The Teutonic word Lent, refers to the spring season. It has been used from some time after the 5th century to replace the Latin term quadragesima, meaning, "forty days." Since this earliest of times, some of the Fathers of the Church believed the tradition of the forty days had been passed down by the Apostles themselves. Saints Leo and Jerome upheld this view.
Modern scholars tend to reject this view. During the first three centuries there was considerable diversity of practice regarding the period of fasting before Easter, as well as a gradual process of development regarding the length of the fast. Around 190 Irenaeus said, "some think they ought to fast for one day, others for two days, and others even for several, while others reckon forty hours both of day and night to their fast." It would seem that he knew nothing of the modern forty days of Lent.
The pre-Nicene Fathers likewise seem to know nothing of a forty day fast, although some of them do mention a paschal fast. The Earliest Christians sought to commemorate the resurrection of Christ on a weekly basis rather than on a yearly basis. This tradition has been continued in the Catholic Church, where Friday has long been held to be a fast day, a commemoration of Christ's death, and Sunday the day of resurrection and celebration. Lent has long been viewed as a time of preparation for baptism, as well as for absolution of penitents, and retreat from the world into a life of prayer.
The forty days seems to have developed from the examples of Moses, Elias and Christ, as well as by the tradition that Christ lay for forty hours in the tomb. When the forty days of fasting had become tradition, it was recognized that although they were forty days of fasting, it was understood that Christians were not fasting for all of the forty days. In some traditions Lent lasted for six weeks, with Sundays exempt from the fasting, in others Lent lasted for eight weeks, with both Saturdays and Sundays exempt. At a later date, the desire for Lent to be a period of forty days led to the practice of beginning Lent on Ash Wednesday.
The nature of the fast also differed throughout time. Some Christians abstained from any creature having life; others viewed fish to be an acceptable alternative to meat. Some ate birds as well, since according to some traditions the birds too had sprung from the water. Others only ate dry bread. The general rule with regard to fasting was to take one meal a day in the evening. All over Europe the practice differed. Saint Gregory wrote to Saint Augustine of England saying, "We abstain from flesh meat, and from all things that come from flesh, as milk, cheese, and eggs." This general prohibition of eggs and milk during Lent is perpetuated in the popular custom of blessing or making gifts of eggs at Easter and in eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.
During Lent, the time of the day appropriate for breaking the fast (if one is observing Lent in the tradition of eating after sun-down, was after Vespers, the evening service. During the middle ages, Vespers was said increasingly earlier in the day until it was taking place around midday, and so those who ate during day-light hours were still not technically breaking their fast. Some theologians, like Saint Thomas Aquinas maintained that as long as the food was not solid, and did not exceed eight ounces, one had not broken their fast. Here at Trinity, we honour this tradition by having soup before the Vespers service on Wednesday evenings.
