The Church attacked the habit of the bath on the ground that everything that makes the body more attractive tends towards sin. Dirt was praised, and the odour of sanctity became more and more penetrating. "The purity of the body and its garments", said St. Paula, "means the impurity of the soul."(* note: Havelock Ellis, Studies in the Psychology of Sex, vo1. iv, p. 3I) Lice were called the pearls of God, and to be covered with them was an indispensable mark of a holy man.
Source： Bertrand Russell: Marriage and Morals, 1929
More info.：https://russell-j.com/beginner/MM05-040.HTM
* a brief comment:
In Japan, perhaps due to the abundance of water resources, practices such as misogi (ritual purification) and takigyo (ascetic training under waterfalls) have frequently been performed as part of religious and spiritual discipline. In contrast, when I read that "the Christian Church attacked the practice of bathing," I briefly wondered whether one of the major reasons might have been the scarcity of water resources in the regions where Christianity developed.
To explore this idea, I discussed it with ChatGPT, and the following observations were made, which I found quite convincing:
** ChatGPT’s response **
This is a very interesting perspective, with significant relevance in both cultural and environmental history.
Let me consider the question from that point of view.
Conclusion:
It is difficult to claim that water scarcity was the direct cause of the ascetic view of the body in Christian thought, but it is fair to say that such environmental conditions may have facilitated the spread of those values. This would be a balanced evaluation.
Reason (1): The origins of religious thought are only somewhat related to physical conditions
Christian views on the body were shaped by influences from Judaism, Gnosticism, and Greek philosophy, among others. These traditions developed ideas such as "the body is the prison of the soul" and "sensual pleasure is sinful."
Such ideas are rooted more in spiritual or philosophical systems than in material conditions like the availability of water.
Reason (2): Early Christianity existed within the infrastructure of the Roman Empire
Ancient Rome had a well-established culture of public baths (thermae), and early Christians lived within that environment.
In fact, some early Christians did use public baths, which makes it difficult to argue that the scarcity of water directly led to the rejection of bathing.
Reason (3): Monastic values were formed in reaction to 'worldly decadence'
From the medieval period onward, the ascetic glorification of uncleanliness in monastic life stemmed from a desire to reject earthly pleasures and devote oneself solely to God.
Therefore, even in regions with sufficient water, the moral equation of bathing = pleasure = corruption likely held sway.
That said, it is possible that limited water resources gave practical persuasive power to certain religious trends.
For example, in cultures where water is abundant and easily accessible (such as Japan or ancient Rome), bathing is a routine act and is less likely to be morally problematized. In contrast, in regions where the use of water is physically restricted, bathing becomes a special act, and abstaining from it may be seen as virtuous.
In this way, the scarcity of water may indeed have served as a convenient material backdrop for religious ideologies that glorify uncleanliness.
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Source： Bertrand Russell: Marriage and Morals, 1929
More info.：https://russell-j.com/beginner/MM05-040.HTM
* a brief comment:
In Japan, perhaps due to the abundance of water resources, practices such as misogi (ritual purification) and takigyo (ascetic training under waterfalls) have frequently been performed as part of religious and spiritual discipline. In contrast, when I read that "the Christian Church attacked the practice of bathing," I briefly wondered whether one of the major reasons might have been the scarcity of water resources in the regions where Christianity developed.
To explore this idea, I discussed it with ChatGPT, and the following observations were made, which I found quite convincing:
** ChatGPT’s response **
This is a very interesting perspective, with significant relevance in both cultural and environmental history.
Let me consider the question from that point of view.
Conclusion:
It is difficult to claim that water scarcity was the direct cause of the ascetic view of the body in Christian thought, but it is fair to say that such environmental conditions may have facilitated the spread of those values. This would be a balanced evaluation.
Reason (1): The origins of religious thought are only somewhat related to physical conditions
Christian views on the body were shaped by influences from Judaism, Gnosticism, and Greek philosophy, among others. These traditions developed ideas such as "the body is the prison of the soul" and "sensual pleasure is sinful."
Such ideas are rooted more in spiritual or philosophical systems than in material conditions like the availability of water.
Reason (2): Early Christianity existed within the infrastructure of the Roman Empire
Ancient Rome had a well-established culture of public baths (thermae), and early Christians lived within that environment.
In fact, some early Christians did use public baths, which makes it difficult to argue that the scarcity of water directly led to the rejection of bathing.
Reason (3): Monastic values were formed in reaction to 'worldly decadence'
From the medieval period onward, the ascetic glorification of uncleanliness in monastic life stemmed from a desire to reject earthly pleasures and devote oneself solely to God.
Therefore, even in regions with sufficient water, the moral equation of bathing = pleasure = corruption likely held sway.
That said, it is possible that limited water resources gave practical persuasive power to certain religious trends.
For example, in cultures where water is abundant and easily accessible (such as Japan or ancient Rome), bathing is a routine act and is less likely to be morally problematized. In contrast, in regions where the use of water is physically restricted, bathing becomes a special act, and abstaining from it may be seen as virtuous.
In this way, the scarcity of water may indeed have served as a convenient material backdrop for religious ideologies that glorify uncleanliness.
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