Fasting, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Jewish Nev’im

I am often surprised at the number of interesting tales that exist with regards to our fasting rules. For instance, there are tales such as the reason for why only olive oil is on the forbidden list during our fasts. Some, of course, will argue that the rule must be extended to all oils because only olive oil was used at the time Christian fasting was established. But, uhm, almond oil is found from very ancient times in the Middle East, particularly in Egypt from where the children of Israel escaped. In fact, the almond is frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. Aaron’s rod that flowered was an almond branch rod. Because of Alexander the Great’s conquests into India, it is probable that sesame seed oil had made it to the Middle East by New Testament times, and certainly by the time the fasting rules developed. Other oils would have come into the Roman Empire from the conquered parts of the north, where the olive trees do not grow. So, this is not a very likely explanation.

I could go on with various theories about various parts of our fasting, but there is a much simpler answer. That answer is that our Early Church Fathers, particularly in the East, were strongly steeped in the Tanakh (the Old Testament) by way of the Septuagint translation. Remember that the main Jewish Diaspora was to the east of Rome. So, the Church of the East had a higher proportion of what are now called Messianic Jews than the Church of the West. As a result, more of the Jewish ways of doing things survived in the East than in the West. In fact, the Divine Liturgy reflects certain rather Jewish ways to worship. But, that is a topic for another post.

In the same way, there is a simpler answer for our fasting rules than trying to figure out some first century reason. In fact, it would be good to go back to the Nev’im (the Prophets of the Old Testament), and go to the Book of Daniel. There you will find the following verses:

In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant food, no meat or wine came into my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.

There you find the mention of the three basics: meat, wine, oil. In the fasting rules that was interpreted as meaning any use of olive oil. Olive oil carries with it the idea of something pleasant, since it was also used for personal beauty, not to mention anointing kings, treating wounds (the Good Samaritan), etc. See the connection? That is also why sesame oil or other oils can be used. They are not connected to Scripture in the way that olive oil is. Remember that I said that various other types of oil were available in the Roman Empire at the time the Eastern fasting rules were applied. Olive oil only was listed because it goes back to the way in which fasting was done in the Jewish Diaspora of Daniel.

Why is fish with a backbone part of the fast? Because meat was defined as anything with a backbone. This is why one can have shrimp, lobster, clams, octopus, squid, scallops, etc. None of them have a backbone, therefore they are not meat. So, how did animal products (eggs, milk & cheese) come into the fast? Frankly, that was a much later development. Interestingly enough, at the time of the Council of Trullo one can read a discussion about those who would also fast from milk, eggs, and cheese. The conclusion was that it was permitted for them to avoid animal products in their fasting rule. But the tone of the discussion makes it clear that this was an innovation, not part of received Tradition at that time. The avoidance of all animal products grew rather quickly after that, and has become part of our tradition, but it is a later add-on.

All too many of our Orthodox clergy and laypeople have lost the connection with the Tanakh (the Old Testament) that the Early Church Fathers had. As a result, we do not know why things are done in a certain way or why certain rules exist. In an effort to fill the lost connection, we often come up with explanations that are very far from the original reason why something was done in a certain way. And to the measure that we lose that contact with the Tanakh, so also do we lose an understanding of why God may have allowed or may have forbidden something in Holy Tradition.

Needless to say, anytime that we lose that connection with the Tanakh, we also take the chance of being swept away on the changing winds and come to believe in interpretations of the New Testament passages that are not possible interpretations once one knows the Tanakh. So, let this be an encouragement for you to read the Tanakh regularly and to be steeped in it as much as were our Early Church Fathers.