What are the reasons for fasting from midnight before Eucharist?
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Prior to the Council decision in 417 CE, Augustine opined in letter 54 in 400 CE that "for the honour of so great a sacrament, that the body of the Lord should take the precedence of all other food entering the mouth of a Christian;".
Augustine recognized that the Lord and apostles ate the Thanksgiving [Eucharist] after eating (Mat. 26:26, etc), but believed that the apostles or successors had the authority to make changes. This accounted for the variety of observances in churches.
But why midnight? Augustine says, "As to the question whether upon that day it is right to partake of food before either offering or partaking of the Eucharist,"
In the Roman time frame, a day began and ended at midnight. So, that day would start at midnight from which no food/water was taken until the sacrament. Centuries later, Aquinas confirms this understanding.
In addition, there are references to pagans fasting until midnight and then breaking their fasts with revelry. Christians apparently reacted against this practice not with revelry, but with beginning a fast at midnight. Again, this would account for the variety of observance as not all the same practices were found throughout the world.
Letter 54 of St. Augustine (A.D. 400)
Summa Theologiae (Question 80): The use or receiving of this sacrament in general
A History Of The Church, from the Edict of Milan, A. D. 313, to the Council of Chalcedon See page 185.
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