I. Practice of the Early Church. — In the age immedi- atelj^ succeeding that of the aposf les, it does not appear that much value was attached to the practice of fasting. In the Shephe7-d of llcrmas it is spoken of in disparaging terms. Verj- little notice was taken of fasting Ijy the writers of the first centuries, which may be accounted for from the discouraging influence of the doctrines of Montanus, the tenets of the new Platonic school, and the progress of Gnosticism. Hence it seems that the observance of fasts was introduced into the Church slow- ly and by degrees. We learn from Justin Martyr tliat fasting was joined with prayer at Ephesus in tlie ad- ministration of baptism, which is worth)- of being noted as an early addition to the original institution. In the 2d century, in the time of Victor and Irena;us, it had become usual to fast before Easter, yet it consisted not in a single fast, but rather in a series of solemnities, which were deemed wortliy of celebration. It was therefore the custom of several congregations to pre- pare tliemselves Ijy mortification and fasting, inaugu- rated on the afternoon of the day on which they com- memorated tlie crucifixion, and it was continued until the morning of the anniversary of the resurrection. The whole interval would thus be only about forfj"- hours (Chrj-sosfom, Oraf. adv. Judceos, iii, § 4, vol. i, p. 611 : oi —ar'tpfQ tTinrojaav, (c.r.A.; Horn, ii in Genesin,^ l,vol. iv, p. 8; Irenasus, Epist. ad ]'ictorin. Papam ; Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. V, 24 ; Dionys. Alex. Epist. Canon. ; Beveridge, Synoduon'). Clement of Alexandria, however, speaks of weekly fasts. Tertullian, in his treatise De Jejur.io, complains bitterly of the little attention paid by the Church to the practice of fasting ; by which we may see that even orthodox Christians exercised in this matter that liberty of judgment which had been sanctioned by the apostles. Origen adverts to this subject only once, in his 10th Homily on Leviticus, where he speaks in ac- cordance with the apostolical doctrine. It appears, how- ever, from his observations, that at Alexandria Wednes- days and Fridays were then observed as fast-days, on
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the ground that our Lord was betrayed on a Wednes- day, and cnicilied on a Friday. Tlie custom of the Church at the end of the -ith century may he seen from a passage of Kpiplianius: "In the whole Christian Church the following fast-days throughout the year are regu- larly observed : On Wednesdays and Fridays we fast un- til the ninth hour," etc.
Eut even at this comparatively late date there was no universal agreement in the practice of the Church in this matter, neither had fasts been established by law. Only later was the number of days (nameW, Jo?ii/) fixed according to the Greek and Latin names (jtaaapaKua- r?;=quadragesima). But for a long time the Oriental and Occidental churches differed. As the former did not permit its members to fast on the Sabbath, their fast continued one week longer (Socrates, Hist. Eccles. i, V, c. 22; Eusebius, Hist. Eccles. v, 2J:; Sozomen, Hist. Eccles. vii, 19). The custom, so far as it existed, had been silently introduced into the Church, and its ob- servance was altogether voluntan.^ at first. This fast- ing consisted in abstinence from food until three o'clock in the afternoon, but at a later period a custom was in- troduced, probably by the Montanists, aifecting the kind of food to be taken, which was limited to bread, salt, and •water.
Some, however, who had become subject to the rules of the Church, tried to compensate themselves for their privation during the fasts by banqueting on the days preceding them (Chrysostom. De pcenitentia, hom. v, § 5, vol. ii, p. 315). Others adhered literally to the rules of fasting by avoiding strictly the prohibited food, but pre- pared from that which Avas permitted costly dainties (Augustine, *rm. ccviii, § 1). The fathers and teach- ers of the Church of this period, as Chrysostom, Augus- tine, Maximus of Turin, Cajsarius of Aries, etc., spoke often against this hypocritical fasting, and showed that abstinence would then only be of service Avhen avoid- ance of sinful habits, etc., as well as contrition of heart, was connected with it. The general design, then, of the primitive Church in fasting forty days, ^ve may give in the words of Chrysostom: "Many heretofore were used to come to the communion indevoutly and inconsiderately, especially at that time, when Christ first gave it to his disciples. Therefore our forefathers, con- sidering the mischief arising from such careless ap- proaches, meeting together, appointed forty days for fasting and prayer, and hearing sermons, and for holy assemblies ; that all men in these days, being carefully purified by prayer, and alms-deeds, and fasting, and watching, and tears, and confession of sins, and other like exercises, might come, according to their capacity, with a pure conscience, to the holy table."
" The ride of fasting for Lent varied greatly. It was usual to abstain from food altogether until evening, change of diet not being accounted sufficient. St. Am- brose exhorts men : ' Differ aliquantulum, non longe lines est dici' (^Serm. viii in I'sithn c.rriii). The food, when taken, was to be of the simi>lest and least delicate kind, animal food and wine being prohibited. St. Chrysostom (Jlom. ii) on Stat.) speaks of those who for two days ab- stained from food, and of others who refused not only wine and oil, but every other dish, and throughout Lent partook of bread and water only. The Eastern Church, at the present day, observes a most strict rule of fasting. Wine and oil are aOowed on Saturdays and Sundays, but even these days arc onlj- jiartially excepted from the re- strictions of Lent. The discipline of Holy M'cek is ex- ceedingly rigorous. During Lent corporeal punishment was forbidden by the laws of Tiieodosius the (ireat : 'Nul- la supplicia sint corporis quibus (diebus) absolutio ex- pectatur animarum' (/'(«/. HicihIhs. ix, tit. xxxv, leg. v.). Public games, and tlic celebration of birthdays and mar- riages, were also interdicted (Concil. Laodic. li, liii). It was the special time for i)reparing catechuTnens for bap- tism, and most of St. CyrU's catechetical lectures were delivered during Lent. St. Chrysostom's celebrated Homilies on the Statutes were preached during this sea-