Vestito e corpo nel pensiero dei Padri tardoantichi

The key passage in the biblical tradition as regards the origin of dress is the famous narration in Gen. 3, 7 ss. about the sin of Adam and Eve. It is generally interpreted by the Fathers in an allegorical way, with the exceptions on the one hand of Athanase and Basil, who regard the origin of dress as a consequence of the separation of man from God brought about by sin and of the attention to the needs of the body, which are closely linked, and of Augustine on the other, who regards the origin of shame and the necessity of dress as a result of a visible lack of rational control on the sexual desire, which is the consequence and the punishment of the original sin. The foundations of the patristic attitudes to the relation between dress and body are laid by the Paedagogus of Clement of Alexandria. The dress must conceal most of the body and not attract the gazing eye. This is the main justification for the simplicity of dress and the lack of adornment and colour preached by the Fathers. They are inclined to be less severe when the luxury of dress, instead of sexual appeal, conveys social ostentation, chiefly when mature men and married women are concerned, then acting as a mark of political and religious authority.