The Salvation of the Flesh in Tertullian of Carthage : Dressing for the Resurrection

"Ideal for scholars and students of early Christianity, Dressing for the Resurrection examines Tertullian of Carthage's (160-220 C.E.) writings on dress within Roman vestimentary culture. It employs a socio-historical approach, together with insights from performance theory and feminist rhetorical analysis, to situate Tertullian's comments in the broader context of the Roman Empire, and to investigate them as evidence of the productive and disputed role clothing and adornment played in early Christian life and constructions of salvation"-- "Why did the influential Christian thinker, Tertullian of Carthage (160-220 C.E.), while addressing the critical issue of salvation of the flesh, write about clothing? Why did he care what Christians wore? Carly Daniel-Hughes answers that in early Christian communities clothing tied to identity and theology. Placing Tertullian's writings in the Roman culture of dress, she shows that in them men's dress is used to envision Christian masculinity as non-Roman and anti-imperial. His concerns about women's dress, however, reveal internal Christian debates about the nature of the flesh and the possibility of its transformation in to a resurrected, glorious body"-- "Why did the influential Christian thinker, Tertullian of Carthage (160-220 C.E.), while addressing the critical issue of salvation of the flesh, write about clothing? Why did he care what Christians wore? Carly Daniel-Hughes answers that in early Christian communities clothing tied to identity and theology. Placing Tertullian's writings in the Roman culture of dress, she shows that in them men's dress is used to envision Christian masculinity as non-Roman and anti-imperial. His concerns about women's dress, however, reveal internal Christian debates about the nature of the flesh and the possibility of its transformation in to a resurrected, glorious body"-- Provided by publisher Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 List of Figures......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 List of Abbreviations......Page 14 Introduction: Dress in Tertullian of Carthage......Page 18 1 Bodily Displays of Modesty: Or, How to Power Dress in the Roman World......Page 32 2 The Clothing that Maketh the Christian Man: Tertullian's On the Pallium......Page 62 3 Why Is She the "Devil's Gateway"? Debating Adornment in Christian Carthage......Page 80 4 Shaming the Virgins' Flesh: A Contest over Veiling......Page 110 Epilogue......Page 132 Notes......Page 138 Bibliography......Page 174 Index......Page 186 "Ideal for scholars and students of early Christianity, Dressing for the Resurrection examines Tertullian of Carthage's (160-220 C.E.) writings on dress within Roman vestimentary culture. It employs a socio-historical approach, together with insights from performance theory and feminist rhetorical analysis, to situate Tertullian's comments in the broader context of the Roman Empire, and to investigate them as evidence of the productive and disputed role clothing and adornment played in early Christian life and constructions of salvation"-- Provided by publisher Machine generated contents note: Bodily Displays of Modesty: Or, How to Power Dress in the Roman World * The Clothing that Maketh the Christian Man: Tertullian's On the Pallium * Why is She the "Devi's Gateway"?: Debating Adornment in Christian Carthage * Shaming the Virgins' Flesh: Tertullian's On the Veiling of Virgins.