ABSTRACT
An early Christian text, the Gospel of Philip attests to the symbolic potential of dress in this regard. The gospel does not advise Christians about their mundane clothing by participating in the anti-adornment rhetoric that we find in much early Christian literature. In fact, it has little concrete information about the dress and grooming habits of ancient Christians. Instead, it in the author finds metaphorical deployments of dress, more specifically clothing imagery. In his recent monograph, Images of Rebirth, Hugo Lundhaug notes that 'garment imagery' is not only common in this gospel; it is also deeply connected to its soteriology. For Lundhaug, the gospel uses clothing imagery to persuade readers that through the sacramental rites of baptism, chrismation, and Eucharist they become deified, wholly Christ-like. Building on Lundhaug's analysis, the author shows how clothing imagery works rhetorically to prepare readers for this ritual experience.
