De cultu feminarum
De cultu feminarum (German: "From the plaster of women") is a writing by the Christian writer Tertullian . The font is written in Latin and consists of two books that were originally created independently of each other (Book I: around 205/6; Book II: around 196/7), but both of which have fashion and jewelry as their theme. In the first book there is a long excursus from the second chapter on the Ethiopian Book of Enoch , in which Tertullian et al. a. tries to prove that the book must have been written by biblical Enoch .
In De cultu feminarum , Tertullian explains why a Christian woman should keep away from jewelry and make-up arts. He gives four reasons for this:
- The woman per se is responsible for the fall. She threw the man to the ground in the image of God. That is why it is appropriate to wear mourning dresses and avoid all pomp.
- In the Book of Enoch it is proven that jewelry and splendor are of diabolical origin.
- Jewelry items are worthless. Gold and silver come from the earth and therefore cannot be anything other than earth. The rule of thumb for gemstones and pearls is that they cannot be used for anything practical and must therefore be worthless.
- Everything must stay as God created it. Artificial changes are not permitted.
In the eighth chapter of the second book it is pointed out that a man should also keep away from such arts.
De cultu feminarum provides valuable information about the jewelry and make-up habits of antiquity, because Tertullian describes them in detail. Numerous parallels to this writing can be found in De habitu virginum (German: "On the attitude of virgins") by the church father, Cyprian of Carthage .
source
- Tertullian: Private and Catechetical Writings. Translated from Latin by Dr. KA Heinrich Kellner. ( Library of the Church Fathers , 1st row, Volume 7) Munich 1912.