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On the Dress of Virgins

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 15

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

15. And indeed in that very matter, for the sake

‹ Section 14 Section 16 ›

of

the

fear

which

faith

suggests

to

me

,

for

the

sake

of

the

love

which

brotherhood

requires

,

I

think

that

not

virgins

only

and

widows

,

but

married

women

also

,

and

all

of

the

sex

alike

,

should

be

admonished

,

that

the

work

of

God

and

His

fashioning

and

formation

ought

in

no

manner

to

be

adulterated

,

either

with

the

application

of

yellow

colour

,

or

with

black

dust

or

rouge

,

or

with

any

kind

of

medicament

which

can

corrupt

the

native

lineaments

.

God

says

,

“

Let

us

make

man

in

our

image

and

likeness

;

”

and

does

any

one

dare

to

alter

and

to

change

what

God

has

made

?

They

are

laying

hands

on

God

when

they

try

to

re

-

form

that

which

He

formed

,

and

to

transfigure

it

,

not

knowing

that

everything

which

comes

into

being

is

God’s

work

,

everything

that

is

changed

is

the

devil’s

.

If

any

artist

,

in

painting

,

were

to

delineate

in

envious

colouring

the

countenance

and

likeness

and

bodily

appearance

of

any

one

;

and

the

likeness

being

now

painted

and

completed

,

another

person

were

to

lay

hands

on

it

,

as

if

,

when

it

was

already

formed

and

already

painted

,

he

,

being

more

skilled

,

could

amend

it

,

a

serious

wrong

and

a

just

cause

of

indignation

would

seem

natural

to

the

former

artist

.

And

do

you

think

yourself

likely

with

impunity

to

commit

a

boldness

of

such

wicked

temerity

,

an

offence

to

God

the

artificer

?

For

although

you

may

not

be

immodest

among

men

,

and

are

not

unchaste

with

your

seducing

dyes

,

yet

when

those

things

which

belong

to

God

are

corrupted

and

violated

,

you

are

engaged

in

a

worse

adultery

.

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

.

Notes

33
Gen. i. 26.