Early Church on Friday Fasting

It’s common to view Friday fasting, especially from meat, but also a 3pm fast, as Romanist. However, I’m not convinced it’s entirely so simple. Fasting from meat on Fridays has been fairly constant throughout Church history (not to validate it), and is common in both East and West including the Lutheran and Anglican traditions.¹

John Wesley would not ordain a man to the Methodist ministry if he didn’t fast till 3pm Wednesdays (Christ’s betrayal) and Fridays (His Passion).

First, we should consider our Lord’s words on the general topic:

And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6)

The use of this phrase “when you fast” implies that Jesus expects the people He is admonishing to fast regularly, even as a matter of habit. To conclude there is friction between the above and an organized Church-wide time of fasting (where others “see” your fasting by your general obedience) is surely a misuse of this text.²

Didache

7:6 But before the baptism let him that baptizeth and him that is baptized fast, and any others also who are able; 7:7 and thou shalt order him that is baptized to fast a day or two before. 8:1 And let not your fastings be with the hypocrites, for they fast on the second and the fifth day of the week; 8:2 but do ye keep your fast on the fourth (i.e. Wednesday) and on the preparation (the sixth, i.e. Friday) day.³

The Didache (lit. ’teaching’) is an interesting source as it’s early (AD 50-120).⁴ From the above, it’s apparent that a) regular (weekly) fasting was anything but unusual and b) (Spy) Wednesday and (Good) Friday were the chosen times.

I take the chapter break to be well advised not only because of the sort of sporadic teaching section the above quotation is found in, but also because to align “fast a day or two before [baptism]” (presumably Sunday?) with “fast on Wednesdays and Fridays” would seem unnatural – though admittedly not impossible.

Note, too, the apparent draw-down of our Lord’s phrasing, pitting Christian fasting against that of the hypocrites.

Sherpherd of Hermas

What constitutes a “fast”?

The Shepherd of Hermas alludes to the actual matter of a fast, being the consumption of bread and water only:

First of all, be on your guard against every evil word, and every evil desire, and purify your heart from all the vanities of this world. If you guard against these things, your fasting will be perfect. And you will do also as follows. Having fulfilled what is written, in the day on which you fast you will taste nothing but bread and water; and having reckoned up the price of the dishes of that day which you intended to have eaten, you will give it to a widow, or an orphan, or to some person in want, and thus you will exhibit humility of mind, so that he who has received benefit from your humility may fill his own soul, and pray for you to the Lord.

The Shepherd of Hermas III.5.3⁵

He then links this with saving the money that would have been spent on luxuries and counting it as alms to the poor.

What constitutes a valid fast?

SOH is careful, though, to emphasize that simply abstaining from food in this manner is of no real benefit, especially if it leads to aloofness, or the rejection of service to others. An example of his criticism of vain fasting was already given in Chapter 1 of this similitude:

“WHILE fasting and sitting on a certain mountain, and giving thanks to the Lord for all His dealings with me, I see the Shepherd sitting down beside me, and saying, “Why have you come hither [so] early in the morning?” “Because, sir,” I answered, “I have a station.” “What is a station?” he asked. “I am fasting, sir,” I replied. “What is this fasting,” he continued, “which you are observing?” “As I have been accustomed, sir,” I reply, “so I fast.” “You do not know,” he says, “how to fast unto the Lord: this useless fasting which you observe to Him is of no value.” “Why, sir,” I answered, “do you say this?” “I say to you,” he continued, “that the fasting which you think you observe is not a fasting. But I will teach you what is a full and acceptable fasting to the Lord.”

“Listen,” he continued: “God does not desire such an empty fasting. For fasting to God in this way you will do nothing for a righteous life; but offer to God a fasting of the following kind: Do no evil in your life, and serve the Lord with a pure heart: keep His commandments, walking in His precepts, and let no evil desire arise in your heart; and believe in God. If you do these things, and fear Him, and abstain from every evil thing, you will live unto God; and if you do these things, you will keep a great fast, and one acceptable before God.”

The Shepherd of Hermas III.5.1⁵

So the SOH is more concerned with the living a holy life in obedience to God’s commands than repetitious fasting which is really no fasting at all. In doing so, SOH is taking the physical principle of fasting (abstaining from things enjoyable) and applying it spiritually (abstaining from sin). Surely there is a great deal of truth in this application, and both kinds of “fasting” should be bound up together in the life of the Christian.

Lessons

The early believers clearly practised a disciplined life of fasting and prayer. The precise nature of the fast was not constant across time or space, and did not necessarily equate to a complete abstinance from food and/or water. It also seems to be a tendency of our sinful flesh to latch onto a practice such as fasting and to abuse it, either by creating mystery surrounding it, creating arbitrary rules around it, or performing the act in a self-centred way contrary to the nature of the act in the first place.

The contemporary response seems to have been one of forgetfulness – how often have you even heard someone mention fasting as a thing you should do in the past ten yeas? – probably due to a few generations of hesitancy amongst Reformed people due to abuses they have seen regarding fasting.

I will write a follow-up post on the practice with reference to the Reformed tradition and contemporary practice soon.