Show aff concerning the orion origin and observance of lent flir HE forty das bals of lent are re y carded as being kept after example of exodus 24 2428 28 and elijah 1 I kings and above all as commemorating the fasting of christ 1 I matthew 42 the forty day fast dates to the early fourth century its origin is obscure bb in the early church tire duration either was as not used fixed or it varied in the chur churches clies in different countries but from the fourth century the period of fasting seems to have hare approximated more or less closely in most places to forty days the fast being extended over six or seen weeks according as sundays only or saturdays and sundays were excepted according to the catholic st leo N who nho ho died in e horts his hearers to abstain that may fulfill with their fasts the apostolic institution of the forty dais but the encyclopedia adds that mod ern scholars are almost unanimous in ID rejecting this view because the existing remains of the first three centuries show considerable diversity of practice regarding the fast before easter and also a gradual process of development in the matter of its duration the passage of primary importance it resumes is one quoted by eusebius Euse blus from a letter of st irenaeus to pope victor in connection with the easter controversy contro ersy irenaeus says there Is not only a controversy about the time of keeping easter but also regarding the preliminary fast tor for he continues some think they ought to fat fast for one day others for two days and others for several while others reckon forty hours both of day and night to their fast lie he also urges that this variety of usage Is of ancient date which implies that there could have been no apostolic tradition on the subject we may then fairly conclude that irenaeus about the year knew nothing of any easter fast of forty days the same inference must be drawn from the language of only a few bears later and there Is the same silence observable in all the pre nicene fathers though many had occasion to mention such an apostolic institution it if it had existed pope nicholas who served from 8 8 to declared that abstinence on friday was obligatory on all communicants of the roman church friday corresponds to the day of the week on which jesus was crucified nod and many of the early christians were already observing it as a weekly fast day that Is a day on which they abstained from eating flesh meats fish being the principal non flesh meat it accordingly became the favorite food for those days when flesh meats were forbidden also the fish was one of the earliest symbols of christianity Clevel lind plain dealer |