Lent: Scripture, Tradition, and the Question of Origins truthsum.org

Discussions surrounding Lent often fall into two extremes. Many Christians assume that if a practice is ancient, widespread, and symbolically Christian, it must therefore be biblical. Others respond with sharp accusations, equating Lent with ancient pagan rituals and claiming participants are unknowingly “weeping for Tammuz.” Both approaches tend to shut down thoughtful examination rather than encourage it.
A more careful approach distinguishes sincere modern devotion from the historical development of religious practices. Scripture contains no command, example, or instruction establishing a forty-day fast before Christ’s sacrifice. Neither Jesus nor the apostles instituted such an observance. Early Christian fasting existed, but its timing and duration varied widely, often tied directly to Passover, not to a symbolic pre-Easter season.
The comparison to Tammuz arises from ancient mourning rituals associated with dying-and-rising fertility gods common throughout Mesopotamian, Greek, and Roman religion. These practices did not vanish with Christianity’s spread but gradually reshaped themselves within Christian worship as the church expanded into pagan societies. By the fourth century, when Christianity gained imperial favor, a formalized forty-day Lent emerged alongside many other absorbed religious customs.
Scripture already provides a divinely designed calendar revealing God’s plan of salvation. Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread offer periods of deep reflection, repentance, and spiritual renewal. Notably absent, however, is any commanded pre-Passover fasting season. Christ faithfully followed this calendar, yet never established a forty-day observance.
Examining Lent’s origins is not about condemnation, but clarity. The goal is not to dismantle devotion, but to root worship more deeply in biblical authority. When faith is grounded in Scripture rather than inherited custom, devotion becomes not only sincere, but aligned with God’s revealed instruction.

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