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Show I I1 , . ---1- 1 - , - , - " " _ " " 1II # ' ' _ - ' ' ' ' ' : ' II IIConcerning j rConceIillg Concerning nthe the Origin Originand OriginJ and Observance of Lent Lent'sHF . y < < * < 1r ? ' WHB HE forty forh forts d'l dl divs clays ' ) s of Lint LLnt are regarcled re 'sHF sHF ' \ & ( L girded g'1rded g1rded garcled ' as fiS being hewg ] kept .ept ept . after th thexample thtample the tht theexample ( example \ample ample " \ : of Moses Ioees Hoses : ( e\odus2-t e odus2 t Exodus " \ : 24 - _ 23)and 23and 8) 8 8)and ) and Elijah BlJjah I ( ( I kings hlllJs K1ns , . , 19 1 ! ) S 8) 8 ) . , :1 1 : and nd nbove above nbove11 aboveall aboveill \11 11 all ' \ as commemonting commemOl'1Ung commemOl1Ung couimemotating ' the - fisting f-1stmg f 1stmg fasting of ofChrIst o oChrist ofChrist f ChrIst ChrIstIatlhe ( < \ Matthew \Iatlhe\\ Iatlhe Iatlhe4 \ \ , , 4 2)The 2) 2 2)The ) The fortd'H fortv fort\ fort forty \ " di\ di d'H dH dos difist ' \ ' fist 'lst lst fast dites d"1tes d1tes dates " to the early earlyrourth earlyFourth earlyFourth rourth Fourth ccnturv centur century Its ongin ollgln origin [ is s ob.cme obcme obscure obbcuieIn ob.cmeIn obscureIn : . In the carh cnrh earls church the dUi duntion 'ltlOn ltlOn atton ' elthewas eIther elthe eItherwas eitherwas was not fixed fi.ed fied filed . or It varied in the thechurches thechurches thechurches churches In different countries countrles But Butfrom Butfrom Butfrom from the Fourth rourth century the period o ofasting of off'lstmg offisting f f'lstmg flstmg fasting ' seems to ha\ ha have hae hale \ e approximatemore appro\lmated appro lmated approximate approlmatedmore approximatedmore ' \ more or less closeln closely closel\ closel closels \ [ in n most pliccs phces places to toforty t tforty toforty forty da davs days s . , the fast being extende extended extendedover extendedover , over si\ si 51\ 51 six sior 51or \ ' or ses < ; seven een e\ e \ en weeks weel.s weels . , accordlD accordtn accordtnas accordingas as .Sundavs Sundavs , . Sundavs Sundays only or Saturdiya Saturd'lYs SaturdlYs Saturdays ' nnd nndSunda an anSundays andSundays Sunda Sundays ) s \ were ere exceptedAccording eceptedAccording excepted e\cepted e cepted exceptedAccording ' \ According ' to the Cithollc C'l.thollc Cl.thollc Clthollc Cathollc ' . Encyclo Encyclopedm Encyclopedia Encyciopedia pedm pedia , St Leo ( \ who ho died In 401) 401 ) e\ e ex ehorts exhorts exhorts " \ : horts his heirers he'1rers he1rers liearers ' to abstain abetaln : thit tl1\t tl1 t that ' \ they theymay the thevmav may ma 'fulfill fulfill ' fuum with lth their fasts the apos apostoUc apostolic apostolic toUc tolic institution Inct1tuton ; [ of the forty d'l dl days daysBut divs"But divsBut ' s " . , But the enc encyclopedii enc3clopedta 'Clopedl'l Clopedll " ' , ' adds that modern mod modern modern ern scholirs schol'lrs schollrs scholars ' ' ire 1re are almost unanimous In InI Inrejecting i irejecting inrejecting n rejecting tblsIew this tbls view \Iew Iew \ , bcciuse bec1use because the cdst exist cdsting existing existing ; : I ing remains remmns of the first three thrte centuries centurie centurieshow centuriesshow s ; show ' 'considerable considerable ' diversity dherslty disersity of pmc prat pmcBce pratflee practice Bce flee rcgirding reg'1rdlng reg1rdlng regarding ' tlie the fast before Easte Easteand Easterand aster asterand r and ' ilso 11eo also : a gndual gl'1dt1 gl1dt1 gradual ' I process of de\ de deelop develop development development \ elop elopment ment In the matter of its duiation dmatlon dmatlonII dtnation II " II'The 'The The ' The passage pnscne ; ; of pilmiry plIm'J.ry plImJ.ry plImJry primary ' . Impor Import1nce Importance importince t1nce tance , ' , ' ' it resumes , , ' is one quoted bv bvLusebius b bEusebius byEuseblus y Lusebius Eusebius from a letter of St Irenaeuto Irenneus Irenaeu Irenaeusto s to Pope Victor Ylctor In connection " with "ith ith the theLaster th thEaster theEaster e Laster Easter controveisv controCl eontrosets3 contro\ contro \ Cl e : . . Iren Irenieus leus S'1 S1 say saythere sivsthere ' s sthere there Is 1s not only a contl contt contioversy 0 os ' ersy about abou aboutthe abouthe aboutthe t the time tinie of keeping Fister r'1ster r1ster Faster ' , , but also alsoregarding als alsregarding alsoregarding regarding the preliminary prelunlnar preltminar3 ) fast . . 'ror ror 'For For ' Tor'he Torhe , ' , , ' he continues contmues , 'some some 'eome eome 'cone cone ' : think thm1 . they oughl ought oughlto oughtto t tto to fast for one diy day 'lY lY ' , . , others for two twoda tw twdays twodavs da days \ s , , and others for se\ se seel seveial sevetal \ el aI , , whl1e whl1eothel whil whilothers whileotheis e othel others s reckon reel.on reelon . forty hours both of da dand daand daind y } \nd nd and ' \ night mght to their fast * ' 'lle lle ' lie He also alco : ; urges that th:1t th1t : this vinety v'1rJety v1rJety variety ' o ousage of ofuS'1ge ofusige f uS'1ge uS1ge usage ' is of ancient dite d1te date , which wbich 1m Its 1mplies Itsplies 1mpiles m plies thit th'lt thlt that ' there could have been no noapostolic n napostolic noapostolic apostolic tradition on the subje subject ct . . . We may then fairly conclude conclud concludeth'1t concludthat concludethit e th'1t th1t that ' Iremcus Iren'J.eus IrenJ.eus IrenJeus Irenaeus ' . about nbout the time year 100 1'90 190 ' knew knewnothing kne knenothing knewnothing sy nothing of nn any any ) Eister Laster 'J.cter J.cter Jcter ' . : ; fast of fOI fort fortclays foitydivs ty tyh y clays ( h 5 The same Inference must be bedrawn b bdrawn bedrawn e drawn from the ' linguige l'lngu'lge llngulge Language ' of Tel Teitulha Teitulhaonly Tcitullianonly tulhan tulhanonh onh only a few years sears ears later . . . . . , . An Anthete And Andthel Andtheie d thel thete e is the same silence observable observabl observablin observablein In In11 ' \ ill \11 11 all the pre " Mccne "Icene Icene Nicene fathers , though thong thoughmam thongmans thoughmnnv ti mam mans had occision occ'lslon occlslon occasion ' to mention such an anapostohc anapostolic a aapostolic n apostohc apostolic institution Int1tuUon ' ) If it hid h'ld hld had ' existedPope existed e\lsted e lsted ' \ ' Popelcholas Pope Isicholas \lcholas lcholas Atcholas ! \ , " who "ho ho served sened from 858 858to S 85Sto oS " to SG7 807 SGT , , declared tliat that abstinence o oFriday on onPri onFriday n Pri Friday ay was obligatory on all aU comm commnicants comrnu comrnunlcants communicants u nlcants nicants of the Roman nom.lD nomlD . church rrldav rrldavCOll Frui Fridayconesponds 5) 5 ) v COll couesponds esponds to the diy day 1y ' of the " week eek on on"hlch o onwhich n "hlch hlch which " Jesus " was "as as crucified cruCJfied , , and many manyof man manof manyof y of the eirly e'1rly e1rly early ' Christians Chnstmns \ were ere already alreadyobsen airea aireaobsers alreadyobserving dy obsen obsers daythat Ing it as a weekly weel.ly weelly . fast da day ; that is , , i 1 a ' day ay on w " uhich "hlch hlch filch they abstamed abstamedfrom abstain abstainfrom abstainedfrom ed from beingthe eatln eatin eating , ; , ; fie flesh fie.h fieh . h moits me'lts melts meats ' Ilsb I 1 ish beln bet betthe rig the principal prlllcipal nontlcsh nonOesh nonfiesh iue me it , . , [ It t accord accordIngly accordingly actor actorIngly d Ingly became the tIle 'l\ 'l l ' fivonte 'lonte favorite \ onte food for forthocc ft ftthose forthose r thocc those : days when fte flesh h inoits m'tt mtt meats ( ' ' : . " were "ere ere for fo r bidden forbidden fobidden Also the fish was one of t tearliest theearllest the theearliest he earliest earllest ChnstlinityClevclind Clmstl1mtyCle symbols syrnbols of Chnstlinity Clmstl1mty- Clmstl1mty Cliristlanity - Cle\ Cle Clef Clevclind Cleel1ud \ el1ud eland Plain Dealer |