Fasting and Research




The Fasting Catholic Saints
By Randi Fredricks

Another area of debate with regards to fasting has focused on the ascetic saints of the Middle Ages. Because the saints were primarily women who fasted for extraordinary lengths of time, a controversy has arisen as to whether they were anorexic (Bell, 1985; Brumberg, 1988; Bynum, 1987; Flinders, 1999; Vandereycken, 1994). At the center of the argument is the question of whether it is appropriate to apply a modern medical definition of anorexia nervosa to a phenomenon that occurred in the distant past. Still, some argue the term should be applied to any historical figure who exhibited symptoms of the disorder.

In 1902, William James (2007) became one of first psychologists to discuss the saints when he offered the following:

Asceticism. - The self-surrender may become so passionate as to
turn into self-immolation. It may then so overrule the ordinary
inhibitions of the flesh that the saint finds positive pleasure in
sacrifice and asceticism, measuring and expressing as they do the
degree of his loyalty to the higher power (p. 300).

In Holy Feast and Holy Fast, Caroline Walker Bynum (1987) suggests an investigation of the medieval saints can be interpreted as support for either side and a final conclusion as to whether the saints were anorexic cannot be drawn. Bynum believes that the 20th century definition of anorexia nervosa should not be applied to the saints because of the radically different historical contexts. Moreover, the medieval saints fasted for religious motives, whereas the modern anorexic fasts primarily for psychological reasons. Joan J. Brumberg, another historian, said it is the cultural context around fasting that constitutes its meaning. Brumberg (1988) said, “In order to understand fully the long tradition of female food refusal one must do more than merely lay on psychological constructs drawn from modern life or search out look-alike symptoms” (p. 45).

In his book, From Fasting Saints to Anorexic Girls, Walter Vandereycken (1994) said the fasting saints’ contemporaries considered them to be “God’s chosen ones, with whom He communicated” (p. 25). In order to establish this special relationship with God, many fasting saints went to extreme lengths. Female medieval saints frequently engaged in excessive asceticism. Some broke fasts only when they received the holy Eucharist, a small piece of bread, or wine. Case in point, Saint Angela of Foligno was said to have eaten nothing but the Eucharist for twelve years (Vandereycken, 1994). Fasting for even longer periods was not uncommon as demonstrated by Saints Elisabeth Reute, Nicholas of Flue, Domenica dal Paradiso and Lidwina of Schiedam who fasted intermittently for fifteen, twenty, and twenty eight years respectively. It was not uncommon for a saint to fast to death, such as Columba of Rieti, who died due to self-starvation (Bynum, 1987).

The Catholic Church discouraged extreme fasting and, in 1373, a clergyman sent Catherine of Sienna a letter asking her to eat, thus breaking her fast (Vandereycken, 1994, p. 25). Catherine’s response was that her fasting was a medical condition as opposed to a voluntary religious practice.

While the Church was condemning fasting, some of its clergy praised it. One Church father, Tertullian said, “An emaciated body will more readily pass the narrow gate (of paradise), light body will resurrect more rapidly, and in the grave a wasted body will be preserved best” (Vandereycken, 1994, p. 15). Given the image of thinness this testimony conjures, it is easy to understand the argument that fasting saints—and other pious fasters—may have exhibited anorexic-like symptoms.

In her thesis, A Thin Body Carries the Most Definition(s): Reconceptualizing Voluntary Self-Starvation as an Act of Resistance, Jane Nicholas (2000) proposed that the Church condemned fasting because of the power it gave women:

The Church had political reasons for opposing voluntary
self-starvation. Women who self-starved gained power over the
clergy as they undermined the authority of the clergy by
partially evading them. It was Church dogma that the only way
to God was through clergy (p. 18).

Nicholas’ thesis is intriguing because it suggests that some who fast for spiritual reasons may also be politically motivated. In her argument, Nicholas goes as far as to assert that anorexics are attempting to make a political statement with the frail appearance of their bodies. Michelle Mary Lelwica (2002) describes how someone with an eating disorder may be seeking a spiritual experience. Lelwica explained, "Sometimes the terms and strategies through which the anorexic and bulimic women seek a transcendent source of power explicitly reference the models and tactics of traditional religion" (p. 109). Fasting, said Lelwica, is a way for any woman to experience "supernatural power." Christina von Braun (2007) elaborated on this perspective:

In early Christianity itself, renunciation of nourishment symbolized
victory over corporality and sexuality. For women, fasting has a
particular meaning. It expresses autonomy, withdrawal from
community, and an intimate connection with the ambivalent
community symbolism of the female body (p. 720).

The fasting saints created a bias toward fasting during the Middle Ages. Medieval authors explained fasting as supernatural in nature, inspired either by miracles or demons (Bynum, 1987). At the same time, not eating during this period was seen as a natural occurrence, not as a condition to be cured. The question of whether or not the fasting saints were anorexic continues to be debated. As Bynum points out, “The answer depends on which definition of anorexia we choose” (p. 201).

The controversy over the appropriateness of fasting and asceticism have influenced the formation of major religions. Some theologians have suggested it may have caused Buddhist leaders to minimize the fact that asceticism was actually one of Buddha’s main concerns (Wilson, 2004).

References
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Randi Fredricks is a Naturopathic Psychotherapist with a Doctorate in Naturopathy and a Masters in Psychology. She sees clients at her office in San Jose, California. She can be reached at 800-957-5655 or you can contact her online. This article is an excerpt from Randi Fredricks' book Fasting: An Exceptional Human Experience. Copyright © 2009. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems.







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