Fasting
Fasting, by which is meant refraining from eating for a whole
day, or even longer, has long been recognised as a required practice for
religious believers.
Jesus and his disciples were reprimanded by the Jewish
authorities (as reported in Matthew 11:19) for not observing a fast and
behaving like gluttons and drunkards, but there is no evidence that the first
Christians were opposed to the notion of fasting as such.
Indeed, the early Christians made a point of fasting on
different days from the Jews – Wednesdays and Fridays as opposed to Mondays and
Thursdays.
The Church developed a whole code of behaviour for its
members that required them to fast on specific occasions, such as preparing for
baptism or ordination. The period of Lent – the days leading up to Easter – was
long recognised as an occasion for daytime fasting. This was originally
designated as applying to just two days, but by the 4th century this
had been extended to 40 days as a way of marking Christ’s period of temptation
in the wilderness.
In the Eastern Church, Advent was also regarded as a period
of fasting.
The rules on fasting have been greatly relaxed in more
recent times, with the Roman Catholic Church (since the Second Vatican Council
of 1962-5) only requiring its adherents to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good
Friday, thus returning the practice of Lenten fasting to its original two days.
Abstinence
In general, fasting has been replaced by abstinence, i.e.
the avoidance of certain kinds of food at particular times.
The best known form of abstinence in the Roman Catholic
Church is the avoidance of meat on Fridays, with fish being substituted. Many medieval
monastic communities went to great trouble to ensure a ready supply of fish for
Friday meals, and the remains of fish ponds are a feature of many abbey ruins
that can be seen to this day - as at Whitby Abbey in the above photo.
At one time it was also declared that foetal rabbits (known
as laurices) looked enough like fish in shape to count as such in terms of
being allowed instead of meat. Many abbeys and monasteries therefore developed
extensive rabbit warrens to supply what was in any case regarded as a delicacy.
The Eastern Orthodox Churches have developed a hierarchy of
abstinence, beginning with meat but also including fish, dairy produce, oil and
wine. The most severe form of abstinence only allows consumption of bread,
water, fruit juice, honey and nuts.
© John Welford
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