Still later is the observance of the 13th of Adar as a fast day. (See Pomp[.) While the earlier prophets denounced the custom of fasting, the later prophetic writers seem to have regarded it as valuable. Prayer and fasting are often united, and the necessity of fasting as a prepara tion for divine revelations is emphasized (Dan. ix. 3; x. 2, 3, 12; IV. Ezra v. 13; vi. 31). The Pharisaic party practiced fasting on two days in the week, llonday and Thursday, though it is doubtful whether it ever was more than partial; the Essenes were led by their ascetic tendencies to attach much value to fasting, while the Saddu eees, more conservative in such matters, did not go beyond the fast days prescribed in the law. As the Babylonian exile, rendering sacrifices im possible for a time, led to a development of fast days, so the misfortunes that in later times have befallen the Jewish people have occasioned the establishment of new fast days. These, however, have not become permanent. There are half days of fasting at the summer and winter solstices which may go back to earlier times; those before Bosh Hashshana, or the New Year's Day, and the Day of Atonement, seem to be later developments. Fasting is often prescribed on certain memorial days. An orthodox Jew fasts on his birthday after reaching the age of thirteen, and on the birthday of his first-born son till the latter reaches the age of thirteen, in commemoration of the sparing of the Israelite first-born in Egypt. The anniversary of the death of parents is also similarly observed. Fasting with the Jews al ways implies entire abstinence and lasts from daybreak till the appearance of the first three stars, except on the Day of Atonement and the 9th of Ab, when the period begins with sunset of the preceding day. Children, pregnant women, and the sick are exempted from the observance of fasting.
In the reported sayings of Jesus, He refers only twice to fasting. In Matt. vi. 16-1S, He says: "When thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face, that thou he not seen of men to fast," thus condemning all ostentatious fasting, and in ferentially all public display of contrition. In 'Matt. ix. 14-17 and parallels, He answers the question why He and His disciples do not fast. All scholars are agreed that the strikingly orig inal utterances concerning the new wine and the old bottles and the new piece and the old garment are genuine. Assuming the authenticity also of the remarks concerning the bridegroom who is to be taken away, Roman Catholic interpreters understand, not improperly, the words, "And then they shall fast in those days," to be a direct exhortation, and that the disciples were only ex empted from fasting during the presence of their Master on earth. This must indeed have been the manner in which the words were apprehended in the early Church. But the genuineness of this saying is seriously questioned by competent critics, and it is most naturally understood as a justification of a practice not observed by Jesus Himself or His disciples in His lifetime, but subse quently adopted. It seems to be earlier than the story of His fast for forty days (Matt. iv.). These passages probably show that at the end of the first century fasting was quite generally ob served in the Church. This is also shown by Acts xiii. 2, 3; xiv. 23; II. Cor. vi. 5; xi. 27, and the interpolations found in the received text of Matt. xvii. 21; Mark ix. 29; Acts x. 30; I. Cor. vii. 5. In the Oxyrhyncus fragment containing what claim to be the sayings of Jesus. He is repre sented as having said, "If ye fast not in respect of the world, ye shall not find the Kingdom of God." The language is probably to be taken figuratively, may be directed against physical fasting, and certainly does not come from Jesus.
Fasting was required as a preparation for holy acts and feasts, for ordination and baptism. The forty hours between Friday afternoon and Sun day morning, commemorating the time when Christ lay in the sepulchre, were annually cele brated, and early fathers all nde to the forty days of Lent as handed down and observed by the Church. The moral earnestness of the Montanis tic movement found expression in vigorous fast ing. (See MoNTANIts.) While Wednesdays and Fridays had no doubt been observed by fasting before his time, Alontanus emphasized the neces sity of abstaining from all food on these days, and probably was the first to lay down definite rules concerning fasting. The growing Catholic Church was led by this movement to regulate more closely the matter of fasting and to grant certain relaxations. At the Council of Orleans (541), abstinence from meat during Lent, ex cept on Sundays, was prescribed. The eighth Council of Toledo (633) declared those who ate meat during Lent sinners unworthy to partake in the resurrection. But the severe laws on this subject which prevailed in earlier times gener ally, and were made ptill stricter in the monastic rules (the Cistercians, for example, eating noth ing at all until two o'clock in the afternoon), have been much relaxed in later days as a comps Sion to the needs of modern complexity of life and severity of climate. To regulate details of fasting has always been considered as within the authority of the Church: in George Herbert's phrase, "The Bible bids us Church says `Now.'" Accordingly the power of dispensation is considered by Roman Catholic theologians to re side primarily and universally in the Pope, for prnetieel purposes also in the bishops, and (for individual eaves) in parish priests and eonfess ors. Fasting is divided into the natural or abso lute and total fast, which moans entire ab stinence from any sort of food or drink, no matter in how small quantities; the ecclesiastical or partial fast; and abstinence. The first only applies to the regulation for those who are to receive holy Communion; it lasts from the pre vious midnight until after communion, and is never relaxed except in the ease of the dying. The second allows only one full meal in the day, with a small collation in the evening, and two ounces of dry bread with the morning coffee or tea. The third does not regulate the quantity, but forbids the use of meat. Normally, all week days in Lent, the ember-days (q.v.) at the four seasons, certain vigils (q.v.), and in some coun tries the Wednesdays and Fridays in Advent, are observed as strict fasts under the above defini tion; but the regulations vary considerably in detail in different countries. Recently a dispen sation granted for ten years and already once renewed allows the bishops of the United States to relax very much the Lenten fast for the work ing clases. Those who are under twenty-one or over sixty, the insane, sick, or convalescent per sons, pregnant and nursing women, and those whose occupations are specially laborious or ex hausting, are excused from fasting. Strictly, the prohibition of flesh-meat includes the prod ucts of the animals whose flesh is not to be eaten, as milk, butter, cheese, eggs, classed together as lacticinia ; but in northern countries, at least, these are usually allowed, either by custom or express dispensation. The Roman Catholic Church regards fasting as a means of grace, under two aspects—that of the actual mortifica tion and that of obedience to ecclesiastical pre cept.