline of Sabbath observance in the Early Christian church, based on his research in the Vatican libraries.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi taught in the religion department of Andrews University from 1974 till his retirement in 2000.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi regularly presented seminars worldwide, and wrote many self-published books and articles on biblical topics.
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In May 2007, Samuele Bacchiocchi announced that he had developed liver and colon cancer.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi ultimately succumbed to 4th stage liver cancer, shortly after midnight, Saturday 20 December 2008, the day before what would have been his 47th wedding anniversary.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi was with his three children and his wife.
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In 1977 Samuele Bacchiocchi published From Sabbath to Sunday, documenting the historical transition from the Saturday Sabbath to Sunday in the early Christian church due to social, pagan and political factors, and the decline of standards for the day.
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Subsequent to Samuele Bacchiocchi's work, Adventists have emphasized that the shift from Sabbath to Sunday was a more gradual process.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi has been influential in the Worldwide Church of God, which supported Sabbath-keeping until 1995, and other Sabbath keeping groups.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi supported the conservative lifestyle habits of Seventh-day Adventists, such as a vegetarian diet; abstinence from alcohol, coffee, and tea; and avoidance of rock music in church worship services.
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An official letter claimed Samuele Bacchiocchi did not receive these awards.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi defended his actions by claiming the difference between the Licentia and the Doctoratus is small and would not be understood by most English speakers.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi was the target of speculation that he was a covert Jesuit infiltrating the Adventist Church on behalf of the Vatican.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi owned a small non-academic publishing house called Biblical Perspectives, through which he self-published 16 books of his own, and a book by Graeme Bradford.
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Samuele Bacchiocchi was the primary author of the Endtime Issues email newsletter.