I. Earlij Church. — Fasting and abstinence have been practised in the Christian Church from the begin- ning [see Abstinen'ck] as means of self-discipline. Where the ascetic spirit has prevailed, fasting has been used as a means of mortification and penance. See Asceticism ; Mortification ; Penance. In the N. T. fasting appears either (1) as a token of sor- row or repentance, or ("2) as a means of preparation for and aid in the discharge of spiritual duties (e. g. prayer, etc.). It was free from superstition ; and the N. T. nowhere makes fasting, of itself, a means of grace. But the ascetic tendency in the early Church led to reliance on fisting, etc., as not only helps to, but substitutes for, the inward and spiritual life. The theory which placed the origin and seat of sin in tlie body [see Sin] also tended to give value to the prac- tice of fasting. It came at last to be considered as an effectual means of securing forgiveness of sin. The earliest notices of fasting in the Christian writers arc in a better vein. "The days of holy consecration, of penitence and prayer, which individual Christians ap- polntoci for their own use, were oftentimes also a sort of fast-days. That they might be less disturbed by sense while their minds were intent on holy things, thej'^ were accustomed on such days to confine their bodily war.ts within stricter limits than usual, or else to fast entirely, where we must take into considera- tion the peculiar nature of that hot climate in which Chri>tianity first began to spread. '\\'hatever they saved by their abstinence on these days was appropri- ated to tlie maintenance of the poor brethren" (Nean- der, Church Ilistory, Torre)-'s, ii, 274).
We cite some of the Apostolical Fathers. Hermas (1st century). Shepherd (Shnil. v, eh. iii) : "This fast- ing is ver}- good, j)rovidcd that the commandments of the Lord be observed. Observe as follows the fasting you intend to keep. First of all, refrain both from speaking and from hearing what is wrong ; and cleanse thy licart from all pollution, from all revengeful feel- ings, and from all covetousncss ; and on the day thou fastest content thyself with bread, vegetables, and wa- ter, and thank God for these. But reckon up -what thy meal on this day would have cost thee, and give the amount to some widow, or orphan, or to the jioor. Happy for thee if, with tliy children and whole house- hold, thou observest these tilings." (Sec also Sii7ijl. V, ch. i.) The Kpistle of Barnabas declares -that the Jewish fasts are not true fiists, nor acceptable unto God, and cites Isa. Iviii, 4-9, as giving t)ie true fast "which God hath chosen." The Epistle of Pohjcarp
(2d century) exhorts Christians " to return to the word handed down from the beginning, watching unto pvay- er, and persevering in fasting" (ch. vii). Justin Mar- tjT (f 165) also cites Isa. Iviii as giving the "true fast," and applies it to practical life. He sijcaks, how- ever, of fasting being joined with praj'er in the admin- istration of baptism {Dial. c. Trijph. ch. xv). Ircnajus (f 200) speaks of the fast before Easter, and says, " Not onlj' is the dispute respecting the daj', but also re- specting the manner of fasting. For some tliink they ought to fast only one day, some two, seme more da3'S ; some compute their day as consisting of fortj' hours night and day; and this diversity existing among those that observe it is not a matter that has just sprung up in our times, but long ago among those before us, who perhaps, not having ruled with suffi- cient strictness, established the practice that arose from their simplicity and inexperience. And yet with all, these maintained peace, and we have maintained peace with one another; and the very difl'ercnce in our fasting establishes the unanimitj' in our faith" (Eusebius, Ch. History., v, 24). Clement of Alexandria (f 220.') notices the fact that many kinds of pagan worship rccjuired cclibacj' and abstinence from meat and wine in their priests ; that there were rigid ascet- ics among the Indians, n;.nieh-, the Samaneans, and hence argued that usages which may exist also in other religions, and even be combined with supersti- tion, cannot, in themselves considered, be peculiarly Christian. He then adds: "Paul declares that the kingdom of heaven consists not in meat and drink, neither therefore in abstaining from wine and flesh, but in righteousness and peace, and joy in the Hcly Ghost. As humility is shown, not by the castigation of the body, but b}' gentleness of disposition, so also abstinence is a virtue of the soul, consisting not in that which is without, but in that which is within the man. Abstinence has reference not to seme one thing alone, not merely to pleasure, but it is absti- nence also to despise money, to tame the tongue, and to olitain by reason the dominion over sin" (Strom, lib. iii). Clement also speaks of weekly fasts as the usage of the Church. It appears to be clear that weekly fasts were observed in the Church before the end of tlie 2d century, but that they were not enfcrccd as essential means of grace. The Montanists were rig- orous to excess with regard to fasting. "Besides the usual fasts, the}' observed special aerrphnfji(e (jiridus victiis), as they were called ; seasons of two weeks for eating only dry, or, properly, unco( ked food, bread, salt, and water. The Church refused to sanction these excesses as a gerteral rule, but allowed ascetics to car- ry fasting even to extremes. A confessor in Lj'ons, for example, lived on bread and water alone, but for- sook that austerity when reminded that he gave of- fence to otlier Christians bv so despising the gifts of God" (Schafl!", Ch. Hist, i, § 90). Tertullian (f c. 220), in his De Jejuniis, complains of the little attention paid liy tlie Catholic Church to the practice of fasting, thereby showing that liberty of judgment was exer- cised with regard to it. C)rigen s] eaks of AVednes- davs and Fridays in the Church at Alexandria as fast- daj's, on the ground that our Lord was betrayed en a Wednesday and crucified on a Friday {Horn, x on Le- vilicJis).