How to Make a Bibleman Costume
If you wish to depict the way an ancient Israelite male dressed, create a costume based on descriptions from the Bible. Although most men wore the same style of clothing, the fabric, embellishments and length of the garment distinguished a person's social or economic status. A man's attire consisted of three main garments: a long tunic or "kuttoneth," a sleeveless, open coat called a "meil," and a mantle or "simlah." The kuttoneth worn alone was indoor attire, but a man might also wear it outdoors without his meil if he was in familiar surroundings. The meil was worn over the kuttoneth at all other times. The simlah, which is a large rectangular piece of cloth, was draped around the body to complete the outfit.
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Things You'll Need
- Large piece of linen fabric or a bed sheet
- Fabric marker
- Scissors
- Pins
- Needle
- Thread
- Blue cord
- Sash
- Old wool bathrobe
- 2-by-8-foot piece of linen or wool fabric
- Leather sandals
Instructions
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The Kuttoneth
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Fold a large piece of light wool, cotton or linen fabric in half to create the kuttoneth, or inner garment. A bed sheet will work fine.
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Draw a semi-circle equal to the width of your head in the middle of the fold and cut it out to form an opening that allows the garment to snugly slip over your head.
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Decide upon the length of your costume, and cut it 2 inches below the knees or 1 inch below the anklebone accordingly. If a Hebrew man was engaged in heavy activity, the kuttoneth just skimmed the knees. However, for leisure activity or formal occasions, it was often ankle-length.
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Fringe the garment by pulling out the woven threads that run parallel to the hemline, creating about an inch of fringe. Sew or glue a piece of blue ribbon or cord above the fringe. The Law given to Moses by God required that the hemline of a garment be fringed and a blue thread placed above the fringe to set Hebrew dress apart from those of other nations.
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Place the garment on a model with his arms outstretched at his sides to form a T.
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Pin the fabric under the arms to make sleeves and sew up the sides and sleeves.
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Tie a long sash around your waist to finish the outfit.
The Meil
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Purchase an inexpensive wool robe. If you can't find a wool robe, one made of heavyweight cotton is fine, too. In Bible times, the meil of a poor person was made of goat or camel hair.
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Cut off the sleeves of the robe and either finish the edges of the armholes or leave them raw. The meil hangs loose and open with no buttons.
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Fringe the hemline as you did for the kuttoneth. This outer garment should be slightly longer in length than the inner kuttoneth.
The Simlah
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Purchase a large piece of linen or wool fabric that measures about 2 feet wide and 8 feet long.
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Arrange the fabric over your left shoulder so that about 2 feet hangs down your front and the longer portion falls down your back.
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Draw the longer portion up under the right arm, across the chest and fling it back over the left shoulder, leaving the right arm free. The simlah was wrapped tightly around the body in bad weather.
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Tips & Warnings
Complete the look with strappy leather sandals and other props suitable to your character. Moses requires a staff, the young boy David could carry a slingshot and a bag filled with stones, and King Solomon or any of the other Israelite kings wore a gold crown set with precious colored stones.
In Jesus' day, wealthy individuals and high officials wore floor-length meils made of ornate purple or scarlet fabrics such as the one Roman soldiers mockingly draped across Jesus before they impaled him.
When the Bible speaks of a man being so distraught that he rips his garment in two, it is referring to the simlah.
References
- Photo Credit moses statue in albany, ny image by Jorge Moro from Fotolia.com
