Getting right off the original point, Hildegard of Bingen
says that in Benedict's day, monks wore no underwear when
at home "as a sign of childlike simplicity and humility"
but wore it when outside the monastery "as an example of
chastity and for the sake of manly decency and human
respect." She also quotes the requirement to wash the
underwear before returning it. However, modern, ie c12,
monks wear underwear at all times to avoid thinking of sin.
Sarah Salih
On Sat, 29 Apr 2000 15:14:32 -0700 Phyllis Jestice
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> I confess that, except for a few details of what priests wear when serving
> at the altar, I have no idea what appropriate biblical dress was. But on
> the issue of the monastic habit, it had certainly evolved into a
> distinctive garment by the ninth century. The Institutio canonicorum
> compares it to the distinctive garb of a soldier, and canon 125 says that
> for a canon to wear the monastic cuculla is as indecent as if a soldier
> were to dress as a layman. I'm rather fuzzier on what, precisely,
> ninth-century monks wore, and would love to hear from other members of the
> list to see if my impressions are correct. The impression I have from the
> ninth-century commentaries on the Rule is that monks wore all-wool,
> ankle-length robes, by this time probably dyed with expensive black dye
> instead of just using what came off the sheep, with a scapular over that.
> They wore belts, had soft leather shoes, and at least when out riding had
> pants underneath (one customary, I can't remember which one, orders monks
> who have been out to clean their riding pants before returning them to the
> cellarer). The biggest distinction for canons of the period was that they
> wore linen instead of wool.
>
> Phyllis
>
> >I had the impression (from biblical epic movies) that biblical dress for
> >men and women was relatively the same. A tunic - longer for women
> >perhaps - cinched at the waist. And I thought monastic garb was the
> >dress of the poor at the time of the founding of the order. What did
> >these canons mentioned in your e-mail wear to say Mass? And was Jesus
> >ever imagined to have worn pants?
> >Just curious,
> >Kathryn
> >
> >Phyllis Jestice wrote:
> >>
> >> The "law of God" Joan was breaking by crossdressing is Deuteronomy
> >> 22:5---"A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a
> >> man put on a woman's garment; for whoever does these things is an
> >> abomination...." Rather oddly, this text is cited in the 816 Institutio
> >> canonicorum Aquisgranensis, explaining why it is reprehensible for canons
> >> to wear the monastic habit.
> >>
> >> Phyllis
> >>
> >> Phyllis G. Jestice
> >> [log in to unmask]
>
> Phyllis G. Jestice
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
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