Clothes and Monasticism in Ancient Christian Egypt
Subtitle: A New Perspective on Religious Garments
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Group
Published: 2021
Language: eng
Number of pages: 204
ISBN-13: 9780367505479
Subjects: Christianity
Description: "This book is an exploration of the ideals and values of the ascetic and monastic life, as expressed through clothes. Clothes are often seen as an extended part of humans that determines who we are and how we experience and interact with the world. In this way, they can play a significant role in the embodied and material aspects of religious practice. The focus of this book is on clothing and garments among ancient monastics and ascetics in Egypt, but with a broader outlook to the general meaning and function of clothes in religion. The garments of the Egyptian ascetics and monastics are important because they belong to a period of transition in the history of Christianity and very much represent this way of living. This study combines a cognitive perspective on clothes with an attempt to grasp the embodied experiences of being clothed, as well as viewing clothes as potential actors. Using sources such as travelogues, biographies, letters, contracts, images and garments from monastic burials, the role of clothes is brought into conversation with material religion more generally. This unique study builds links between ancient and contemporary uses of religious clothing. It will, therefore, be of interest to any scholar of Religious Studies, Religious History, Religion in Antiquity and Material Religion"--