ABSTRACT
The theme of this chapter is the Near Eastern mythological background of clothing codes and vestimentary imaginations, which were used and developed in ascetic and monastic literature. The Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh associates clothes with the human condition and presents insights about the civilizing effect of clothes as well as the function and meaning of wilderness garments. The mythology of Genesis 2–3 connects clothes to human origin and fall, while the Books of Kings introduce the miraculous mantle of Elijah and Elisha. This chapter discusses the general relevance of the Near Eastern clothing mythology as well as the specific theme of wilderness clothing for Christian monasticism, especially how the mantle of Elijah and Elisha was regarded as a prototype for the monastic habit.
