Early Christian Quotes On Vanity
Clement of Alexandria’s Instructor, Book 2
(Early 3rd Century)
Chapter 11, Paragraph 4:
[After reading to Jesus’ words about God clothing the grass of the field and feeding the sparrows] If, then, He takes away all anxiety regarding clothes and food and superficial concerns in general, what should we think is to be said of the love of adornment, and dyeing of wool, and variety of colors, and an obsession with gems, and exquisite working of gold, and still more, of artificial hair and curled hair; and furthermore, of eye makeup, and plucking out hairs, and painting with all varieties of makeup, and dyeing of the hair, and the wicked arts that are employed in such deceptions?
Clement of Alexandria’s Instructor, Book 2
(Early 3rd Century)
Chapter 12, Paragraph 19:
And do not let their ears be pierced, contrary to nature, in order to attach ear-rings and ear-drops. For it is not right to force nature against her wishes. There could not be any better ornament for the ears than true instruction, which finds its way naturally into hearing passages. And eyes anointed by the Word, and ears pierced for perception, make a man a hearer and thinker of divine and sacred things, the Word truly exhibiting the beauty “which eye has not seen nor ear heard before.”
Cyprian's On the Lapsed
(Mid-3rd Century)
Paragraph 30:
Do we believe that a man is whole-heartedly regretting his sin and praying to the Lord with fasting and with weeping and with mourning, who from the first day of his sin daily visits the bathing-places with women; who, eating at rich banquets, gets bloated from indulging in rich delicacies and belches on the next day his indigestions and does not share his meat and drink to aid the needs of the poor?
How does he who walks with joyous and glad step mourn for his death? And although it is written, "You will not ruin the figure of your beard," he plucks out his beard and styles his hair…
Or does she groan and complain in repentance when she still puts on the clothing of precious apparel and does not consider the robe of Christ. which she has lost; to receive valuable ornaments and richly made necklaces, and not to mourn the loss of divine and heavenly ornament? Although you clothe yourself in foreign garments and silk robes, you are naked; although you adorn and dress yourself to excess both in pearls and gems and gold, yet without the adornment of Christ, you are ugly. And you who dye your hair, now at least stop in the midst of sorrows; and you who paint the edges of your eyes with a line of black powder, now at least wash your eyes with tears. If you had lost any one of your dear friends to death, you would sob uncontrollably and cry with uncontrolled facial expressions. With the way you dress, with neglected hair, with a clouded face, you would show the signs of grief with a hurting, dejected appearance. Miserable creature, you have lost your soul. Spiritually dead here, you are continuing to live to yourself, and although you walk around, you have begun to carry your own death with you. And do you not bitterly moan; do you not continually groan; do you not hide yourself, either for shame of your sin or for the physical expression of your lamentation and sorrow? Behold, these are still worse wounds of sinning; behold, these are greater crimes—to have sinned and not to make atonement—to have committed crimes and not to mourn your crimes.
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