Opening the library…

Search the Bible

On Fasting

Tertullian

Chapter 1

About this work

Author: Tertullian

VIII. On Fasting.

In Opposition to the Psychics.

[Translated by the Rev. S. Thelwall.]

Chapter I.—Connection of Gluttony and Lust. Grounds of Psychical Objections Against the Montanists.

I should wonder at the Psychics, if they were

Chapter 2 ›

enthralled

to

voluptuousness

alone

,

which

leads

them

to

repeated

marriages

,

if

they

were

not

likewise

bursting

with

gluttony

,

which

leads

them

to

hate

fasts

.

Lust

without

voracity

would

certainly

be

considered

a

monstrous

phenomenon

;

since

these

two

are

so

united

and

concrete

,

that

,

had

there

been

any

possibility

of

disjoining

them

,

the

pudenda

would

not

have

been

affixed

to

the

belly

itself

rather

than

elsewhere

.

Look

at

the

body

:

the

region

(

of

these

members

)

is

one

and

the

same

.

In

short

,

the

order

of

the

vices

is

proportionate

to

the

arrangement

of

the

members

.

First

,

the

belly

;

and

then

immediately

the

materials

of

all

other

species

of

lasciviousness

are

laid

subordinately

to

daintiness

:

through

love

of

eating

,

love

of

impurity

finds

passage

.

I

recognise

,

therefore

,

animal

faith

by

its

care

of

the

flesh

(

of

which

it

wholly

consists

)

—

as

prone

to

manifold

feeding

as

to

manifold

marrying

—

so

that

it

deservedly

accuses

the

spiritual

discipline

,

which

according

to

its

ability

opposes

it

,

in

this

species

of

continence

as

well

;

imposing

,

as

it

does

,

reins

upon

the

appetite

,

through

taking

,

sometimes

no

meals

,

or

late

meals

,

or

dry

meals

,

just

as

upon

lust

,

through

allowing

but

one

marriage

.

It is really irksome to engage with such: one is really ashamed to wrangle about subjects the very defence of which is offensive to modesty. For how am I to protect chastity and sobriety without taxing their adversaries? What those adversaries are I will once for all mention: they are the exterior and interior botuli of the Psychics. It is these which raise controversy with the Paraclete; it is on this account that the New Prophecies are rejected: not that Montanus and Priscilla and Maximilla preach another God, nor that they disjoin Jesus Christ (from God), nor that they overturn any particular rule of faith or hope, but that they plainly teach more frequent fasting than marrying. Concerning the limit of marrying, we have already published a defence of monogamy. Now our battle is the battle of the secondary (or rather the primary) continence, in regard of the chastisement of diet. They charge us with keeping fasts of our own; with prolonging our Stations generally into the evening; with observing xerophagies likewise, keeping our food unmoistened by any flesh, and by any juiciness, and by any kind of specially succulent fruit; and with not eating or drinking anything with a winey flavour; also with abstinence from the bath, congruent with our dry diet. They are therefore constantly reproaching us with novelty; concerning the unlawfulness of which they lay down a prescriptive rule, that either it must be adjudged heresy, if (the point in dispute) is a human presumption; or else pronounced pseudo-prophecy, if it is a spiritual declaration; provided that, either way, we who reclaim hear (sentence of) anathema.

Notes

2
i.e., Psychic.
3
[Which is a note of time, not unimportant.]