Cosmetics and the Bible

[commonsense]

Now you're using facts
---------- ======= ------------
Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.
John Adams

[LUKE2447]

and the early Christian church teachers for centuries across the board disagree with using it to glorify yourself along with many other things. To say who used it and how is speculative when it comes to the whole picture.

Also the Book of Esther is questioned on it's authenticity. I personally don't believe it happened but is a made up story.

[Esther]

Originally Posted by LUKE2447

and the early Christian church teachers for centuries across the board disagree with using it to glorify yourself along with many other things. To say who used it and how is speculative when it comes to the whole picture.

Also the Book of Esther is questioned on it's authenticity. I personally don't believe it happened but is a made up story.

Seriously? Why?

[Praxeas]

slippery slope

[Truthseeker]

Not sure story Esther would justify sexy red lips and bedroom eyes.

[Amanah]

It's the difference between beautifying your hair/face by using oil treatments and conditioners versus applying red hair henna and black eye khol.

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by Amanah

It's the difference between beautifying your hair/face by using oil treatments and conditioners versus applying red hair henna and black eye khol.

Right. Esther doesn't prove she painted her lips hot pink.

[brandyswitcher]

I lived majority of my life,worldly (I wore pants,makeup,streaked my hair&lived a sinful life style--all key thinks we dont associate w/apostolic). When I came to Jesus Christ, I left ALL of those things behind--mostly because that what I was told, by other apostolics/pentecostals, to do because I was too new to know what the Bible did or did not say. And to be completely honest, judged apostolics/pentecostals who did those things to be hypocrites.

Been with Jesus Christ 11 years now, and several things have changed--because of my diligence of Bible studies, I done over the years (literally 5 notebooks full). Since this thread is about makeup, I'll stick to that subject only.

Thru my own personal research, coupled with prayer, this is what I found or did not find: ''cosmetics/makeup/paint/tint/dye/apply color" is not to be found in New Testament ; all reference are Old Testament. Jezebel painting her face & 'tired' her head--if you use this scripture to condemn makeup,then you must condemn fixing you hair in an up-do. Song of Sol.refers to woman as being beautiful because of the color of her lips&cheeks (too wordy to type all out,read it for yourself,you'll see it over&over)--Hebrew women dont have naturally red lips or pink cheeks,so color was added. Jeremiah 4:30 says ....."rent thy face with painting".....,if look up face & painting in original Hebrew,both refer to the outside of the eye with kohl or fair colors.

So my personal research tells me,in the Old Testament God did not like painting of the eyes (& I choose to obey the things He didnt like in Old Testament,because I love Him & want Him to be pleased with me while living in the New Testament Church) ; I find nothing to condemn foundations/powders or blush or lipstick.

(everyone should follow whatever 'personal convictions' God has given YOU)

God Bless!

[comeasyouare]

Originally Posted by LUKE2447

and the early Christian church teachers for centuries across the board disagree with using it to glorify yourself along with many other things. To say who used it and how is speculative when it comes to the whole picture.

Also the Book of Esther is questioned on it's authenticity. I personally don't believe it happened but is a made up story.

The early "Fathers" were early Catholics. Of the Church "Fathers" Clement and Tertullian in particular expressed their opinions on women's adornment. The entire chapter 8 of Practical Holiness a Second Look is devoted to what the UPCI author, Bernard, refers to as being "Biblical standards many leaders throughout church history have firmly advocated" and quotes extensively from Clement and Tertullian. But, when did the views of the "Fathers" become "Biblical standards?" When teaching Oneness and the history of the baptismal formula this same author uses the "Fathers" as historical proof the early church taught Oneness and baptized in the name of Jesus. Tertullian coined the term, trinity, and Bernard himself states that Tertullian was the first in history to use Matt. 28:19 as a precise baptismal formula. But, with the issue of makeup and women's adornment, Bernard refers to the "Fathers" as examples of church leaders who taught "Biblical Standards!"

The opinions of Clement and Tertullian on makeup and adornment were not a reflection of the Apostles' teaching, no more than they were on baptism. The "Fathers" inherited their disgust toward makeup (and women) from the pagan philosophers, who held the traditional, misogynous view of women. Clement in Against the Embellishing of the Body referred to WOMEN CURLING THEIR HAIR and their use of cosmetics as practicing "pernicious acts of luxury." Tertullian was a Stoic philosopher, and according to the Stoics, those products which nature did not provide were by definition luxuries, and criticism of a luxurious lifestyle was a keystone of the Stoic philosophy.

In the type of literature, which criticized married women for wearing perfumes and using cosmetics, [in the NT era], the writer seems to show these products being used in an extreme, even perverse fashion. The wearing of makeup per se did not characterize a prostitute. The class of respectable women in the Empire wore makeup, but it was the OVER APPLICATION of beauty products AND perfume that went with a prostitute's identity, but there was a tacit acceptance of the less ostentatious everyday use of beauty products.

The Apostles wouldn't have had a problem with Christian women wearing makeup. There is too much physical evidence in the form of archaelogical discoveries in Israelite digs and literary proof in the Talmud for the use of makeup by Hebrew women. Paul would have studied the Talmud in Rabbincal school and knew the Rabbis gave their permission for women to wear makeup as part of their adornment. "These are permitted in a woman's adornments: she treats her eyes with kohl, fixes a parting and puts rouge on her face." (Baby. Moed Kattan 9b) Jewish sources distinguish between makeup used for therapeutic purposes and makeup meant for embellishing the eyes: "Kohl, Rabbi Shema ben Elazar says, if for healing to kohl one eye, and if for ornament to kohl both eyes." (Tosefta Shabbath, 8:33) Since making up the eyes was considered a labor, it was forbidden on the Sabbath. (Baby.Shabbath, 109a) For more on the use of makeup in the Talmud go to my website.

The Pentecostals and Apostolics are far too harsh and cruel on women. Esther would have worn makeup, and she and her husband went 50/50 in ownership of the Kingdom! Makeup was invented by the Mesopotamians -- prior to the Persians. It was decided that the book of Esther was canonical, and I take it as such. I love the book of Esther.

www.studyholiness.com

[tssp]

I have come to believe that we are way more critical of make-up and jewelry than we should be. I had a dream once that I was in a foreign place and I became ill or wounded, I forget which since it's been a while since I had the dream. I remembering thinking that I was going to die and that I didn't want to do that. I remember my mother being with me and that we headed outside to a courtyard. My mother begin to tend to my wounds and pray with me. When I opened my eyes, in my dream, there was a dark haired, brown skinned, women kneeling before me speaking to me in a language I did not understand. I remember looking at her and judging her because she had kind of large gold or brass earrings on and some light nail polish on. Then somehow it became clear to me that what this women was telling was, The coming of the Lord is sooner than you think. At that point, I woke up from dream speaking in tounges. Every now and then I am reminded of this dream and I am ashamed of myself for thinking that I am some how better than the women that look like that. I was recently prayed for by Bro. Suber and found myself very quickly laying on by back, on the church floor, for the first time in my life. Some of the things that began to come to my mind were I needed a change in my attitude, especially my pride and the fact that I have a tendency to judge others by how I think they should look instead of seeing them as God sees them.