A man dressed in fine clothes? Historical appraisals concerning the garments of John the Baptist - According to Matthew 11,8

Abstract

Were the garments of John the Baptist and Jesus useful to help the people recognize the theological role they were playing in Palestine in the first century? Is it possible to determine the type of clothes worn by John and Jesus? Had the image of the prophet Elijah any influence on the social appearance  of the last prophet in the Old Testament? These are the questions that articulate this narrative. This essay develops the theme of the garment tapping the 1st and 2nd A.C. century sources: canonical gospels, apocryphal gospels, rabbinical and extra biblical sources alike. Following the data given by these sources and ressearches done by scholars this article tries to give an answer regarding the social-theological significance of the garments worn by the Forerunner and the Messiah.