The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-03-11
THE ORIGIN OF LENT.
Rev. Charles Vail Says There
Is Nc Authority for This
Fast in the Bible.

list Church pom 'eThe Origin and Mean
Ing OF Fasting and the Lenten Service"
Mr., Vail said in part
The word Lent. as you are all doubt
less aware. is derived from an old Anglo
Saxon root. which means to lenten or
grow longer. and sc Lent takes its name
from the fact that it Is set in his time
of the year when the days are lengthen-
ing and looking toward summer. Then
how old is the fast? Haslit always been
kept in the church as it is today? There
undoubtedly did begin very early in the
church the custom of observing a fast
at this time of the year. At the begin
ming of Lent the period Of time through
which fasting was kept was different in
different sections of the church. 1t was
not until the fourth century that we
find any word limiting at forty lays as
being the duration of the season. 1t was
not until the ninth century that the pre-
else number of forty days was fixed by
any ecclesiastical authority and made
binding throughout the entire church.
NO AUTHORITY FOR LENTEN FAST,
OF course there is no authority for
this fast in the Bible. How does it hap
pen that the period covers just forty
lays: lhefeAfsS nothing strange in this.
mere has always been a sort of super
stition connected with the number forty.
La the Bible it plays a conspicuous part.
Y Moses was forty days in the
Mount. Elijah was forty days fed by
and another. forty days expired before
Noah opened the Ark: forty days was
me period Of embalming; Jonah gave
ties wandered forty days in the wilder
ness: Jesus tasted forty days and was
seen feIty lays after his resurrection;
days in the English law was the limit
Tor paying the tne for m-anslaughter;
the WIDOW was allowed to remain forty
decease; members of Parliament were
protected from arrest for forty days be-
fore and after the. House convened.
You can see, then. that this number
forty seems to ave ~ for a long time,
ABOUT it some sort CT charm. some magic
Importance OF some kind. But no mat
Ter ABOUT the NUMBER OF days. the chief
OF Tasting itself. How did it come to
pc believed that there was any virtue
N gong without food. or by eating a
certain article Of food at a certain time
rather than some other article? These
things do nct, spring up from the ground.
Widespread beliefs like these DO not
CUSTOM OF BARBAROUS TRIBES.
Mr.. yatl here quoted from Herbert
Spencer'ss Principles of Sociology, show
ing the universal custom in barbarian
head of the house. to destroy every7
thing that belonged to him. house, food,
were burned. SO that. as the result, the
FAMILY was reduced to absolute starya-
tion sometimes. Thus they would be
onhged to fast, whether they wanted to
"At first. then.' he continued, s.the
FAST East was necessary n being associated
wards voluntarily tasted When the need
for it did not exist. They were, they
rheo Y = a6 pdaybfn agol honor fS to the dead;
man history. this customSo OF fasting was
associated with religious ideas. 1t was
common in later times among the Hin
other people. It was supposed to please
the Gods and win their favor. When
they came to Jesus. and asked him why
His disciples did not fast. he set forth
the sons of the bridechamber fast While
the bridegroom is with them?' Blu the
be taken away, and then they win fast
That fasting when it is rea is the
natural expression of human sorrow and
g e. no need Of settling 1T by the au-
When it is natural Inc norman Tor
people to fast they will do it of their
own accord. do not believe God wants
people to suffer; that He ~rejoiees when
they are in tears; that He loves. to see
US suffer from hunger, be it voluntary
IT'S ABsURDITY.
1t Is absurd to see a person who has
spent weeks and months in a round of
festivities until he is all worn out sud
denly call a halt and become very pious.
very religious by the means of some ex-
ternal ceremony, with no change of pur-
pose whatever. 1t is absurd to see peo-
pie fasting over d~eliciously prepared
dishes OF fish and eggs, and all the deli
cacieS imaginable, except meat. Then
one Of the tendencies of the people is to
spiritual condition. How may people JIM
agine they are pious and pleasing God
just because they are keeping Lent ana
biting and slandering and gossiping
about others. There is this danger that
the people will look upon the symbol for
the thing itself. j do not doubt that .his
Lenten Service is a good thing for some
people, especially those who have been
eating heavy dinners, oyerweightlng
to stop even for forty days to give,
their bodies a chance to get right and
start afresh; But would il not be better
1t is a good thing to take account of.
mental and moral stock occasionally and,
9 See d~fh mih n Way 70 We + at ar anv g othgr t and II #
the year, then by all means let them do
it during Lent.
keeping Lent, even though he lives ideally
the rest ofathe year, If he keeps it ration
ally and turns 1t to its truest and high
eas pa thle whir 1u Of eR Wofld IL 4 nee For i nines
tenths of the year, and then an over
excess of meat is supposed to be piety
in the tenth part, and that is in the
matter of controlling meat and drink.
and the whole manner of life all the year
around so as to keep yourself in a
healthy condition both mentally, morally
and Spiritually.
1.-THE ideal life, then, is to live all the
year around so faithfully and truly that
if you keep Lent it will not be an excep-
ton 10, your general living, but the natul-
al expression of hat attitude which
should be maintained continually"
PUBLIC LIBRARY CIRCULATION.