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On the Apparel of Women

Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 2

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter II.—The Origin of Female Ornamentation, Traced Back to the Angels Who Had Fallen.

For they, withal, who instituted them are assigned,

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 1 Book 1 · Chapter 3 ›

under

condemnation

,

to

the

penalty

of

death

,

—

those

angels

,

to

wit

,

who

rushed

from

heaven

on

the

daughters

of

men

;

so

that

this

ignominy

also

attaches

to

woman

.

For

when

to

an

age

much

more

ignorant

(

than

ours

)

they

had

disclosed

certain

well

-

concealed

material

substances

,

and

several

not

well

-

revealed

scientific

arts

—

if

it

is

true

that

they

had

laid

bare

the

operations

of

metallurgy

,

and

had

divulged

the

natural

properties

of

herbs

,

and

had

promulgated

the

powers

of

enchantments

,

and

had

traced

out

every

curious

art

,

even

to

the

interpretation

of

the

stars

—

they

conferred

properly

and

as

it

were

peculiarly

upon

women

that

instrumental

mean

of

womanly

ostentation

,

the

radiances

of

jewels

wherewith

necklaces

are

variegated

,

and

the

circlets

of

gold

wherewith

the

arms

are

compressed

,

and

the

medicaments

of

orchil

with

which

wools

are

coloured

,

and

that

black

powder

itself

wherewith

the

eyelids

and

eyelashes

are

made

prominent

.

What

is

the

quality

of

these

things

may

be

declared

meantime

,

even

at

this

point

,

from

the

quality

and

condition

of

their

teachers

:

in

that

sinners

could

never

have

either

shown

or

supplied

anything

conducive

to

integrity

,

unlawful

lovers

anything

conducive

to

chastity

,

renegade

spirits

anything

conducive

to

the

fear

of

God

.

If

(

these

things

)

are

to

be

called

teachings

,

ill

masters

must

of

necessity

have

taught

ill

;

if

as

wages

of

lust

,

there

is

nothing

base

of

which

the

wages

are

honourable

.

But

why

was

it

of

so

much

importance

to

show

these

things

as

well

as

to

confer

them

?

Was

it

that

women

,

without

material

causes

of

splendour

,

and

without

ingenious

contrivances

of

grace

,

could

not

please

men

,

who

,

while

still

unadorned

,

and

uncouth

and

—

so

to

say

—

crude

and

rude

,

had

moved

(

the

mind

of

)

angels

?

or

was

it

that

the

lovers

would

appear

sordid

and

—

through

gratuitous

use

—

contumelious

,

if

they

had

conferred

no

(

compensating

)

gift

on

the

women

who

had

been

enticed

into

connubial

connection

with

them

?

But

these

questions

admit

of

no

calculation

.

Women

who

possessed

angels

(

as

husbands

)

could

desire

nothing

more

;

they

had

,

forsooth

,

made

a

grand

match

!

Assuredly

they

who

,

of

course

,

did

sometimes

think

whence

they

had

fallen

,

and

,

after

the

heated

impulses

of

their

lusts

,

looked

up

toward

heaven

,

thus

requited

that

very

excellence

of

women

,

natural

beauty

,

as

(

having

proved

)

a

cause

of

evil

,

in

order

that

their

good

fortune

might

profit

them

nothing

;

but

that

,

being

turned

from

simplicity

and

sincerity

,

they

,

together

with

(

the

angels

)

themselves

,

might

become

offensive

to

God

.

Sure

they

were

that

all

ostentation

,

and

ambition

,

and

love

of

pleasing

by

carnal

means

,

was

displeasing

to

God

.

And

these

are

the

angels

whom

we

are

destined

to

judge

:

these

are

the

angels

whom

in

baptism

we

renounce

:

these

,

of

course

,

are

the

reasons

why

they

have

deserved

to

be

judged

by

man

.

What

business

,

then

,

have

their

things

with

their

judges

?

What

commerce

have

they

who

are

to

condemn

with

them

who

are

to

be

condemned

?

The

same

,

I

take

it

,

as

Christ

has

with

Belial

.

With

what

consistency

do

we

mount

that

(

future

)

judgment

-

seat

to

pronounce

sentence

against

those

whose

gifts

we

(

now

)

seek

after

?

For

you

too

,

(

women

as

you

are

,

)

have

the

self

-

same

angelic

nature

promised

as

your

reward

,

the

self

-

same

sex

as

men

:

the

self

-

same

advancement

to

the

dignity

of

judging

,

does

(

the

Lord

)

promise

you

.

Unless

,

then

,

we

begin

even

here

to

pre

-

judge

,

by

pre

-

condemning

their

things

,

which

we

are

hereafter

to

condemn

in

themselves

,

they

will

rather

judge

and

condemn

us

.

Notes

2
Sæculo.
3
Curiositatem. Comp. de Idol., c. ix., and Acts xix. 19.
4
Quo oculorum exordia producuntur. Comp. ii. 5.
5
“Jam,” i.e., without going any farther. Comp. c. iv. et seqq.
6
Sicut. But Pam. and Rig. read “sive.”
7
i.e., the angelic lovers.
8
Comp. Rev. ii. 5.
9
See 1 Cor. vi. 3.
10
Comp. de Idol., c. vi.
11
Comp. 2 Cor. vi. 14–16.
12
See Matt. xxii. 30; Mark xii. 25; Luke xx. 35, 36; and comp. Gal. iii. 28.