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Shorter Rules
St Basil the Great, tr. Lowther Clarke, 1925
Rule 90: Is It Lawful to Have a Night Garment, Whether of Hair Cloth, or Any Other…
There are special occasions for the use of the hair cloth.1 For its use is not on account of bodily necessity but for afflicting and humiliating the soul2 But since the possession of two garments has been forbidden, let each consider for himself whether their use can be allowed apart from the above-mentioned cause.
Notes
- 2 Cor. xii. 14.
- Cassian Inst. i. 2 says: “(The fathers) utterly disapproved of a robe of sackcloth as being visible to all and conspicuous, and what from this very fact will not only confer no benefit on the soul but rather minister to vanity and pride and as being inconvenient and unsuitable for the performance of necessary work.”