Clothing and Fashion in Jesus' Time
Created by Audrey Johnston at Christian Brothers Academy
October 2, 2014
In Jesus' time Jews used methods of spinning and weaving to create clothing. Clothes were made outdoors with linen imported from Egypt and Galilee and wool imported from Judea.
Men
The main piece of clothes worn by men were tunics. Tunics were made out of pieces of clothing sewn together creating a hole for the head and arms. A belt was worn around the waist to hold the tunic together. Normal men just wore the tunic alone, but wealthier men wore a cloak in colder weather.
A man's formal style of dress was a wool toga. Togas were dyed different colors to show social status. A Magistrate wore togas with a purple band and politicians wore whitened wool togas.
Women
Most women in Ancient Rome wore a stola made from linen, cotton or silk. Women's shoes consisted of leather and straps arranged in different ways connecting to the sole of the shoe. Slaves wore plain shoes, if any, and wealthy women wore decorated shoes to show how wealthy they were.
Weddings
In Jesus' time the clothing in a wedding was very important. The night before the marriage the bride wore a white tunic and yellow hairnet to bed. A woman's wedding dress was white and tied with a square knot in the back. Her hair was tied up into a braided bun. The bride also wore a flower crown and a yellow veil. A woman's wedding dress initiated her into woman hood.
Bible
In Deuteronomy 22:11, it states that people were not supposed to wear mixed fibers together, like linen or wool. Also, in Deuteronomy 2:5 it states that women were supposed to dress clearly as a woman and men clearly as a man. Cross dressing was considered an abomination.
Jewish people in Jesus' time thought that it was part of God's divine plan to diferentiate people by apperance. On special occasions, holidays and the Sabbath everyone wore their nicest clothing to show their thanks to God.The people believed God liked when they praised and worshiped him in their beautiful clothing. Clothing was believed to protect and give thanks to the body God gave us.
