Early Christian Views on Washing Hands
Early Christians did not treat hand washing as a saving rule. Tatian, Origen, Cyprian, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian used the Gospel passages to stress inner purity, not outward washing alone. Some also used priestly washing in the Law as background, but that is not the main Christian point. The clearest answer is that the heart matters more than the hands.
101 early-church witnesses · 161 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about washing Hands?
Early Christian writers do not present hand washing as a saving practice; they mostly use it as a Bible example or as a picture for inner cleansing. Tatian, Origen, Cyprian, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian all connect Jesus’ teaching in Mark 7 and Matthew 15 with the idea that the heart matters more than outward washing. Some texts also mention priestly hand washing or cleansing language from the Law, but that is background and not the main Christian rule for daily life.
The strongest and clearest thread is that outward washing by itself does not make a person clean before God. Evidence for a special Christian command to wash hands is thin, while evidence for spiritual or symbolic cleansing is broad. 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 writers mainly used hand washing texts to teach inner purity.
- Mark 7 and Matthew 15 are the main Bible passages in this topic.
- No strong early Christian command appears here for hand washing as a required Christian practice.
Questions Answered by the Sources
How did early Christians explain the Pharisees' hand washing rules?
The sources present hand washing as the Pharisaic custom criticized in Mark 7 and Matthew 15. Early Christian commentators quote these passages to explain that the dispute was about tradition and ritual cleanliness, not a general command for Christians.
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Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness
...was something necessary for piety. For they thought that the hands of those who did not wash before eating bread were defiled and unclean, but that the hands of those who washed with water became pure and holy, not figuratively, but in direct agreement with the law of Moses according to the letter. But let us, not according to the tradition of the elders among the Jews, but according to sound reason, try to purify our own actions, and in that way wash the hands of our souls when we are about to eat the three loaves that we ask from Jesus, who wants to be our friend. For with hands that are defiled, unwashed, and impure, we ought not to partake of the loaves.
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Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness
And Mark also made mention of it, from whom we may usefully set down the following words in the place, with reference to the transgression of the elders who held that it was necessary to wash hands when the Jews ate bread, For the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they wash their hands diligently, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders;
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
... most of all, it is necessary to wash the soul in the cleansing Word. Sometimes the body also needs washing, because dirt collects and sticks to it. Sometimes it is also washed to relieve tiredness. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!" says the Lord. "For you are like whitewashed tombs. On the outside, the tomb appears beautiful, but inside it is full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." Matthew 23:27 And again He says to the same people, "Woe to you! For you clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of uncleanness. First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean." Matthew 23:25-26 The best bath, then, is what scrubs off the pollution of the soul, and it is spiritual. About this, prophecy speaks plainly: "The Lord will wash away the filth of the sons and daughters of Israel, and will purge the blood from among them" Isaiah 4:4 — meaning the blood of crime and the murders of the prophets. And the Word added the way of cleansing, saying, "by the spirit of judgment and the spirit of burning." The bodily bath, that is, the washing of the body, is done by water alone, as often happens in the countryside where there is no
More related quotations from this section 3 shown
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Tertullian, On Prayer Supporting witness
Unless any defilement contracted in human intercourse be a conscientious cause for washing them, they are otherwise clean enough, which together with our whole body we once washed in Christ.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
...onomy 5. And so on. These things must be kept, along with whatever else is commanded in reading the Bible. And by Isaiah He commands us: "Wash yourselves, and make yourselves clean. Put away wickedness from your souls before my eyes. Learn to do good. Seek judgment. Rescue the wronged. Judge for the orphan, and justify the widow. And come, and let us reason together," says the Lord. And we will find many examples in other places also. For example, about prayer, Scripture says, "Good works are an acceptable prayer to the Lord." And the manner of prayer is described: "If you see the naked, cover him, and do not overlook those who belong to your own seed. Then your light shall break forth early, and your healing shall spring up quickly; and your righteousness shall go before you, and the glory of God shall surround you." What, then, is the fruit of such prayer? "Then you shall call, and God will hear you; while you are still speaking, He will say, 'I am here.'"
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Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness
...lowing words in this place, about the transgression of the elders who held that it was necessary to wash hands when the Jews ate bread: “For the Pharisees and all the Jews, unless they wash their hands carefully, do not eat, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the marketplace, unless they wash themselves, they do not eat. And there are many other things which they have received to observe, washings of cups and pots and bronze vessels and couches,” Mark 7:3-4.
What did early Christians say Jesus meant about washing hands and inner purity?
Several early writers say Jesus was teaching that the heart, soul, or inner actions must be purified, rather than focusing on washing hands. Cyprian, Clement, Tertullian, Hippolytus, and Origen all use this passage to contrast outward washing with inward cleansing.
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Cyprian, Treatises Direct teaching
Luke 11:41 teaching hereby and showing, that not the hands are to be washed, but the heart, and that the foulness from inside is to be done away rather than that from outside;
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Cyprian, Treatises Direct teaching
...re, so almsgiving quenches sin” (Sirach 3:30). Here too it is shown and proved that, just as in the washing of saving water the fire of Gehenna is extinguished, so by almsgiving and works of righteousness the flame of sins is subdued. And because in baptism the remission of sins is granted once for all, steady and unceasing labor, following the likeness of baptism, again bestows the mercy of God. The Lord also teaches this in the Gospel. For when the disciples were pointed out as eating without first washing their hands, He answered and said, “He who made what is within made also what is without. But give alms, and behold, all things are clean to you” (Luke 11:41). By this He teaches and shows that it is not the hands that must be washed, but the heart, and that the uncleanness from inside must be removed rather than that from outside. He also shows that the one who has cleansed what is within has also cleansed what is without, and that if the mind is cleansed, a man has begun to be clean also in skin and body. Then, warning us and showing from where we may be made clean and purged, He added that alms must be given. He who is merciful teaches and warns us that mercy must be show
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Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness
For they thought that the hands of those who did not wash before eating bread were defiled and unclean, but that the hands of those who had washed them with water became pure and holy, not in a figurative sense, in due relation to the law of Moses according to the letter.
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
Such a washing defiles; it does not purify nor cleanse the limbs, but stains them.
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Tertullian, On Baptism Direct teaching
Happy is our sacrament of water, in that, by washing away the sins of our early blindness, we are set free and admitted into eternal life!
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness
Be pure, not by washing of water, but in the mind.
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Tertullian, On Prayer Supporting witness
These are the true purities; not those which most are superstitiously careful about, taking water at every prayer, even when they are coming from a bath of the whole body.
More related quotations from this section 1 shown
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Cyprian, Treatises Direct teaching
For when the disciples were pointed out, as eating and not first washing their hands, He replied and said, He that made that which is within, made also that which is without.
Did early Christians ever use hand washing symbolically?
A small set of sources uses washing hands in a symbolic or liturgical way, such as the Apostolic Constitutions describing a priest's hand washing as a symbol of purity. Other nearby texts use washing language more broadly for cleansing, but not specifically for the topic of hand washing as a practice.
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Mark 7:3 Direct teaching
For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders.
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Mark 7:2 Direct teaching
they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.
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Matthew 15:20 Direct teaching
These are the things which defile a man: but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
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Matthew 15:2 Direct teaching
“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.”
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Mark 7:5 Supporting witness
Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?
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Tatian, The Diatessaron Direct teaching
...ibes came to him from Jerusalem. When they saw that some of his disciples were eating bread without washing their hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands carefully, because they hold to the tradition of the elders. And they do not eat what was bought from the market unless they wash it. They keep many other things that they received, such as the washing of cups, measures, bronze vessels, and couches. So the scribes and Pharisees asked him, "Why do your disciples not walk according to the traditions of the elders, but eat bread without washing their hands?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Why do you also break the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Whoever speaks evil of his father or his mother shall surely die.' But you say, 'If a man says to his father or to his mother, "Whatever you would receive from me is an offering,"' then you do not allow him to do anything for his father or his mother. In this way, you make void and reject the word of God because of the tradition that you have handed down and commanded, such as the washing of cups and measure
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Tatian, The Diatessaron Direct teaching
...from within, from the heart, and they are the things that defile the man. But if a man eats without washing his hands, he is not defiled.”
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Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness
79] Why do your disciples not walk according to the ordinances of the elders, but 22 eat bread without washing their hands?
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Tatian, The Diatessaron Direct teaching
Mark 7:21 From within the 43 heart of men proceed evil thoughts, Mark 7:22 fornication, adultery, theft, false witness, murder, injustice, wickedness, deceit, stupidity, evil eye, calumny, pride, foolishness: 44 Mark 7:23 these evils all of them from within proceed from the heart, and they are the things 45 which defile the man: Matthew 15:20b but if a man eat while he washes not his hands, he is not defiled.
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Tatian, The Diatessaron Direct teaching
...went in and reclined at the table. When the Pharisee saw it, he was amazed that Jesus had not first washed before eating. Jesus said to him, “Now you Pharisees wash the outside of the cup and the dish, and you think that you are clean; but inside you are full of injustice and wickedness.”
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Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness
For they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
Why do some early Christian texts mention washing at all?
Some writers mention washing because the Law had priestly washings or because they are talking about baptism and purity language. Those passages are background for the topic, not proof that Christians had a special hand-washing command.
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Background
But let one of the sub-deacons bring water to wash the hands of the priests, which is a symbol of the purity of those souls that are devoted to God.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Background
...ity. Excellent. Well then, I say, does He become perfect at the same time as His baptism by John? Clearly. Then He did not learn anything more from him? Certainly not. But is He perfected by the washing of baptism alone, and sanctified by the descent of the Spirit? So it is. The same also takes place in our case, and Christ became our example. Being baptized, we are illuminated. Being illuminated, we become sons. Being made sons, we are made perfect. Being made perfect, we are made immortal. "I," He says, "have said that you are gods, and all sons of the Highest." This work is called by various names: grace, illumination, perfection, and washing. It is called washing, because by it we cleanse away our sins. It is called grace, because by it the penalties that come from transgressions are remitted. It is called illumination, because by it that holy light of salvation is seen, that is, by it we see God clearly. Now we call that perfect which lacks nothing. For what is still lacking to the one who knows God? For it would truly be monstrous if that which is not complete should be called a gift, or act, of God's grace. Since He is perfect, He therefore gives perfect gifts. As at His
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Cyprian, Epistles Background
...hed with the saving water, but sprinkled. In this matter, my caution and modesty judge no one beforehand, so as to keep anyone from thinking what he believes is right, and from doing what he believes should be done. As far as my limited understanding can see, I think that God's gifts cannot in any way be cut short or weakened. Nor can anything less take place in that case where, with full and complete faith in both the giver and the receiver, what comes from the divine gifts is accepted. For in the sacrament of salvation, the stain of sins is not washed away in the same way that the dirt of the skin and body is washed away in an ordinary bodily washing, as though there were also need of soap and other materials, and a bath and basin by which this lowly body must be washed and cleaned. The believer's heart is washed in another way. The mind of a man is purified in another way by the merit of faith. In the sacraments of salvation, when necessity forces it and God grants His mercy, the divine means give the whole benefit to believers. Nor should it trouble anyone that sick people seem to be sprinkled or have water poured on them when they receive the Lord's grace, since Holy Script
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Tertullian, On Baptism Background
...wer of filling waters with the same effect. But they deceive themselves with widowed waters. For by washing they are initiated into certain sacred rites of some well-known Isis or Mithras. They also honor the gods themselves by washings. Moreover, by carrying water around and sprinkling it, they everywhere expiate country houses, homes, temples, and whole cities. At any rate, at the Apollinarian and Eleusinian games they are baptized. And they think that the effect of doing this is their regeneration and the remission of the penalties due for their perjuries. Among the ancients too, whoever had defiled himself with murder used to go in search of purifying waters. Therefore, if the mere nature of water, because it is the proper material for washing away, leads men to flatter themselves with a belief in omens of purification, how much more truly will waters render that service through the authority of God, by whom all their nature has been established! If men think that water is endowed with a healing power by religion, what religion is more effective than that of the living God? Since this is acknowledged, we recognize here also the zeal of the devil rivaling the things of God, w
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Tertullian, On Baptism Background
Therefore, if the mere nature of water, in that it is the appropriate material for washing away, leads men to flatter themselves with a belief in omens of purification, how much more truly will waters render that service through the authority of God, by whom all their nature has been constituted!
Common Questions
Did early Christians think hand washing made someone clean before God?
No. They used Jesus’ teaching to say that inner sin matters more than clean hands.
Which Bible passages are most relevant?
Mark 7:2-5, Mark 7:23, Matthew 15:2, and Matthew 15:20 are the clearest passages.
Did any early Christian writers mention hand washing in church life?
Apostolic and later writers mention washing in other settings, but the main hand-washing texts here are about Jewish custom or symbolic cleansing.
Source Index for Washing Hands
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 140 ranked source links from 161 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 140 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 101
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 60 included
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.