It brings together the most unlikely of bedfellows from Prince Harry to Gerry Adams and even -- in many depictions -- God himself.

Now the fashion for beards has been given the blessing of the Church of England, after one of the country's most senior clerics praised vicars who grow them to appeal to Muslim communities around them.

The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, singled out two East End priests who had cultivated bushy facial hair "of an opulence that would not have disgraced a Victorian sage", for special praise.

More than simply a fashion choice, the move reflected a desire to "reach out" to the community in their Tower Hamlets parishes, a large proportion of whom are of Bangladeshi origin, he said.

"I am conscious around here that there is something about the 'holy man'."

It is, he added, an acknowledgement of the fact that in many Middle Eastern and Asian cultures the hirsute appearance is more associated with "holy men" than hipsters.

The bishop, who sports what he describes as a "modest" beard dating from the late 1970s, made the observation in an article for the Church Times tracing the history of facial hair over the last 2,000 years of Christianity.

In Islam beards are viewed as an "adornment" and Muslim men are encouraged to wear them to honour the Prophet Mohammed.

Many orthodox Jewish men also wear beards, partly because of the traditional interpretation of a verse in Leviticus as a ban on shaving.

One of the priests praised by the Bishop of London, the Rev Adam Atkinson, Vicar of St Peter's church in Bethnal Green, said he had found that having a beard had helped provide a connection with many people in his parish, around 85 per cent of whom are Muslim.

He first was persuaded to grow a beard by staff at one of his local haunts, the Hound Dog Barbers on Hackney Road -- as an alternative to getting a tattoo.

But he said he had since been struck my how often it helped him forge new links with people, even teenage boys who might not normally want to talk to a vicar.

He explained: "It is an icebreaker -- St Paul said 'I become all things to all men that by all possible means I might save some'

"In our area there are three main groups, the poor, the 'cool' and the Muslims and beards cover at least two groups reasonably well.

"A Muslim friend said 'I will lend you a hat and you can join me on Friday [prayers]. It was done in a jokey way but it was quite affirming."

He added: "I have got Jewish heritage from a few generations ago and I am conscious around here that there is something about the 'holy man'."

"What people are looking for is something that is relatable"

The other vicar, the Rev Cris Rogers of All Hallows Bow, said: "One guy approached me about a year and a half ago and said 'I can respect you because you have got a beard'.

"I said 'that's really interesting why?' and he said a beard shows dedication and commitment to something and it shows wisdom."

He added: "I like the idea of being the 'wild' priest rather than the gentleman priest.

"What people are looking for is something that is relatable - they are not looking for someone who is the 'gentlemen', who is of the aristocracy, there is something about being grounded and real and honest in the East End."

In his article the bishop explains that his interest in the history of beards in religion was prompted by the two vicars.

"The discovery that two of the most energetic priests in east London had recently grown beards of an opulence that would not have disgraced a Victorian sage prompted me to look again at the barbate debate throughout Church history," he said.

Vicar Adam Atkinson after getting a beard trim at Hound Dog Barbers in Hackney Photo: Eddie Mulholland

"The two priests work in parishes in Tower Hamlets. Most of the residents are Bangladeshi-Sylheti, for whom the wearing of a beard is one of the marks of a holy man."

But he said the fortunes of beards have ebbed and flowed over the last 2,000 years.

Have we reached 'peak beard'? Good, because I'm not trying to be trendy

He points out that disagreements over facial hair were even one of the aggravating factors in the Great Schism of 1054 which separated the mainly clean-shaven western church, controlled from Rome, from the more heavily bearded eastern church, centred around Constantinople.

At various points in Christian history beards were suppressed, with archdeacons even sent out with scissors to ensure their clergy were all neatly shorn, he adds.

"Most recently, however, fashions have changed," he said.

"Beards are no longer confined to those excoriated by their opponents as 'trendy lefties', and websites such as coolbeardstyles.com offer a gallery of suggestions for the modern male of all ages.

"David Beckham is the nearest we have to a popular secular saint, and his flirtation with various styles of beards has stimulated countless imitators.

"With the new fashion, however, ideological seriousness has dissolved into stylistic accessory. Archdeacons no longer prowl the Home Counties with their scissors, searching for hirsute clerics.

"The clergy of Tower Hamlets are safe from episcopal censure, and their desire to reach out to the culture of the majority of their parishioners can only be applauded."