Are You Practicing Lent?

"And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:15-18)

What is Lent?

It is hard to talk about Lent without referring to easter as the histories are connected just like the holidays. You will find references to easter throughout although easter is not the focus of this article. Lent is a religious period observed by Catholics, Orthodox, and some Protestant churches. It occurs after Carnival (more widely recognized as Mardi Gras in North America) and before Easter. The start of Lent is officially marked by Ash Wednesday.

Lent is supposed to be a forty day season of fasting modeled after Jesus' forty days of fasting in the wilderness, Moses' forty days of fasting (Exodus 34:28), Elijah's forty days of fasting (1 Kings 19:8), and the forty years of Israel's wandering through the desert. It is a time of repentance, self-examination, fasting, prayer, quietness, meditation, and rest in many traditions. Its intent is to prepare us for Easter. By these actions we are supposed to have a stronger faith in the Lord.

On Ash Wednesday it was customary for clergy to be sprinkled with dust and ashes.¹ The ashes came from last years palm branches of Palm Sunday which were sifted, cleansed and given a special blessing. The priest would say "Remember, man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return" (Genesis 3:19), followed by a marking of the cross in ashes on the forehead. This sign on the forehead is a sign of humility and penitence.²

Lent started with abstinence from all meats and food that is a product of flesh such as milk, eggs, cheese, and butter. The Ecumenical council in Rome ruled that fasting was only required for Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. The Greek Orthodox forbade the eating of animal and animal products for all Wednesdays, Fridays, and the Holy Week (the last week before Easter also known as the Passion of Christ).

History of Lent

Many of the customs, rites, and symbols of Lent stem from pagan peoples of Europe and Asia and their spring festivals. Such customs included reenacting ancient regeneration myths and performing magical ceremonies to make crops grow. The pre-Lent season (Carnival or Mardi Gras) involved a season of "pancakes and time honoured games", and of that "last fling."³ This season is usually free from ordinary rules, involved practical jokes, masquerades, noisy fun, and ridicule. Mischief was an integral part. "It is a spirit that runs like wildfire through the areas affected, and which is personified in a variety of different figures, real or counterfeit"⁴ This is very much in contrast with what scripture says about temperance (or self-control; Galatians 5:22-23, 2 Peter 1:5-9). The end of this season began with condemning the carnival figure with a fiery death and people dancing about a  bonfire. Songs of mourning are sung because the 'happy' season is over. The ritualistic death of the carnival figure symbolizes the death of winter and the coming of spring. This is worship of creation and not the Creator as pointed out in Romans 1:18-25 (something the unrighteous(v.18), the ungodly(v.18), the thankless(v.21), the vain(v.21), the foolish(21-22), worshippers of images (v.23) and creatures(v.25) would be a part of).

The word Lent seems to have a few possible origins. One is that it comes from the Anglo-Saxon word 'lencten' which means 'springtime'.

For the church, Lent dates back at least as far as 325 AD. Lent was mentioned in the council of Nice.⁵ It started off as an action initiated of one's own free will. It later became part of the customs of the church. Gregory I (590-604) established the date of Ash Wednesday as the start of Lent.

"During Quadragesima [that is 'Lent'] criminal trials and criminal punishments, weddings, and sensual amusements were forbidden; solemn, earnest silence was imposed upon public and private life; and works of devotion, penances and charity were multiplied. Yet much hypocrisy was practised in the fasting; the rich compensating with exquisite dainties the absence of forbidden meats. Chrysostom and Augustine are found already lamenting this abuse. During the days preceding the beginning of Lent, the populace gave themselves up to unrestrained merriment, and this abuse afterward became legitimized in all Catholic countries, especially in Italy (flourishing most in Rome, Venice, and Cologne), in the Carnival."⁶

What's interesting about Lent is the actual observed period of fasting. The earliest records of Lent seem to point to one day of rigorous fasting and soon became the two days just before Easter. Then the third century Alexandrian church (possibly Rome too) expanded the fasting to the week before Easter known as the Holy Week. By the end of the third century Rome expanded it to three weeks. The standard explanation for this is that the Roman New Year began March 1^st (ancient cultures generally looked at spring as the beginning of the new year) and the earliest possible date for Easter is March 22^nd. Finally during the fourth century Rome and Alexandria made it six weeks and eventually settled on Ash Wednesday as its beginning.

The practice of Lent actually dates back further to ancient Babylon. In Ezekiel we see reference to the ancient Babylonian god Tammuz. Ezekiel 8:14 says "Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the LORD's house which was toward the north; and, behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz." This was included in a list of things that the Lord has condemned as abominations. His judgement is found in Ezekiel 9.

Tammuz was recognized by ancient pagans as a reincarnation of Nimrod whose birthday happens to fall on December 25^th.⁷ Legend speaks of Tammuz being killed by a wild boar at 40 years old. Lent is a commemoration of his death where participants expressed their sorrow 1 day for each year he lived (ie. The 40 days of Lent). The expression of sorrow was through weeping, fasting, and self-chastisement (the whole 'giving up X for lent' idea). Lent in this manner has been observed for thousands of years in the following cultures to name a few: Babylonians, Roman Catholics, Koordistan, Mexicans, Ancient Israel, and some of todays churches.

Note: For an excellent treatment of the connection of these ancient goddesses and gods to our modern holidays see the cutting edge website at http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1796.cfm.

*(officially accepted by catholic church 593 AD although there are references in Origen's work, 185 AD)

The ashes are said to come from burning Christmas greenery or a Yule log⁸ (another tradition from ancient religion) which were then administered by a priest on Ash Wednesday. The baking of hot cross buns was a custom of the Romans in honour of their goddess Diana, the goddess of the hunt. The taboo of fishing on Good Friday came from a cult associated with an ancient goddess by the name of Atargatis to whom Friday and fish were sacred.⁹ One of the most common symbols in Easter is the egg. To the ancient and modern pagan the egg is a symbol of life…

After Lent comes Easter. The word Easter also has a few possible origins. The first is that it is named after the northern goddess of the spring and the dawn Eostre or Eastre. "Reverend Alexander Hislop, writing in his monumental work, "The Two Babylons", states that the name of Easter was derived from the goddess Astarte [page 109]. In reality, both are probably right, because the Pagans have a history of worshipping the same gods in different lands under different names."¹⁰ Another possibility is that it is named after the Anglo-Saxon month of Easter-monath also called 'April'.

Some of the common symbols used today in non-Christian Easter celebrations are the bunny and the egg, both of which date back to ancient pagan cultures as a symbol of sexuality and birth/renewal respectively. The easter bunny and easter egg together symbolize the sex act and the birth of Tammuz. Further discussion of Easter is beyond the intent and scope of this article. For further information see the bibliography/endnotes.

So is Lent Biblical? Should I observe Lent or not?

"Choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites…" (Joshua 24:15)
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24)

Let me put some questions before you: How many times did Jesus fast for 40 Days? How many times did the Israelites spend 40 years in the wilderness? And how many times did Moses spend 40 days on the mountain with God? If Christians are meant to observe and/or practice Lent for 40 days then why didn't the early church start the fasting immediately with 40 days and not this gradual increase to the current duration of fasting?

Ultimately there is nothing Biblical about Lent. If you are a Christian observing or practicing Lent you must look into the purpose of Lent as described earlier. Search the scriptures for any indication that Lent is acceptable (you will find none). For example the abstention from meat is not neccesary and not required (1Timothy 4:1-5).

Are you 'giving up something for Lent' that you should as a Christian be giving up for life (ie. true repentance and obedience to Jesus as Saviour and Lord)? Are you doing something special for Lent that you should or shouldn't be doing the rest of the year? We are living in a world where the church is allowing the 'traditions of men' to become mixed with the Word of God. Christians want to be able to live a life in a way that their life in itself is a witness and a testimony to Christ. If this is true and we are also allowing other traditions into our lives it is quite possible that those who are not saved will see no difference in us than the next person who practices the same tradition and is not Christian. There is very little room then for the possibility of the unsaved to ask "What must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:30). Charles Finney says it well about preaching to convert no one: "Do not rebuke the worldly tendencies of the church, lest you should hurt their feelings, and finally convert some of them."¹¹

"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:17-18)

“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:19)

“I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” (John 17:14)

Notes:

1. Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church. Vol.3 Chapter VII. New York, 1889

2. Ickis, Marguerite. The Book of Festivals and holidays the World Over. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, 1970 pp45-50

3. Hole, Christina. Easter and its Customs. 1961 p.10

4. Hole, Christina. Easter and its Customs. 1961 p.15

5. Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church. Vol.3 Chapter VII. New York, 1889

6. Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church. Vol.3 Chapter VII. New York, 1889

7. Occult Holidays And How America Has Copied Many Of Them! http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1796.cfm

8. Time-Life Books, editors of. The Mystical Year. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1992 p.136

9. Time-Life Books, editors of. The Mystical Year. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1992 p.28

10. Protestant Church Apostacy Reaches New Proportions. http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1162.cfm

11. Finney, Charles G. The Independant. "Preaching So As To Convert Nobody". New York, September 7, 1871. There are many more challenges in this article that can be applied not just to preachers but to all Christians and can be accessed at http://www.charlesgfinney.com/1868_75Independent/710907_preaching.htm