Handkerchief

Handkerchief (Greek soudarion) appears several times in the New Testament with somewhat varied usages, not always corresponding to the modern article. In Acts 19:12, handkerchiefs and aprons taken from Paul's body were carried to the sick, who were healed and from whom evil spirits departed—a striking extension of healing power through physical contact reminiscent of the healing of the woman who touched Jesus' garment (Mark 5:27–30). This passage reflects a practice of contact relics in apostolic ministry.

The soudarion was a cloth used to wipe sweat from the face or to wrap the head of the dead (John 11:44; 20:7). In John 20:7 it is specifically the cloth that had been around Jesus' head in the tomb, found folded apart from the burial linen—a detail the evangelist notes in support of the resurrection account. In the parable of the talents, one servant hid his master's money wrapped in a soudarion (Luke 19:20), using it as a simple cloth covering.