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 "Some
men... live that they may eat, But the Instructor enjoins us to
eat that we may live." Sound familiar? It has been around
for some time — since Clement of Alexandria, A.D. 153-217. And
here are more of his instructions in Christian living, from The
Instructor, Ante Nicene Fathers, Vol. II.
"These
gluttons... emasculate plain food, namely bread, by straining
off the nourishing part of the grain, so that the necessary part
of food becomes matter of reproach to luxury." He says they
excuse dinners and banquets by falsely calling it
"agape" or "love feast" (fellowship). Their
Epicureanism drives them to "sweetmeats, honey-cakes, and
sugar plums... A man like this seems to me to be all jaw."
"Women
and men are to go to church decently attired, with natural step,
embracing silence, possessing unfeigned love, pure in body, pure
in heart, fit to pray to God. Let the woman ...be entirely
covered, unless she happen to be at home. For that style of
dress is grave, and protects from being gazed at. And she will
never fall, who puts before her eyes modesty, and her shawl; nor
will she invite another to fall into sin by uncovering her face.
For this is the wish of the Word, since it is becoming for her
to pray veiled."
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"Women
are to be allowed a white shoe, except when on a journey, and
then a greased shoe must be used... It is not suitable for the
foot to be shown naked ... But for a man bare feet are quite in
keeping, except when he is on military service.... On a
journey... we may wear... dusty-foots."
"But
for one who is a man to comb himself and shave himself with a
razor, for the sake of fine effect, to arrange his hair at the
looking glass, to shave his cheeks, pluck hairs out of them, and
smooth them, how womanly! ...And let not men, therefore, spend
their time in barber shops and taverns, babbling nonsense; and
let them give up hunting for the women who sit near, and
ceaselessly talking slander against many to raise a laugh."
"I
would counsel the married never to kiss their wives in the
presence of their domestics." "The apostle calls the
kiss holy... but there is another unholy kiss, full of poison,
counterfeiting sanctity ... A kiss is not love, for the love
meant is the love of God... “that we keep his commandments”,
not that we stroke each other on the mouth." Finally
"We must abandon a furious mode of walking..."
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