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On the Apparel of Women

Tertullian

Book 1 · Chapter 8

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter VIII.—The Same Rule Holds with Regard to Colours. God’s Creatures Generally Not to Be Used, Except for the Purposes to Which He Has Appointed Them.

Similarly, too, do even the servants of those barbarians

‹ Book 1 · Chapter 7 Book 1 · Chapter 9 ›

cause

the

glory

to

fade

from

the

colours

of

our

garments

(

by

wearing

the

like

)

;

nay

,

even

their

party

-

walls

use

slightingly

,

to

supply

the

place

of

painting

,

the

Tyrian

and

the

violet

-

coloured

and

the

grand

royal

hangings

,

which

you

laboriously

undo

and

metamorphose

.

Purple

with

them

is

more

paltry

than

red

ochre

;

(

and

justly

,

)

for

what

legitimate

honour

can

garments

derive

from

adulteration

with

illegitimate

colours

?

That

which

He

Himself

has

not

produced

is

not

pleasing

to

God

,

unless

He

was

unable

to

order

sheep

to

be

born

with

purple

and

sky

-

blue

fleeces

!

If

He

was

able

,

then

plainly

He

was

unwilling

:

what

God

willed

not

,

of

course

ought

not

to

be

fashioned

.

Those

things

,

then

,

are

not

the

best

by

nature

which

are

not

from

God

,

the

Author

of

nature

.

Thus

they

are

understood

to

be

from

the

devil

,

from

the

corrupter

of

nature

:

for

there

is

no

other

whose

they

can

be

,

if

they

are

not

God’s

;

because

what

are

not

God’s

must

necessarily

be

His

rival’s

.

But

,

beside

the

devil

and

his

angels

,

other

rival

of

God

there

is

none

.

Again

,

if

the

material

substances

are

of

God

,

it

does

not

immediately

follow

that

such

ways

of

enjoying

them

among

men

(

are

so

too

)

.

It

is

matter

for

inquiry

not

only

whence

come

conchs

,

but

what

sphere

of

embellishment

is

assigned

them

,

and

where

it

is

that

they

exhibit

their

beauty

.

For

all

those

profane

pleasures

of

worldly

shows

—

as

we

have

already

published

a

volume

of

their

own

about

them

—

(

ay

,

and

)

even

idolatry

itself

,

derive

their

material

causes

from

the

creatures

of

God

.

Yet

a

Christian

ought

not

to

attach

himself

to

the

frenzies

of

the

racecourse

,

or

the

atrocities

of

the

arena

,

or

the

turpitudes

of

the

stage

,

simply

because

God

has

given

to

man

the

horse

,

and

the

panther

,

and

the

power

of

speech

:

just

as

a

Christian

cannot

commit

idolatry

with

impunity

either

,

because

the

incense

,

and

the

wine

,

and

the

fire

which

feeds

(

thereon

)

,

and

the

animals

which

are

made

the

victims

,

are

God’s

workmanship

;

since

even

the

material

thing

which

is

adored

is

God’s

(

creature

)

.

Thus

then

,

too

,

with

regard

to

their

active

use

,

does

the

origin

of

the

material

substances

,

which

descends

from

God

,

excuse

(

that

use

)

as

foreign

to

God

,

as

guilty

forsooth

of

worldly

glory

!

Notes

1
Or, “slaves.”
2
Comp. de Pæn., c. v. med.
3
Comp. c. vi. above.
4
Sæcularium.
5
i.e., the treatise de Spectaculis.
6
Rebus.
7
“Affici”—a rare use rather of “afficere,” but found in Cic.
8
Or perhaps “is fed” thereby; for the word is “vescitur.”
9
“Conditio”—a rare use again.
10
Sæcularis.