Nineveh Fast

 Nineveh Fast

Three Days Nineveh Fast which is also known as Rogation of the Ninevites. This sacred Fast is Only practiced by Syriac Christians. The Syrian Orthodox Church can trace the origin of the Nineveh Fast to the fourth century AD. The hymns and Memras of St. Ephrem, the Syrian, indicate this.

This Fast used to last six days in the early centuries,( 3 days Rogation of the Ninevites + Fast of Virgins)  but it is now only three days long, beginning on the third Monday before the Great Lent (18 days gap). Through the ages, the three-day fast had fallen by the wayside. According to Mor Dionysius Bar Salibi, it was Mor Marutha Maphriana of Tikrit, who ruled from 565 to 649 and mandated it to be kept by the Church as a canonical fast. A similar reference is in the book "Scattered Pearls" by His Holiness Patriarch Aprem Bursom. When coming to Malankara, there is ample proof that this fast was observed in Kerala as early as the 15th century with the utmost reverence and fear.

Two of the Church's five canonical fasts are kept about the events of Jesus Christ's incarnation; one is linked to the Apostles, another to Saint Mary, and one is connected to the old testament and that is the Nineveh fasts. Three days Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are observed as lent, which precede the 18 days before the beginning of Great Lent. Because of this, the 18 days between the two Fasts is known locally as "Pathinettida" (പതിനെട്ടിട).

According to popular belief, the three-day fast commemorates the three days that Jonah, one of the prophets named by Lord Jesus Christ, spent in the belly of the fish. Jonah tries to run away from God and from the mission that was entrusted to him. But after being thrown into the water, Jonah called out to God and offered his repentance inside the whale's belly.

It further states that this fast is kept in remembrance of the Prophet Jonah's appeal for repentance in the city of Nineveh by God's Old Testament instructions. In "40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed", he declares in his message. The people fast and pray. The king also prays and commands the whole city to call on God in the hopes that God would relent and withdraw his anger. When they heard the speech given by the prophet Jonah, the people there repented by wearing sackcloth and covering their bodies with ashes. Hence this fast is known as the "Rogation of the Ninevites" or "Nineveh Fast".

Then, it is arguable as to whether the three days fasts honour Jonah's conversion or that of the Ninevites. However, because Jonah's three days in the fish's belly and the Ninevites' repentance are comparable in the same context, neither the name nor the duration of the fast disturbs or contradicts the fast's Spirit.

However, some scholars state that, this fast is historically based rather than a custom derived from the Old Testament. 

In the years 570–580 AD Mesopotamia experienced a terrible pandemic. The Sasanian Empire's rulers were helpless to halt its expansion. Street deaths occurred. Particularly in the Persian cities of Ctesiphon and Adiyaban, which belonged to the imperial capital Seleucia. The horrified Christians gathered at the church on Sunday and began praying after the epidemic claimed several lives. They decided to begin fasting and praying on Monday on the spiritual word they had received. Nobody fell ill after that. By Wednesday, individuals had realized that the sickness had ceased spreading. Thankful for this, the community of believers decided to conduct a three-day fast each year to stop such calamities from occurring.

According to a different tradition, the Three days Fast is connected with The Fast of Virgins. Old editions of the Pampakuda prayer book (Namaskara kramam) also record a fast called the Virgins' Fast during the same period.  This is no longer practised by our church.   

This was an annual fast observed by women in thanksgiving for the miraculous escape of beautiful Syrian maidens from the cruel tortures of the tyrannical Ahmadiyya king Abdul Malik.  

This is described in the prayer book.

This fast is one of the most strictly kept fasts in the Church's history and is canonical (mandatory). For three days in a row, starting on Monday and ending on Wednesday, in the early days the faithful usually abstain from eating and drinking. Others follow the vegan diet. It calls for a wholly plant-based diet yet permits the use of milk.

In the Syriac Orthodox Church, there are two types of fasting: physical and spiritual. The first suggests abstaining from food, whereas the second, spiritual fasting, involves denying wicked ideas, desires, and deeds. Gaining self-control and taming one's fleshly passions are the fundamental goals of fasting. To focus on the things of God's Kingdom, one must free themselves from their dependency on things of this world. Its purpose is to empower the soul, enabling it to resist sin and temptation.

We must find time for prayer throughout this fast to reflect on God's love, mercy, and grace. These days, we dedicate ourselves to holiness, prayer, and fasting, just like our ancestors did. We also regenerate our thoughts and allow God's spirit to reside within us by confessing our sins and presenting ourselves to Him as living sacrifices. To have a deeper understanding, it is good to study the Old Testament book of Jonah.

In a sense, the Three-Day Fast serves as our lead-up to the Great Lent. St. Jerome writes: “Fasting is not merely a perfect virtue: it is the foundation of all the other virtues; it is sanctification, purity, and prudence, – virtues, without which no one can see God.” 

May God bless us and accept our fast