It was 190 A.D.
Christianity wasn’t yet two centuries old. The Apostle John, the last of the disciples, had died only 90 years before. And Christianity was in the middle of turning the Roman Empire upside down.
To be fashionable, a Roman woman used many of the same items women of today use. She made up her face in the morning by painting her eyes, putting rouge on her cheeks, dusting powder on her face, applying paint to her lips, attaching false eyelashes, and making up her hair in elaborate fashions. She was even inclined to wear a wig some days or dye her hair.
However, the hair was not to be outdone by the body.
This fashionable Roman lady wore multiple costly jewels, sometimes a ring on every finger. She donned her gown of imported silk that quite often was transparent and clung sensuously to her figure.
Clement of Alexandria was a philosopher who became a Christian during this time period. In his writings, he mentions these women:
“Luxurious clothing that cannot conceal the shape of the body is no covering at all. Such clothing, clinging close to the body, takes the body’s shape and adheres to the flesh. It outlines the woman’s figure, so that the whole shape of her body is visible to spectators, even though they cannot actually see the body itself . . . Such clothing is meant for looking, not for covering.”
It is 2013 A.D.
If you walk down the street today, you will find women in various stages of undress. And ironically, almost 80% of these women claim to be Christians.
There are many debates about what is modest and what is not. Maybe we should simplify it by asking ourselves this question:
“Is it meant for looking or for covering?”
We’ve strayed so far from where Christianity started in many areas. Modesty is one of them. We like to debate it from all angles, placing blame on everyone but ourselves. Maybe it’s time we each accept the responsibility of modesty.
Could we say with confidence that the Early Christian Church would accept us as part of them . . . or would they hide their eyes in shame?
Dressed as we are, could God Almighty say “Well done?”
__________
* Information regarding Clement’s writings and Roman fashion taken from “Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up?” by David Bercot.
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Joyce @ With Propriety says
Hi Kendra! Do you know if in that ‘heretics’ book there is also information on what the early church chose to dress like?
Living in the Shoe says
No, it didn’t give specifics. Just the general idea of how Roman women dressed.
Janice Gingerich says
very good ! too many cape dresses that fit that description !
jessie says
I love how you keep it simple Kendra… Coming from non-mennonite background, josh and would both say that a woman in a clingy dress is more immodest than a woman in pants any day! Hands down.
Cara Lorenz says
Thanks for the challenge, Kendra!
Renee says
VERY good article!
Luci Martin says
Good words, Kendra. Thank you.
Arlene Haney Machado says
Bless you once again for facing it square on! You’re an inspiration!
Laura says
Yes, thank you, Kendra, for a short and thought provoking blog!
ldbeachylinda says
So good Kendra, modesty is so simple, we should be dressing to conceal not reveal. What is so confusing to me is the HUGE variation in what ” Christians ” call modest. Just because it is a dress or even a cape does not mean it’s modest. You put is so well. Blessings
Trish says
I agree, when I see some of our “holiness” girls wearing skin tight skirts that accentuate their rears, I always think they almost might as well wear pants. a good rule our conference president’s wife gave us was “tight enough to show that you are a woman; but loose enough to show that you are a lady.” to me that means fitted enough that i don’t look like a shapeless unattractive slob, but loose enough that I’m not drawing inappropriate attention. A good question to ask yourself is “would I want a girl wearing this in front of my husband or son??”
btw, I wasn’t raised mennonite, but David Bercot’s books are very convicting. I have several of them and they have caused me to take a hard look at my beliefs and whether they are actually scriptural. For instance, I used to scoff at Anabaptists belief in non-resistance, but I now can respect and at least understand were they are coming from.