Volume 1

A dictionary of Christian antiquities : being a continuation of the 'Dictionary of the Bible' / edited by William Smith and Samuel Cheetham ; illustrated by engravings on wood.

Date:
[between 1890 and 1899?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A dictionary of Christian antiquities : being a continuation of the 'Dictionary of the Bible' / edited by William Smith and Samuel Cheetham ; illustrated by engravings on wood. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    994/1096 (page 974)
    was taken away. Of this mourning then, Lent is the perpetual commemoration. It is interest- ing to note here that the Montanists who ob- served three Lents in the course of the year (Jerome, Epist. 41, ad Marcellam, § 3 ; vol. i. 189, ed. Vallarsi), and kept one of them after Pentecost (Jerome, Gomni. in Matt. ix. 15; vol. vii. 51), still agreed with the Catholics in viewing it as the mourning for the absent bridegroom, in accordance with our Lord’s de- claration. (iS) This primary reason having been fixed, we need not dwell on that reason lor its main- tenance drawn from its use as a means of quick- ening zeal, and as an aid to devotion generally, since this is applicable to any fast and has no exclusive reference to Lent. This particular fast, however, served as a special preparation for sevei’al important events directly connected with Easter. Chief among these was the Easter com- munion, which, even in the earlier days of the church, when Christians ordinarily communi- cated every Sunday, must have had an excep- tional prominence ; much more in later times when this frequency of communion had greatly diminished, and we find for example canons of councils ordering that all Christians should com- municate at least three times a year, of which Easter should be one. (See e.q. Coiicil. Aga- thense [a.d. 506], cann. 63, 64 ; Labbe, iv. 1393.) This idea is dwelt upon by Chrysostom (m eos qui prirno pascha jejuaant, § 4; vol, i. 746, ed. Gaume ; also Horn. 1, § 4, vol, iv. 10), and by Jerome (Cornm. in Jonam, iii. 4; vol. vi, 416). (7) Easter again was the special time for the administration of baptism, which was necessarily preceded by a solemn preparation and fasting. The importance of the Lent fast to those about to be baptized is dwelt upon by Cyril of Jeru- salem (Catech. i. 5; p. 18, ed. Touttee). The names of those who sought baptism had to be given in some time before (^ovopaToyparpia, Pro- catecli. c. 1, p. 2 ; cf. c. 4, p, 4). A council of Carthage or lains that this shall be done a long time (^diu) before the baptism (Cone. Carth. iv. [a.d, 398] can. 85 ; Labbe, ii. 1206), but a canon of Siricius, bishop of Rome (ob. a.d. 399) defines the time as not less than forty days (Ep. i. ad Hiinerinm^ c. 2; Labbe, ii. 1018), (S) Lent was also a special time of prepara- tion for penitents who looked forward to re- admission for the following Easter. (See Cyprian, Epist. 56, § 3: Ambrose, Epist. 20 ad MarceP linam so/'orem, c. 26 ; Patrol, xvi. 1044 : Jerome, Cornm. in Jonam, l.c.: Greg. Nyss. Epist. Canon, ad Letoium, Patrol. Gr. xlv, 222: Petr. Alex- andr. can. 1, Labbe, i. 955 : Coneil. AnCjVanum [a.d. 314], can. 6, ih. 1457.) 3. Manner of observan e of Lent.—The special characteristics of Lent consisted in various forms of abstinence from food, the cessation of various ordinary, forms of rejoicings, the merciful inter- ference with legal pains and penalties, and the like. (o) First of all must be noted the actual fast, which was generally a total abstinence from all food till the evening, except on Sundays, and in some cases on Siturdays. (Ambrose, de Elia et Jejunio, c. 10 ; Patrol, xiv. 743 : Serm. 8 in Psal. 118 ; Patrol, xv. 1383: Basil, Horn. i. de Jejunio, C. 10; Patrol. Gr. xxxi. 181: Chrysostom, Horn. iv. in Gen. c. 7, vol. iv. 36 ; Horn. vi. in Gen. c. 6, vol. iv. 58 ; Horn. viii. in Gen. c. 6, vol. iv. 76.) As to the particular kinds of food made use of when the fast was broken for the day, there would appear to have been in early times the utmost latitude. This may be gathered, for example, from the passage of Socrates already quoted (Hist. Eccles. v. 22). “Now we may notice,” he says, “ that men differ not only with respect to the number of the days, but also in the character of the abstinence from food, which they practise. For some abstain altogether from animal food, while others partake of no animal food but fish only. Others again eat of birds as well as fishes, saying that according to Moses they also were produced from water. Others abstain also from fruits (aKp6bpva) and eggs, while some partake only of dry bread, and others not even of that. Another sort fast till the ninth hour, and then have their meal of various sorts of food ” (did<popor exoofrj ea-Tiaatv).^ He then goes on to argue that since no rule of Scripture can be produced for this observance, therefore the apostles left the decision of the matter to every man’s judgment. It will thus be seen that though the fast was to be kept throughout the day, there was as yet an absence of any restriction as to the character of the food taken in the evening; it being, of course, assnimed that great moderation was shewn, and that luxuries were avoided, in fact that the fast was not to be a technical matter of abstaining from this or that fo.'rJ, merely to enjoy a greater luxury of a different kind. The abstaining from flesh as any absolute and fundamental rule of the church was not yet insisted on, but still remained tetsome extent a matter of private judgment. An example, which illustrates a transitional state of things, is found in the incident related by Sozomen (Hist. Eccles. i. 11) of Spyridon, bishop of Tri- mythus in Cyprus. He, when once visited by a stranger at the beginning of Lent, offered him some swine’s* flesh, which was the only food he had in the house. The latter refused to partake of it, saying that he was a Christian. “ All the more therefore,” said the bishop, “ should it not be refused, for that all things are pure to the pure is declared by the word of God.” Bingham (Grig. xxi. 1.17), who cites the above instance, has strangely omitted to add that before acting thus, the bishop besought the Divine indulgence (ev^dfievos Kol o'vyyvuixTjv alrijaas), as though he were straining a point in doing as he did, though, on the other hand, such straining had not yet become a violation of a universally recog- nised law. We find a somewhat parallel illusti'a- tion in Eusebius (Hist. Eccl. v. 3), where a certain Christian prisoner named Alcibiades, who had lived on bread and water all his life, received a divine monition through Attains, one of his fellow prisoners, that he did not well in thus refusing the good gifts of God. On the other hand, we continually find protests being made against the conduct of those who, so long as the technical rules were observed, thought themselves at liberty to indulge in every luxury, instead of devoting the money saved by the fast •> The Greek here seems rather curious. Valesius con- jectured that we should read a5id</)opov, sine discrimine ciborum.