The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-04-03

Lent
A fast before Easter has been observed from
Che earliest Christian times; but the period Of
JUS duration varied In different countries and
ages down 90 The seventh century. OF these
variations lreuwus wrote in his epstie 10
Victor, Bishop OF Rome, about the close of the
second century, when (speaking Of the dry-
if- rules about Easter he says: "fOr the
terence OF opinion is not about the day
alone, bat about the manner of fasting; Tor
some think they are tOfast one day. some two
days, some more; some measure their days
a- forty hours OF the day and night" iren.
il Elseb.. y. 24.l
10 is left uncertain. by the words OF lren3us,
whether this universal primitive Lent OF
which he writes ever extended to forty days;
end his words read differently IN several
ancient texts Of Eusobius. In some copies
tOy are as above, but IN others and in
Hldinus they read. "FOr some think they
lre 20 fast one day. some two, some more,
some forty days and they measure their day
by the hours Of The DAY and night" Iertul-
ian. few years later, speaks of the practice
Of the Church as believed with certainty 10
be- founded on that passage OF the Gospel in
which those days were appointed for fasting,
during which the Bridegroom was taken away
This has been thought by some to point 10
Che period of forty days during which our
Lord was going through his temptation m
le wilderness; but il lis far more probable
Iat 10 refers 10 The time during Wllcn his
soul was separated from bis body. some few
years later still, however, towards the middle
o the third century. Orlgen speaks Of forty
days beng cOusecraIed 20 fasting before
Easter Hon. s.. in Levitt And 40 the Coun-
ell of Nlcaa this period was taken for granted,
as ID of long in use.
But however early the extension Of the
Lenten fast to forty DAYS may have been, it
is certain that they We're reck0ned in several
different ways, though always immediately
preceding Easter. BY various churches the
forty days We're distributed over periods OF
nine, eight and seven weeks (that is, from
>epluageslma. ceXagesima, or QWnquage-
sima To- EASTER, by the omission OF Sundays,
thursdays and saturdays; Of sundays and
saturdays; or OF sundays alone, from the
number of fasting days (see Notes on sep
tlagesma); and it would app ar that Lent
was sometimes called by the three names now
confined 20 the three Sundays preceding it, a.
well as by the name of Ouadragesma. 10.
Gregory the Great introduced our present
mode O Observance, or sanctioned it with his
authority, at the end of the sixth century,
excluding sundays from the number OF fast
in- DAYS, and making the thiTty-siX days
thus left of the fOry-tWO Immediately pre-
Ceding Easter into an exact forty, by begin
ming the fast on the Wednesday before Quad
IN-rnllud NuNQdF lNrttuA ol bI tLt 4uvIudl
following 10. This rule seems TO have been
very readily accepted in the W estern Church;
bUt the Eastern Lent begins on the Monday
after The day which we call Quinquagesima,
and the rule of fasting is 50 strict that
although some slight relaxation Of its rlgOr Is
allowed on sundays and Saturdays, not even
tle former are wholly excluded from the
number OF fasting days.
The primary object Oi the institution Of a
|lt "a ~ a. Il. M HfT-
pstuaung in the hearts OF every generation
o.. Christians the sorrow ana mourning
which the Apostles and Disciples felt during
lle time that The Bridegroom was taken away
from them. This sorrow had, indeed, been
turned into JOY by the resurrection, Yet no
Laster JOYS could ever erase from the mind
Of the Church the memory OF those awful
tty hours OF blank and desOlatiOn which
OWed the last suterings of her Lord: and
enc lives over year by year the time nom the
morning OF Good Friday 10 the morning Of
Easter day by a representation OF Christ
evidently set forth, Cruclhed among US.
I1al. iii, l.. This probably was the earliest
idea # q fast before Easter. But II almost
necessarily followed that sorrow concerning
le death OF Christ should be accompanied
by sorrow concerning the cause OF that death;
and hence the Lcnten fast became period Of
se.i.discipline, and was SO, probably, from its
Its, institution in Apostolic times. And ac-
crdng TO the literal habit which the early
Church had Of looking up % the pattern Of her
Divine Master, the forty days Of his fasting
H lAe wilderness while he was undergoing
temptation became the gauge Of the servants
Lent deriving still more force as an example
i9m the typical prophecy Of it, which was SO
evident in the case of Moses and Elijah.
SO. ChrVsOstOm speaks OF great strlctness in
fasting on the part OF many m bis day. such
as ls still found IN the Eastern Church.
"Inere are those he says, who rival one
another IN fasting, and show mary elOus
emulation in It,; some, indeed, who spend two
Whole DAYS without food; aud others WAC,
rejecting from their tables not only the use Of
Wine and OF oil, but OF every dish, and taking
only bread and water, persevere in this prac
tee during the whole Of Lent" HON. ". on
ctaLI lie also speaks IN another hOmlly OF
men being purified in the days OF Lent by
PRAYER and aims deeds, by fasting, watching,
tears and confession OF sins, showing that
ie severe Lents OF later ages were only such
d, had been observed in the time OF that
great Father Of the Church. The general
mode OF fasting seems tohaye been TO abstain
l0n food until after six O'Clock IN the after
ro9n, and even then not TO partake Of amin al
l1ld 0r wine. Yet it may be doubted whether
such "a mode of life could have been continued
GAY after day Tor six weeks by those whose
ulles called upon them Tor much physical
e1elu0n; and 10 is possible that we ought not
70 interpret 50 literally as this such illusions
T. iAe fasting Of ordinary Christians as we
meet with IN early writings.
Lent was the principal time, in the early
t-lfcn, Tor preparing the calecDumens for
baptism; and large portion Of IT. GYM g
Iatecheiical Lectures were delivered at this
season. There were also constant daily SER
mons at the services. as we see from the ex-
iessions used by ST. Chrysostom and other
lalhels. Public shows were more or less
strictly forbidden; and works OF charity were
engaged in by all VINO could undertake them
Al was a time when sinners were called upon
I'd 90 outward penance as sign OF inward
leniience. that they might be received back
" communion al Easter. Lent was, in fact,
season OF humiliation, abstinence from
pleasure fasting, prayer, pentence, and
general depression Of tone on account Of sin,
ana was marked on every side with the
OAR
The Indian and the Ancient Brtton.
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