I just recalled, reading the exchange on Mary of Egypt, references to a
supposed group of nudist heretics called Adamites. (According to
the article in volume 1 of Catholicisme, the name is an old one later
applied at various times from the twelfth century through to the Hussite
wars.) Thus literal adoption of nudity, except for some dramatic
gesture, might be suspect. Furthermore, the equation of clothing with
social status was a strong one, forming one thread of the debate over
vanity of dress in the 15th century. This clothes consciousness
transferred to the New World, where the nakedness or near-nakedness of
many indigenous peoples enterred into arguments about their status & rights.
tom izbicki
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