Early Christian Views on Wigs and Modesty
Early Christian writers strongly called for modest dress and simple hair, and many warned against false hair, braids, makeup, and showy adornment. Clement, Tertullian, Cyprian, and the Apostolic Constitutions all press this point, with 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and 1 Peter 3:3-4 often used as the main Bible passages. The specific word wigs is not common in the sources, so the best evidence comes from warnings about false hair, elaborate styling, and outward display. The overall direction is clear: Christian women should dress with modesty, not display.
81 early-church witnesses · 165 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What did early Christians believe about wigs and Christian Modesty?
Early Christian writers strongly taught modest dress and warned women against elaborate hair, costly jewelry, makeup, and other showy adornment. Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Cyprian, and the Apostolic Constitutions all connect Christian modesty with plain dress and simple hair care, and several also reject false hair and other forms of display. The Bible passages most often used are 1 Timothy 2:9 and 1 Peter 3:3-4, with added support from Isaiah 3:16-24 and Jeremiah 4:30.
The evidence is broad for modesty and against showy hair styling, but it is more indirect for the specific modern question of wigs, since the texts usually speak about false hair, braiding, cosmetics, and ornaments rather than wigs by name. 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 teachers repeatedly told women to avoid showy hair, costly clothes, jewelry, and cosmetics.
- Clement and Tertullian directly reject false hair and elaborate styling as unfit for Christian modesty.
- Cyprian and the Apostolic Constitutions connect modest dress with purity, discipline, and avoiding lust.
- The main Bible texts used were 1 Timothy 2:9-10 and 1 Peter 3:3-4.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians teach women to avoid showy hair and costly adornment?
The sources repeatedly tie Christian modesty to plain dress and restrained hair, warning against braided hair, gold, pearls, costly clothing, and other outward display. The strongest Bible passages and patristic witnesses align on the same basic admonition.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching
Wherefore also women ought to dress neatly, and bind themselves around with the band of chaste modesty, lest through giddiness they slip away from the truth.
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Tertullian, On Prayer Direct teaching
Touching modesty of dress and ornamentation, indeed, the prescription of Peter 1 Peter 3:1-6 likewise is plain, checking as he does with the same mouth, because with the same Spirit, as Paul, the glory of garments, and the pride of gold, and the meretricious elaboration of the hair.
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
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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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching
for all these ornaments are the signs of lasciviousness, which if you be solicitous about in an indecent manner, you will not act as becomes a good man: for it is not lawful for you, a believer and a man of God, to permit the hair of your head to grow long, and to brush it up together, nor to suffer it to spread abroad, nor to puff it up, nor by nice combing and platting to make it curl and shine;
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
That beauty which God and nature has bestowed on you, do not further beautify;
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching
lest by a nice combing your hair, and wearing it long, and anointing yourself, you draw upon yourself such ensnared or ensnaring women.
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Direct teaching
...ch wants ornament, since all things which God has made are very good. But the lascivious additional adorning of what is already good is an affront to the bounty of the Creator. Look downward when you walk abroad, veiling yourself as becomes women.
More related quotations from this section 2 shown
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Cyprian, Treatises Direct teaching
... shall not mar the figure of your beard,” Leviticus 19:27, he plucks out his beard and arranges his hair. Is he now trying to please anyone when he displeases God? Or does that woman groan and mourn who has time to put on costly clothing, but not to think about the robe of Christ that she has lost; to receive expensive ornaments and finely made necklaces, but not to grieve over the loss of divine and heavenly ornament? Although you dress yourself in foreign garments and silk robes, you are naked. Although you decorate yourself excessively with pearls, gems, and gold, yet without the adornment of Christ you are ugly. And you who dye your hair, at least now stop in the midst of your sorrows. And you who darken the edges of your eyes with a line of black powder, at least now wash your eyes with tears. If you had lost someone dear to you by the death that belongs to mortal life, you would groan deeply and weep, with your face disordered, your clothing changed, your hair neglected, your face darkened, and your appearance cast down. You would show the signs of grief. Miserable creature, you have lost your soul. Spiritually dead here, you go on living for yourself, and though you are s
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
That you think yourself to be adorned, that you think your hair to be dressed, is an assault upon the divine work, is a prevarication of the truth.
Did early Christians reject wigs or false hair?
Several sources specifically reject hair added from other people or false hair used to cover the head, treating it as sacrilegious or deceptive. These cards are the closest direct evidence for a historical Christian objection to wigs or hairpieces.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching
But additions of other people's hair are entirely to be rejected, and it is a most sacrilegious thing for spurious hair to shade the head, covering the skull with dead locks.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching
But hair added from other people must be completely rejected. It is a very sacrilegious thing for false hair to cover the head, shading the skull with dead locks. For on whom does the presbyter lay his hand? Whom does he bless? Not the woman who is dressed up, but another person's hair, and through that, another head. And if the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of the man, how is it not impious for them to fall into a double sin? For they deceive men by the excessive amount of their hair. And, as far as they are able, they dishonor the Lord by adorning themselves like prostitutes in order to hide the truth. And they bring shame on the head, which is truly beautiful.
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Cyprian, Treatises Direct teaching
...true is changed into a lie by the deceitful dyes of cosmetics? Your Lord says, "You cannot make one hair white or black." Matthew 5:36 And yet, in order to overcome your Lord's word, you would make yourself mightier than He is, and stain your hair with bold effort and profane contempt. With an evil sign of what is to come, you are already making for yourself a beginning of flame-colored hair. And you sin, O wickedness, with your head—that is, with the nobler part of your body! And although it is written of the Lord, "His head and His hair were white like wool or snow," Revelation 1:14 you curse that whiteness and hate that gray hair which is like the Lord's head.
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Unknown, Unknown Work Supporting witness
But additions of other people's hair are entirely to be rejected, and it is a most sacrilegious thing for spurious hair to shade the head, covering the skull with dead locks.
More related quotations from this section 3 shown
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching
...in hairpin, caring for modest hair in a simple way for the sake of true beauty. For prostitute-like braiding of the hair, and arranging it in curls and twisted strands, only makes them look ugly. It cuts the hair and pulls it out because of those deceptive braids. Because of this, they do not touch their head, since they are afraid of disturbing their hair. Even sleep comes with fear, lest without knowing it they ruin the shape of the braid.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching
For meretricious plaiting of the hair, and putting it up in tresses, contribute to make them look ugly, cutting the hair and plucking off it those treacherous braidings;
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
... wool, a variety of colors, fussiness about gems, delicate work in gold, and still more, artificial hair and curled arrangements? And furthermore, what should be said about staining the eyes, plucking out hairs, painting with rouge and white lead, dyeing the hair, and the wicked arts used in such deceptions? May we not very well suspect that what was quoted a little above about the grass was said of those unornamental lovers of ornaments? For the field is the world, and we who are bedewed by the grace of God are the grass. And though cut down, we spring up again, as will be shown more fully in the book On the Resurrection. But hay figuratively means the common rabble, attached to passing pleasure, flourishing for a little while, loving ornament, loving praise, and being anything but truth-loving, good for nothing except to be burned with fire. "There was a certain man," said the Lord, telling the story, "very rich, who was clothed in purple and scarlet, enjoying himself splendidly every day." This was the hay. "And a certain poor man named Lazarus was laid at the rich man's gate, full of sores, desiring to be filled with the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table." This is t
Did early Christians say men should be modest about hair and grooming too?
A smaller group of sources criticizes men for shaving, plucking, arranging the hair, and other appearance-focused grooming. The evidence shows that Christian modesty language was not limited to women, even if the woman-focused texts are stronger overall.
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1 Timothy 2:9 Direct teaching
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 Direct teaching
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 Peter 3:4 Direct teaching
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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Jeremiah 4:30 Direct teaching
And you, O desolate one, what do you mean that you dress in scarlet, that you adorn yourself with ornaments of gold, that you enlarge your eyes with paint? In vain you beautify yourself. Your lovers despise you; they seek your life.
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Acts 3:24 Supporting witness
And there shall be instead of a sweet smell, dust; and instead of a girdle, thou shalt gird thyself with a rope; and instead of a golden ornament for the head, thou shalt have baldness on account of thy works; and instead of a tunic with a scarlet ground, thou shalt gird thyself with sackcloth.
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Isaiah 3:22 Supporting witness
The changeable suits of apparel, and the mantles, and the wimples, and the crisping pins,
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Isaiah 3:23 Supporting witness
the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans, and the veils.
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Isaiah 3:19 Supporting witness
The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;
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Song of Solomon 1:11 Supporting witness
We will make for you ornaments of gold, studded with silver.
More related quotations from this section 4 shown
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1 Corinthians 11:6 Background
For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.
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1 Corinthians 11:5 Background
But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved.
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1 Corinthians 11:15 Background
But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering.
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1 Corinthians 11:13 Background
Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
How did early Christians connect modest dress with holiness and church discipline?
The sources present modesty as part of holiness, self-control, and church discipline rather than mere fashion advice. They argue that outward display can provoke lust or distract from a life fitting for Christians.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching
It is enough for women to protect their locks, and bind up their hair simply along the neck with a plain hair-pin, nourishing chaste locks with simple care to true beauty.
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Cyprian, Treatises Direct teaching
...nd and pure, not only in body but also in spirit. For it is not right for a virgin to have her hair braided to display her beauty, or to boast of her flesh and its beauty, when she has no greater struggle than that against her flesh, and no more stubborn contest than that of conquering and subduing the body.
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
Let women, said he, adorn themselves with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with broidered hair, nor gold, nor pearls, nor costly array, but as becomes women professing chastity, with a good conversation.
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
1 Peter 3:3-4 But if these also warn us that the women who are accustomed to make an excuse for their dress by reference to their husband, should be restrained and limited by religious observance to the Church's discipline, how much more is it right that the virgin should keep that observance, who has no excuse for adorning herself, nor can the deceitfulness of her fault be laid upon another, but she herself remains in its guilt!
More related quotations from this section 2 shown
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Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Supporting witness
For it is never suitable for women whose lives are framed according to God, to appear arrayed in things bought from the market, but in their own home-made work.
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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:
Common Questions
Did early Christians forbid wigs?
They clearly warned against false hair and showy adornment, but the sources do not usually name wigs directly.
Which Bible verses did early Christians use for modest dress?
1 Timothy 2:9-10 and 1 Peter 3:3-4 are the main passages, with support from Isaiah 3 and Jeremiah 4:30.
Did early Christians think women should keep their hair simple?
Yes. Clement, Tertullian, and Cyprian all press for plain, modest hair rather than elaborate display.
Source Index for Wigs and Christian Modesty
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 165 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 81
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
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Bible Passages 80 shown of 84
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.
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Book 79 1:32