Garments Of Earth And Heaven

Ὅτι βλακεία, καὶ λεπτότης, καὶ εὔχροια ἱματίων οὐ σώζει τῆς κατὰ Θεὸν ἀσκήσεως τὸν κανόνα, ἐρώτησον Ἰωάννην τὸν Θεολόγον τὸν τοῦ Κυρίου διαγράφοντα χιτῶνα· καὶ φράσει σοι· Ὁ δὲ χιτὼν αὐτοῦ ἤν ἄῥῥαφος, ἐκ τῶν ἄνωθεν ὑφαντὸς δι' ὅλου. Τίς δὲ ἀγνοεῖ τὴν εὐτέλειαν τῆς ἐσθῆτος ἐκείνης, ᾖπερ οἱ πτωχοὶ κέχρηνται τῶν Γαλιλαίων, καθ' οὔς καὶ μάλιστα τὸ τοιοῦτο φιλεῖ γίνεσθαι ἱμάτιον, τέχνῃ τινὶ, ὡς αἱ στηθοδεσμίδες, ἀνακρουστὸν ὑφαινόμενον; Μάθε δὲ καὶ παρὰ τοῦ θείου Ματθαίου, Ἰωάννην τὸν βαπτιστὴν ἀπαγγέλλοντος, καὶ ἐρεῖ σοι· Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἰωάννης εἶχε τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τριχῶν καμήλου. Βλέπε καὶ τὸν μεγαλόφρονα καὶ θεοφόρον Λουκᾶν τὸν Ἡρώδου τῦφον ἱστοροῦντα, καὶ ἤν ἡμπίσχετο ἐσθητᾶ διεβάλλοντα, καὶ τοὺς τὰ μαλακὰ δὲ φοροῦντας, ἐν τοῖς οἴκοις τῶν βασιλέων τρίβεσθαι λέγοντα. Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἄξια τοῦ νοεροῦ νυμφῶνος ἀστράπτονος τὰ ἐνδύματα. Εἰ οὖν τούτου ἐπιθυμεῖς, τὴν Ἰησου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν εὐτελῆ ἐσθῆτα μιμοῦ. Ἡ γὰρ θρύψις τῆς ἐνταῦθα τυγχάνει βλακείας, οὐ τῆς ἄνω φωτοφορίας. Ἅγιος Ἰσίδωρος Του Πηλουσιώτου, Βιβλίον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολή ΟΔ' Κρατωνι Μονακῳ Source: Migne PG 78. 234 B-C

That flimsy and light and well colored garments gain no salvation with God according to the ascetic rules, ask the theologian John, who describing the garment of the Lord, will say to you, 'His tunic was without seam, woven from the top throughout.' 1 And who would neglect to note that the lowness of this garment, which was used by the poor of Galilee, according to which he loved greatly to wear it, was with a certain art, as chest bindings, fashioned to restrain? And attend to Matthew's words announcing John the Baptist, and he shall say to you, 'John had a garment of camel hair.' 2 And observe the high minded and God bearing Luke, in narrating the old age of Herod, denounce the softness of his garments, 3 he who tells us that those who wear delicate garments idle away in the palaces of kings. 4 For those clothed in glittering vestments are not worthy of the chamber of the spiritual bridegroom. If, then, you have some desire in this, let it be to imitate the clothing of our Lord Jesus. The weakness of softness here has no part of heavenly splendor. Saint Isidore of Pelusium, Book 1, Letter 74 to Craton the Monk 1 Jn 19.23 2 Mt 3.4 3 Act 12. 21 4 Lk 7.25