FASTING

—Fasting from religious motive is found in practically all religions, and is often regarded as the invariable and inseparable accompaniment of piety. It has been suggested that it originated as a preparation for the eating of sacrificial 3; or it may have been considered as in itself an act of worship, or as a means of subjecting the physical to the spiritual faculties. F. at stated times was practiced by Hindus, Parsees, Greeks, Romans; in Egypt there seem to have been no obligatory general mart but those about to be initiated into the religious mysteries of Isis and Osiris were obliged to practice rigorous abstinence beforey land. Among the Jews f. was important, ad on the 10th day of the 7th month begets, vas compulsory for whole nation, disapplied bedience being punishable by death. of )ther compulsory fasts were afterwards writers, rdained to commemorate certain nawho ional disasters, and seem to have been mediately enerally observed. member In the time of our Lord a great numetc. er of fasts were held; I and: although applied shrist Himself neither required nor| to Irbade His disciples to fast, the Church Chaucer; as ordained many f. seasons for its] Asch cham. 1embers. Church of England does not isist On the observance (though the| _ ook of Common Prayer includes a| Christian fable of the Vigils, Fasts, and Days|for f Abstinence to be observed in the| patristic ear’), and in Scotland it is practically | inued nknown among members of Presby-|@nd rian churches. The Gk. Church has | Gk. great number of fasts, which are|Sidered rictly observed; and the R.C. Church | Apostolic us, besides the vigils of certain Feasts, | Schoolmen le great fast in Lent, weekly abstinence | Gk. om meat on Fridays, and four annual | (¢. sts, called the Quat embers, of three| Gregory wys in one week each. Among Moham- | subdivided edans f. is compulsory in the month | Council Ramadan. {oetigrs renzeus,