RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Fast-Day Fasting
mentioned by Gennadius. Whether Fastidius really wrote two books, as Gennadius says, must remain undecided. The Vita Christiana is pervaded by a Pelagian spirit and mode of thought, but this could easily have escaped Gennadius, since the author " indicates and betrays his Pelagianism rather than speaks it out openly and directly " (Caspari, 360). It also has points of contact with the letters of the Pelagian Agricola (Caspari, 375 sqq.; see Agricola). The Epist. ad fastidium of Fastidius is in Pitra, Analecta, i. 134, sqq., Paris, 1888. (N. Bonwetsch.)
Bibliography: H. Wharton, Hist, de episcopis et decanis Londmensibus, p. 6, London, 1695; Tillemont, Memoires, article " S. Germain "; Kiinstle, in TQS, lxxxii (1900), 193- 204.
FASTING.
I. Hebrew. The Fast Before Easter (§ 3).
IL In the Church. The Advent Fast (§ 4).
Weekly Fasts (§ 1). Other Fasts (§ 5).
The Conception of Fast- Mode of Observance (§ 6).
ing (§ 2). The Present Practise (§ 7).
I. Hebrew: The word commonly used in Hebrew to express the idea of fasting is a common Semitic possession, is used by Arameans, Arabs, and Ethiopians, and appears in both the early and the late Old Testament writings (II Sam. xii. 16; Dan. ix. 3). In Isa. lviii. 3 " fasting " is in parallelism with " afflict the soul," a phrase often used to express the idea (Lev. xvi. 29, 31; Num. xxix. 7). The occasions of fasting among the Hebrews appear to have been three: (1) As a preparation for some religious duty. Thus Moses remained fasting on Sinai for forty days and nights when about to receive the tables of the decalogue (Ex. xxxiv. 28), and Daniel fasted for a considerable time before receiving his revelation (Dan. ix. 3, x. 2, cf. T. Noldeke, Geschichte des Qorans, Gottingen, 1860). (2) As an accompaniment or manifestation of mourning. So the Jabesh-Gileadites and David mourned Saul (I Sam. xxxi. 13, II Sam. i. 12). The fact that David did not mourn after the death of his child by Bathsheba caused surprise in his attendants, and this suggests the customariness of fasting after a death. There was doubtless some religious significance in the act (cf. Wellhausen, HeUentum, p. 182). (3) As an act of self-abnegation and humility to conciliate deity (I Kings xxi. 28; Jer. xiv. 12). Specific cases are: David, when he feared the death of his child (II Sam. xii. 16); Ahab, to avert the disaster predicted by Elijah (I Kings xxi. 27-29); Nehemiah, over the sad condition of Jerusalem (Neh. i. 4); the whole people fasted in times of peril or misfortune (II Chron. xx. 3; Jer. xxxvi. 9; I Mace. hi. 47). In postexilic times the days on which disasters had occurred were celebrated as fast-days (Zech. vii. 3), and it became a manifestation of consciousness of sin (Neh. ix. 1; cf. I Kings xxi. 9). The fast was also employed to secure a happy issue out of dangerous circumstances (I Sam. xiv. 24; Esther iv. 16). By the Law only one fast was ordained, that of the Day of Atonement (Lev. xvi. 29, cf. verse 21; see Atonement, Day of). Accompaniments of the fast were ceremonies like the rending of clothing and placing of ashes on the head. The usual period of abstention was one day (I Sam. xxiv. 14), though it might be three days (Esther iv. 16) or
during seven days from morning till evening (I Sam. xxxi. 13). In postexilic times the tendency was to multiply fasts, in face of the clear pronouncements of the prophets (cf. Isa. lviii. and Zech. vii. 5-6). See Synagogue. (F. Buhl.)
II. In the Church: The primitive Church took over the custom of fasting from Judaism. Jesus did not oppose the practise which he found prevalent (see above); he condemned only the ostentatious fasting of the Pharisees (Matt. vi. 16-18). From Judaism also the Church took the oldest injunctions concerning Christian fasting. The
Jews had observed Monday and Thurs-
i. Weekly day as fast-days, and whoever wished
Fasts. to fast did so on those two days, though
there was no general command to fast. There were also optional fast-days. The Gentile- Christian Churches appointed Wednesday and Friday. That from the beginning two days were thus distinguished shows the dependence on Judaism, although a protest is also evidenced by the change of days. In the time of Paul no definite Christian custom seems to have existed (Rom. xiv. 5-6), but there was one by the time of the Didache (viii. 1). In Tertullian's day the optional character of fastdays was still emphasized (De oratione, xviii.); later they became obligatory, and all that was left to the individual was the extent of the fast. It usually lasted to the ninth hour. Fasting was based in principle upon the suffering of Christ. The commemoration of the death of Jesus on Friday seems to be very old, and it is possible that from the beginning (cf. Mark ii. 20), as the resurrection of Jesus was commemorated every Sunday, so was his death every Friday. For the observance of Wednesday it was not so easy to find such a motive; and the various artificial derivations of the usage from the history of the Passion, designating it as the day on which Jesus was betrayed, or on which the Sanhedrin decided to kill him, are obviously later justifications of the choice of a day. From the beginning of the third century a third weekly fast, on Saturday, was instituted in Rome. The explanation of this varies. The statement is clearly legendary that Peter before his struggle with Simon Magus induced the Church at Rome to fast with him on Saturday, and that this practise had been maintained ever since (Cassian, De institutis coenobiorum, iii. 10). But it is not impossible that the Saturday fast was considered a weekly repetition of the fast before Easter, as Innocent I. (Epist., xxv. 4) and Augustine (Epist., xxxvi. 21) state. It is possible, too, that an anti-Jewish temper may have led to the institution, and that afterward, because the Jews celebrated Saturday as a festival, the Christians dishonored it by fasting. The Roman custom did not spread widely. The East always declined to adopt it and from the end of the fourth century considered Saturday as well as Sunday a holy day. Even Milan refused to adopt the Roman custom, and in Africa it was observed only here and there (Augustine, Epist., xxxvi. 31). When in the West three fast-days in the week appeared too many, Wednesday, not Saturday, was given up. But the most important and solemn fast-day was always Friday.
Fasting'