The Instructor 3.11.56
Summary: Women may wear softer but plain clothing; Christians should put on Christ; ears should not be pierced; whoever thinks gold adorns him is worth less than gold.
Greek text · Stählin 1:268
κεχρήσθω δὲ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ τῇ λιτῇ στολῇ καὶ τῇ σεμνῇ, μαλακωτέρᾳ δὲ μᾶλλον ἢ προσῆκεν ἀνδρί, πλὴν οὐ τέλεον ἀπηρυθριακυίᾳ, οὐ διαρρεούσῃ τῇ μαλακότητι. ἔστων δὲ αἱ ἐσθῆτες ἁρμόζουσαι ἡλικίᾳ, προσώπῳ, τόποις, φύσει, ἐπιτηδεύμασιν. »ἐνδύσασθαι« γὰρ παγκάλως ἡμῖν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος συμβουλεύει »τὸν Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν, καὶ τῆς σαρκὸς πρόνοιαν μὴ ποιεῖσθαι εἰς ἐπιθυμίας«. κωλύει δὲ βιαζομένους τὴν φύσιν ὁ λόγος τοὺς λοβοὺς τῶν ὠτίων τιτρᾶναι. διὰ τί γὰρ οὐχὶ καὶ τὴν ῥῖνα; ἵνα δὴ κἀκεῖνο πληρωθῇ τὸ εἰρημένον· »ὥσπερ ἐνώτιον ἐν ῥινὶ ὑός, οὕτως γυναικὶ κακόφρονι κάλλος.« καθόλου γὰρ εἴ τις ἡγεῖται κοσμεῖσθαι χρυσίῳ, ἐλάττων ἐστὶν χρυσίου, ὁ δὲ ἐλάττων χρυσίου οὐκ ἔστι κύριος αὐτοῦ. ἀκοσμότερον δὲ ὁμολογεῖν ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἥττονα τοῦ Λυδίου ψήγματος πῶς οὐκ ἀτοπώτατον;
English · Claude translation
Let the woman too wear plain and dignified clothing, softer than is fitting for a man, but not completely shameless nor dissolving in softness. Let clothes suit age, person, place, nature, and occupation. For the divine apostle very beautifully advises us to “put on Christ Jesus, and make no provision for the flesh, for its desires.” The Word forbids us to do violence to nature by piercing the lobes of the ears. For why not the nose too? So that that saying might be fulfilled: “As an earring in a pig's snout, so is beauty to an evil-minded woman.” In general, if anyone thinks he is adorned by gold, he is less than gold; and one who is less than gold is not its master. How is it not most absurd to confess oneself less adorned and inferior to the Lydian gold dust?
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Rom 13:14 and Prov 11:22. The Lydian gold dust came from the river Pactolus.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 3.11.56 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/3/11/56/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 3.11.56 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/3/11/56/).
Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)
Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text