Hey Calvin,

How could Paul be writing Timothy to tell Christian ladies in Ephesus not to dress like “cult prostitutes”? Artemis is a goddess of chastity. Some attention to historical fact is going to help release you from the slavery of the tradition.

Also, there were no “cult prostitutes” anywhere—it’s a Christian myth demolished by scholars. There’s no evidence for it. It’s compulsive chatter, endlessly repeated.

You cite Troy Martin’s article to say that Christian women shouldn’t dress like prostitutes in church- he of course has no discussion of that subject. See the Mark Goodacre critique of that paper for starters.

Paul of course knew John the author of Revelation- he refers to him in 2 Corinthians 12:2, and Revelation is cited repeatedly in his letters.

Yes, early church baptism is done naked with clear reference to human birth and a regained Eden. (“Their initial nudity indicated their lack of shame; the white garments their restored innocence,” notes Robin M. Jenson in Baptismal Imagery in Early Christianity.)

I reject any shaming of the human!! It is deeply un-scriptural.

Satlow on nakedness in Judaism is only describing conservative rabbinic culture, i.e. the people who hated Jesus. It seems a poor representation even of Jews of the time. I was subtly critiquing that piece here re. the Jewish gym.