Christian Fasting: Its Concept and Degrees by Anba Abram

This book presents profound reflections on Christian fasting from the perspective of the Coptic Orthodox Church, authored by His Grace Anba Abram, Bishop of Fayoum and Abbot of the Monastery of Archangel Gabriel. The text explores the three dimensions of fasting: linguistic (Nesteuo), ecclesiastical (abstinence), and spiritual (a sacrifice of love), emphasizing that fasting is a tool to strengthen the will and liberate the spirit from the bonds of physical desires. The author details various types of fasts, including individual, family, and general ecclesiastical fasts, focusing on major liturgical seasons such as Great Lent, Holy Week, the Apostles' Fast, the Nativity Fast, and the Paramoun. It also clarifies the conditions for an acceptable fast, such as repentance, confession, almsgiving, and metanoias, drawing from Holy Scripture, the Didascalia, Apostolic canons, and Patristic sayings of saints like St. Isaac the Syrian and St. Basil the Great. The content aims to provide a compre