Early Christian Views on Modest Apparel
Early Christians urged modest, plain dress instead of costly or showy clothing. Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Cyprian all connect Christian dress with shamefacedness, sobriety, and good conduct. The main Bible passages behind this teaching are 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and 1 Peter 3:3-4.
93 early-church witnesses · 194 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about christian Apparel?
Early Christian writers taught that clothing should be modest, plain, and tied to godliness rather than display. Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Cyprian all warn women against costly dress, gold, braided hair, and fine array, and they point back to 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and 1 Peter 3:3-4 as the main Bible passages on the subject. The teaching is broad and consistent across the 2nd and 3rd centuries, though it is focused more on modesty and restraint than on a full dress code.
Some writers also use clothing language in a spiritual sense, saying believers should “put on” Christ or righteousness. A few Bible passages about priestly garments or symbolic clothing are background only and do not set the main rule for Christian apparel. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Early Christian teaching on apparel centers on modesty, not luxury.
- Clement, Tertullian, and Cyprian all reject costly dress as the Christian ideal.
- 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and 1 Peter 3:3-4 are the main Bible passages used.
- Some writers also use clothing language for spiritual life, like putting on Christ.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians teach women to dress modestly?
The sources repeatedly say Christian women should dress in modest, becoming apparel and not focus on braided hair, gold, pearls, or costly clothing. The emphasis is on shamefacedness, sobriety, and good conduct rather than outward display.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching
The Instructor orders them to go forth in becoming apparel, and adorn themselves with shamefacedness and sobriety, 1 Timothy 2:9 subject to their own husbands;
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Tertullian, On the Apparel of Women Direct teaching
...to please by means of sensual attraction, all these things are rejected as frivolous, as hostile to modesty. For where God is, there is modesty; there is sobriety, her assistant and ally. How, then, shall we practice modesty without her instrumental means, that is, without sobriety? How, moreover, shall we bring sobriety to bear on the discharge of the functions of modesty, unless seriousness in appearance, in countenance, and in the general aspect of the entire man marks our conduct?
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Cyprian, Treatises Direct teaching
1 Timothy 2:9-10 Also Peter consents to these same precepts, and says, Let there be in the woman not the outward adorning of array, or gold, or apparel, but the adorning of the heart.
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
..., he sets a proper limit for your clothing and ornaments. He said, "Let women adorn themselves with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or expensive clothing, but as is fitting for women who profess chastity, with a good way of life." 1 Timothy 2:9-10 Peter also agrees with these same teachings and says, "Let a woman's adornment not be outward, in clothing, or gold, or fine dress, but the adornment of the heart." 1 Peter 3:3-4 But if they also warn that women who are used to excusing their dress by referring to their husband should be restrained and limited by religious observance according to the Church's discipline, how much more right is it for the virgin to keep that observance? She has no excuse for adorning herself, nor can the deceitfulness of her fault be laid on another, but she herself remains guilty of it!
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Commodianus, Writings Supporting witness
...at the matrons should be like the ladies of the world. You surround yourself with gold, or with the modest silken garment. You cast the terror of the law from your ears to the wind. You pursue vanity with all the pomp of the devil. At the mirror you adorn yourself, with your curled hair turned back from your brow. And moreover, with evil purposes, you put on false medicaments. On your pure eyes you put stibium, with painted beauty. Or you dye your hair so that it may always be black. God is the overlooker, who dives into each heart. But these things are not necessary for modest women. Pierce your breast with chaste and modest feeling. The law of God bears witness that such laws fail from the heart which believes. For a wife approved by her husband, let it suffice that she is so, not by her dress, but by her good disposition. Put on only the clothes that the cold and the heat, or too much sun, require, so that you may be approved as modest, and show forth the gifts of your capacity among the people of God. You who were formerly most illustrious, give yourself the appearance of one who is contemptible. She who lay without life was raised by the prayers of the widows. She deserved
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
Let the women wear a plain and becoming dress, but softer than what is suitable for a man, yet not quite immodest or entirely gone in luxury.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
...charms that come from Him — righteousness, wisdom, courage, self-control, love of what is good, and modesty, than which no more lovely color has ever been seen — then bodily beauty too should be cared for: a well-shaped body and limbs, with a healthy complexion. Here the adornment of health is proper. Through it, the artificial image is brought over to the truth, in keeping with the form that God has given. But self-control in drink, and moderation in food, are effective in producing natural beauty. For these not only keep the body healthy, but also make beauty appear. For from what is fiery come gleam and sparkle; from moisture come brightness and grace; from dryness come strength and firmness; and from what is airy come easy breathing and balance. From these this well-proportioned and beautiful image of the Word is adorned. Beauty is the free flower of health. Health is produced within the body, while beauty blossoms out from the body and shows the clear beauty of the complexion. So, these very proper and health-giving practices, by exercising the body, produce true and lasting beauty, because heat draws to itself all moisture and cold spirit. Heat, when stirred by movement, d
More related quotations from this section 4 shown
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Tertullian, On the Apparel of Women Supporting witness
For where God is, there modesty is; there is sobriety her assistant and ally.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
...hoever follows the Word will not give himself to any shameful pleasure. Therefore, when it comes to clothing, what is useful should be preferred. And if the Word, speaking about the Lord through David, sings, "The daughters of kings made You glad with honor; the queen stood at Your right hand, clothed in cloth of gold, girded with golden fringes," he is not pointing to luxurious clothing. Instead, he shows the immortal adornment, woven from faith, of those who have found mercy, that is, the Church. In it, the sinless Jesus shines clearly like gold, and the chosen are the golden tassels. And if such things must be woven for women, then let us weave clothing that is pleasant and soft to the touch, but not decorated with flowered patterns like pictures to please the eye. For a picture fades over time, and washing and soaking in the prepared dye liquids wear out the wool and make the cloth of the garments weak. This is not good for economy. It is the height of foolish display to be all worked up about peploi, and xystides, and ephaptides, and cloaks, and tunics, and "what covers shame," as Homer says. For truly, I am ashamed when I see so much wealth poured out on covering nakedness
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
...eir manhood, wore tunics reaching to the feet, and had on the crobulus, a kind of knot of the hair, adorned with a fastening of golden grasshoppers, supposedly to show their origin from the soil, in the display of licentiousness. Now the rivalry of these archons spread also to the other Ionians, whom Homer, to show their effeminacy, calls "Long-robed." Those, therefore, who are devoted to the image of the beautiful, that is, to love of finery, not to the beautiful itself, and who under a fair name practice idolatry again, are to be banished far from the truth, as people who by opinion, not knowledge, dream about the nature of the beautiful. And so life here is to them only a deep sleep of ignorance. From this it becomes us to rouse ourselves and hurry to what is truly beautiful and comely, and desire to grasp this alone, leaving the ornaments of earth to the world, and bidding them farewell before we fall fully asleep. I say, then, that man requires clothes for nothing else than covering the body, and for defense against excess of cold and intensity of heat, lest harsh weather injure us. And if this is the purpose of clothing, see that one kind is not assigned to men and another
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
...letely innocent. You are not guilty of the act itself, but you are guilty in this way: through your adornment, you led the woman to desire you. For you are the cause of her being moved in this way, and by lusting after you she became guilty of adultery with you. Yet you are not as guilty, because you did not send for her, though she was ensnared by you, nor did you desire her. Since, therefore, you did not give yourself over to her, you will find mercy with the Lord your God, who has said, "You shall not commit adultery," and, "You shall not covet." For if such a woman, by seeing you or by meeting you at the wrong time, was struck in her mind and sent to you, but you, as a religious man, refused her; if she was wounded in her heart by your beauty, youth, and adornment, and fell in love with you, you will be found guilty of her transgressions, because you were the cause of scandal to her, Matthew 18:7, and you will inherit a woe. Therefore pray to the Lord God that no harm may come upon you on this account. For you are not to please men in such a way as to commit sin, but to please God so as to attain holiness of life and share in everlasting rest. Do not make more beautiful that
What did early Christians say mattered more than outward clothing?
Several sources say the true adornment is inward: the hidden person of the heart, modesty, sobriety, righteousness, and good works. Some authors use clothing language spiritually to describe holiness, Christ, or the soul rather than fashion.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching
The Instructor tells them to go out in proper clothing and to dress themselves with modesty and self-control, as 1 Timothy 2:9 says, being subject to their own husbands. Then, if any do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, while they observe, he says, your pure conduct. Their beauty should not be outward beauty, such as braided hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine clothes. Instead, let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 1 Peter 3:1-4
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
...aments, of clothing, and of beauty meant to attract are fitting for no one except prostitutes and immodest women. No clothing is more costly than the clothing of those whose modesty is very low. So also in the Holy Scriptures, by which the Lord wanted us to be both taught and warned, the city that is a harlot is described as dressed and adorned very beautifully, with her ornaments. All the more, this is because those very ornaments were about to perish. And it says, "One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, 'Come here, I will show you the judgment of the great whore who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication.' And he carried me away in the Spirit; and I saw a woman sitting on a beast, and that woman was clothed in a purple and scarlet mantle, and was adorned with gold, precious stones, and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand, full of curses, and filthiness, and the fornication of the whole earth." Revelation 17:1. Let chaste and modest virgins avoid the dress of the unchaste, the behavior of the immodest, the marks of brothels, and the ornaments of harlots.
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
... Holy Spirit, cries out and rebukes the daughters of Zion. They were corrupted by gold, silver, and clothing. He rebukes them because they were rich in harmful wealth and were turning away from God for the sake of the world's pleasures. “The daughters of Zion,” he says, “are proud, and walk with outstretched necks and signaling eyes, dragging their gowns as they go, and moving with affected steps.” And God will humble the noble daughters of Zion, and the Lord will uncover their appearance. The Lord will take away the beauty of their clothing, their ornaments, their hair, their curls, their round ornaments like the moon, their hairpins, their bracelets, their strings of pearls, their armlets and rings, and earrings, and silks woven with gold and hyacinth. “And instead of a sweet smell there shall be dust; and you shall be tied with a rope instead of a belt; and instead of a golden ornament for your head you shall have baldness.” Isaiah 3:16. This is what God blames; this is what He points out. From this He declares that virgins are corrupted. From this He shows that they have departed from true and divine worship. Lifted up, they have fallen. With their heads adorned, they earned
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
Whose adorning, let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
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1 Timothy 2:9 Background
in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing,
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1 Peter 3:3 Background
Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
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1 Timothy 2:10 Background
but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.
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1 Peter 3:4 Background
but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.
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1 Peter 3:5 Background
For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
Did early Christians warn women against costly jewelry and fine array?
Tertullian, Cyprian, and Commodianus strongly criticize costly ornament, luxurious dress, painted beauty, and attention-seeking adornment. They present such display as contrary to Christian modesty and as something Christians should avoid.
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Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Supporting witness
...ption, shall have begun to inhabit it. And do not be surprised if we speak of a perfect soul as the clothing of the body, which, on account of the Word of God and His wisdom, is now named incorruption, when Jesus Christ Himself, who is the Lord and Creator of the soul, is said to be the clothing of the saints, according to the language of the apostle, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ." As Christ, then, is the clothing of the soul, so for a kind of reason sufficiently intelligible the soul is said to be the clothing of the body, since it is an ornament to it, covering and concealing its mortal nature. The expression, then, "This corruptible must put on incorruption," is as if the apostle had said, "This corruptible nature of the body must receive the clothing of incorruption"—a soul possessing in itself incorruptibility, because it has been clothed with Christ, who is the Wisdom and Word of God. But when this body, which at some future period we shall possess in a more glorious state, shall have become a partaker of life, it will then, in addition to being immortal, become also incorruptible. For whatever is mortal is necessarily also corruptible, but whatever is corruptible cannot
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness
He further showed that we should be adorned with works of righteousness after our calling, so the Spirit of God may rest upon us; for this is the wedding garment, as the apostle speaks, “Not that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up by immortality.” Those called to God’s supper who haven’t received the Holy Spirit due to their wicked behavior, He says, "will be cast into outer darkness." This makes clear that the same King who gathered the faithful from all directions to the marriage of His Son and offers them the incorruptible banquet also commands that anyone without a wedding garment, one who disrespects it, be cast into outer darkness. Just as in the former covenant, “He was not well pleased with many of them;” so it is here, “many are called, but few chosen.” It is not that one God judges and another Father calls us to salvation; nor that one grants eternal light and another sends those without the wedding garment into outer darkness. It is the same God, the Father of our Lord, from whom the prophets received their mission, who calls the unworthy through His infinite grace but examines those called to see if they wear the garment suitab
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Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness
...e completely wicked. So give back to Him a sound spirit, just as you received it. If you give a new garment to a fuller, and at the end you want it returned whole, and the fuller gives it back to you torn, would you accept it? Would you not instead be angry and rebuke him, saying, "I gave you a garment that was whole. Why have you torn it and made it useless, so that it cannot be used because of the tear you made in it?" Would you not say all this to the fuller because of the tear you found in your garment? If, then, you are distressed about your garment and complain because you did not get it back whole, what do you think the Lord will do to you? He gave you a sound spirit, but you have made it completely useless, so that it can no longer be of any service to its owner. For it became useless because you corrupted it. Will not the Lord, then, because of what you have done with His Spirit, act the same way and hand you over to death? Certainly, I tell you, He will do the same to all those whom He finds still holding on to the memory of wrongs. Do not trample His mercy underfoot, He says. Instead, honor Him, because He is so patient with your sins and is not like you. Repent, beca
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
...d as a whole garment and kept as an unharmed and undivided robe by those who cast lots for Christ's clothing, though they should rather have put on Christ. Holy Scripture says, "But about the coat, because it was not sewn, but woven from the top throughout, they said to one another, 'Let us not tear it, but cast lots to decide whose it shall be.'" John 19:23-24. That coat carried a unity that came down from the top, that is, from heaven and from the Father. It was not to be torn at all by the one who received and possessed it, but we receive its wholeness complete and solid, without division. He cannot possess the garment of Christ who parts and divides the Church of Christ. Again, when after Solomon's death his kingdom and people were divided, Abijah the prophet met Jeroboam the king in the field and divided his garment into twelve pieces, saying, "Take ten pieces, for thus says the Lord: 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give ten sceptres to you; and two sceptres shall be for him for my servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen to place my name there.'" 1 Kings 11:31. As the twelve tribes of Israel were divided,
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Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Supporting witness
...t. Moreover, He predicted this beforehand in blessings: "He shall wash His garment in wine, and His clothing in the blood of the grape." If in Christ the garment is the flesh, and the clothing itself is the body, let it be asked who He is whose body is clothing and whose flesh is garment. For to us it is clear that the flesh is the garment and the body the clothing of the Word. And He washed His bodily substance, and purified the material of the flesh in blood, that is, in wine, by His passion, in the human nature that He had taken up. Therefore, if indeed He is washed, He is man, because the garment that is washed is the flesh; but He who washes is the Word of God, who, in order to wash the garment, was made the one who took up the garment. Rightly, from that substance which was taken so that it might be washed, He is shown to be man, just as from the authority of the Word who washed it He is shown to be God.
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Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse Supporting witness
...it. Moreover, He foretold this beforehand in blessings: "He shall wash His garment in wine, and His clothing in the blood of the grape." If in Christ the garment is the flesh, and the clothing is the body, let it be asked who He is whose body is clothing and whose flesh is garment. For to us it is clear that the flesh is the garment, and the body the clothing, of the Word. And He washed His bodily substance, and purified the material of the flesh in blood, that is, in wine, by His passion, in the human nature that He had taken up. Therefore, if He is washed, He is man, because the garment that is washed is the flesh. But He who washes is the Word of God, who, in order to wash the garment, was made the taker-up of the garment. Rightly, then, from that substance which was taken up so that it might be washed, He is shown to be man, just as from the authority of the Word who washed it He is shown to be God.
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
Buy for yourself white raiment, that you who had been naked according to Adam, and were before frightful and unseemly, may be clothed with the white garment of Christ.
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Romans 13:14 Background
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
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Revelation 19:8 Background
it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.
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Ephesians 4:24 Background
and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
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Galatians 3:27 Background
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
Common Questions
Did early Christians forbid fancy clothing?
They strongly warned against costly, showy dress, especially for women, and urged modesty and self-control.
Which Bible verses did early Christians use about apparel?
They most often used 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and 1 Peter 3:3-4.
Did early Christians talk about clothing as a spiritual symbol?
Yes. Some writers said believers should put on Christ, righteousness, or modesty.
Source Index for Christian Apparel
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 194 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 93
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
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Unknown, Unknown Work
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Unknown, Unknown Work
Bible Passages 80 shown of 101
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.