Chapter IX.—From Fasts Absolute Tertullian Comes to Partial Ones and Xerophagies.

This principal species in the category of dietary restriction may already afford a prejudgment concerning the inferior operations of abstinence also, as being themselves too, in proportion to their measure, useful or necessary.  For the exception of certain kinds from use of food is a partial fast.  Let us therefore look into the question of the novelty or vanity of xerophagies, to see whether in them too we do not find an operation alike of most ancient as of most efficacious religion.  I return to Daniel and his brethren, preferring as they did a diet of vegetables and the beverage of water to the royal dishes and decanters, and being found as they were therefore “more handsome” (lest any be apprehensive on the score of his paltry body, to boot!), besides being spiritually cultured into the bargain.66    Dan. i.  For God gave to the young men knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature, and to Daniel in every word, and in dreams, and in every kind of wisdom; which (wisdom) was to make him wise in this very thing also,—namely, by what means the recognition of mysteries was to be obtained from God.  Finally, in the third year of Cyrus king of the Persians, when he had fallen into careful and repeated meditation on a vision, he provided another form of humiliation.  “In those days,” he says, “I Daniel was mourning during three weeks:  pleasant bread I ate not; flesh and wine entered not into my mouth; with oil I was not anointed; until three weeks were consummated:”  which being elapsed, an angel was sent out (from God), addressing him on this wise:  “Daniel, thou art a man pitiable; fear not:  since, from the first day on which thou gavest thy soul to recogitation and to humiliation before God, thy word hath been heard, and I am entered at thy word.”67    See Dan. x. 1–3, 5, 12.  Thus the “pitiable” spectacle and the humiliation of xerophagies expel fear, and attract the ears of God, and make men masters of secrets.

I return likewise to Elijah.  When the ravens had been wont to satisfy him with “bread and flesh,”68    See 1 Kings xvii. (in LXX. 3 Kings xvii.) 1–6. why was it that afterwards, at Beersheba of Judea, that certain angel, after rousing him from sleep, offered him, beyond doubt, bread alone, and water?69    1 Kings xix. 3–7.  Had ravens been wanting, to feed him more liberally? or had it been difficult to the “angel” to carry away from some pan of the banquet-room of the king some attendant with his amply-furnished waiter, and transfer him to Elijah, just as the breakfast of the reapers was carried into the den of lions and presented to Daniel in his hunger?  But it behoved that an example should be set, teaching us that, at a time of pressure and persecution and whatsoever difficulty, we must live on xerophagies.  With such food did David express his own exomologesis; “eating ashes indeed as it were bread,” that is, bread dry and foul like ashes:  “mingling, moreover, his drink with weeping”—of course, instead of wine.70    See Ps. cii. (in LXX. ci.) 9.  For abstinence from wine withal has honourable badges of its own:  (an abstinence) which had dedicated Samuel, and consecrated Aaron, to God.  For of Samuel his mother said:  “And wine and that which is intoxicating shall he not drink:”71    1 Sam. (in LXX. 1 Kings) i. 11.  for such was her condition withal when praying to God.72    1 Sam. i. 15.  And the Lord said to Aaron:  “Wine and spirituous liquor shall ye not drink, thou and thy son after thee, whenever ye shall enter the tabernacle, or ascend unto the sacrificial altar; and ye shall not die.”73    See Lev. x. 9.  So true is it, that such as shall have ministered in the Church, being not sober, shall “die.”  Thus, too, in recent times He upbraids Israel:  “And ye used to give my sanctified ones wine to drink.”  And, moreover, this limitation upon drink is the portion of xerophagy.  Anyhow, wherever abstinence from wine is either exacted by God or vowed by man, there let there be understood likewise a restriction of food fore-furnishing a formal type to drink.  For the quality of the drink is correspondent to that of the eating.  It is not probable that a man should sacrifice to God half his appetite; temperate in waters, and intemperate in meats.  Whether, moreover, the apostle had any acquaintance with xerophagies—(the apostle) who had repeatedly practised greater rigours, “hunger, and thirst, and fasts many,” who had forbidden “drunkennesses and revellings”74    See Rom. xiii. 13.—we have a sufficient evidence even from the case of his disciple Timotheus; whom when he admonishes, “for the sake of his stomach and constant weaknesses,” to use “a little wine,”75    1 Tim. v. 23. from which he was abstaining not from rule, but from devotion—else the custom would rather have been beneficial to his stomach—by this very fact he has advised abstinence from wine as “worthy of God,” which, on a ground of necessity, he has dissuaded.

CAPUT IX.

0964B Principalis haec species in castigatione victus, potest jam de inferioribus quoque abstinentiae operationibus praejudicare, ut et ipsis pro modo utilibus aut necessariis. Nam exceptio eduliorum quorumdam, portionale jejunium est. Inspiciamus igitur et xerophagiarum novitatem aut vanitatem, si non et in his tam antiquissimae quam efficacissimae religionis operatio est. Redeo ad Danielem et fratres ejus leguminum pabulum, et aquae potum ferculis et oenophoris regiis praeferentes, atque exinde formosiores, ne qui de specie quoque corpusculi metuat; caeterum spiritu insuper cultos. Dedit enim Deus adolescentulis scientiam et intelligentiam in omni litteratura, et Danieli in omni verbo, et in somniis, et in omni sophia (Dan. I, 17) qua hoc ipsum quoque saperet, quibus modis 0964C de Deo impetraretur agnitio sacramentorum. Anno denique tertio Cyri regis Persarum, cum in recogitatum incidisset visionis, aliam formam humiliationis prospexit. In illis, inquit, diebus, ego Daniel eram lugens, per tres hebdomadas, panem suavem non edi, caro et vinum non introierunt in os meum, oleo unctus non sum, donec consummarentur tres hebdomades, quibus transactis angelus emissus est taliter adloquens: Daniel, homo es miserabilis; ne timueris, quoniam ex die prima qua dedisti animam tuam recogitatui et humiliationi coram Deo, exauditum est verbum tuum, et ego introivi verbo tuo. 0965A Ita xerophagiarum miseratio et humiliatio metum expellunt, et aures Dei advertunt, et occultorum compotes faciunt. Revertor etiam ad Heliam, cum corvi illum pane et carne saturare consuessent, cur postmodum apud Bersabee Judaeae excitato ei de somno quidam ille angelus sine dubio panem solum et aquam obtulit? defecerant corvi qui eum liberalius pascerent? an difficile angelo fuerat aliquem alicunde de convivio regis ministrum eum instructissimo ferculo raptum ad Heliam transferre; sicut Danieli in lacum leonum esurienti prandium metentium exhibitum est? Sed constitui oportebat exemplum docens in tempore pressurae, et persecutionis, et cujuscumque circumstantiae, xerophagiis esse vivendum. Tali victu David exomologesin 0965B suam expressit, cinerem quidem edens velut panem, id est, panem velut cinerem aridum et sordidum, potum vero fletu miscens, utique pro vino. (Ps. CI, 10) Habet enim et abstinentia vini suos titulos, quae et Samuelem Deo voverat, et Aaronem consecrarat. Nam de Samuele mater. Et vinum, inquit, et ebriamen nonbibet (I Reg. I, 15): talis enim et ipsa Deum orabat. Et Dominus ad Aaron: Vinum et siceram non bibetis, tu et filii tui post te , si quando ingrediemini tabernaculum, vel ascendetis ad altare, et non moriemini. Adeo morientur qui non sobrii in Ecclesia ministraverint. Sic et Israeli proximo exprobrat: Et potum dabatis sanctificatis meis vinum. Et haec autem strictura potus xerophagiae portio est. Quanquam ubi abstinentia vini aut a Deo exigitur, aut ab homine vovetur, 0965C illic intelligatur etiam pabuli pressura formam praestruens potui. Qualis enim esus, talis et potus. Verisimile non est, ut quis dimidiam gulam Deo immolet, aquis sobrius, et cibis ebrius. An autem et Apostolus xerophagias norit, qui majora celebraverat, sitim et famem et multa jejunia, qui ebrietates et commessationes recusaverat, vel de discipulo Timotheo argumenti satis est, quem propter stomachum et assiduas imbecillitates modico vino monens uti, quo ille non ex institutione, sed ex devotione abstinebat (caeterum, stomacho magis consuetudo prodesset) 0966A hoc ipso abstinentiam vini dignam Deo suasit, quam ex necessitate dissuasit (Cf. Levit. X, 9; Amos. XV, 13; II Cor. XI, 27; Rom. XIII, 13; Tim. V, 23).