Tertullian’s On the Adornment of Women
Tertullian, the founder of Latin Christianity and a man of great intellect, was born in Carthage to a proconsular centurion sometime around A.D. 145. He was likely educated in Rome as an expert in law and joined the Church around 185, becoming a presbyter in 190. His writings profoundly influenced Augustine and Cyprian who, in turn, provided inspiration to the Reformers in Europe and in the Anglican Church.
In his later years Tertullian embraced Montanism, a movement, labeled a heresy by the Church, which claimed to have further revelation from the Holy Spirit, held to a strict moral code, and elevated female prophets. Tertullian perhaps embraced this because he was discontent with the orthodox church of his day and found the uncompromising morality of Montanism appealing. Despite this, he is recognized as the founder of Latin Christianity and an incredibly influential Christian thought leader and writer.
This episode contains two of Tertullian’s works: “On the Veiling of Virgins” and “On the Apparel of Women.” They have been combined into one episode because, aside from being comparatively short, they address similar questions; how ought men and women act towards one another in the Church?
In the first text, Tertullian addresses the question of whether virgins ought to remain veiled. Unsurprisingly, his answer is yes, and he spends no little time expounding Scripture to demonstrate the validity of his position. The second questions the need to cover oneself with great wealth and pretense, exploring how principles of modesty and chastity should be brought to bear on our apparel.
Together these provide insight into male-female relationships in the Early Church. Tertullian is clear that only men held Church office, though it is worth remembering that within Montanism women could prophecy. He also tends to give rather specific prescriptions, taking a strong, confident moral stand, grounding his positions in Scripture and being unwilling to leave the issue for conscience or culture to decide. While we will likely not take his every suggestion as law, his approach reminds us of the need to be humble in pronouncing the proper application of Scripture to a particular issue.
Finally, this once again reminds us of Tertullian’s uncompromising view of Christian morality. In his estimation, the external factors of a Christian's life (in this case women's clothing) ought to reflect the internal realities. As we have seen in previous works, patience, modesty and chastity are all central virtues important for preserving a Christian's faith. It is worth noting that he does not equate the wearing of gold and jewels with a loss of one's salvation. Rather, these are actions which in his estimation are unwise and born out of sinful desire rather than holy tendencies.
And now, please enjoy this rendition of Tertullian’s “On the Veiling of Virgins” and “On the Apparel of Women.”
If you would like to read more of the writings of the Early Christian Fathers, please visit ccel.org to view the full collection.
