Visitors
to an Orthodox church service may ask why it is that our clergy wear such
seemingly peculiar garments. Accustomed to the sight of a priest in his Sunday
vestments, we Orthodox Christians are rarely able to give a satisfactory
explanation and our response is often Limited to something about "the
beauty of the Church." While it is not necessary for us to become experts
on .thhis subject, we could benefit from a closer examination of church vestments-their
historical origin and their significance-not only to be able to answer
questions, But also to help ourselves enter more deeply into the services.
The
historical origin and development of church vestments is a rather complex
matter which has lent itself to two different approaches: the
"ritualistic"- which assumes that the vestments of the early
Christian Church were modeled after those of the Jewish levitical priesthood.,
and the "anitiquarian" - which holds that it evolved from the ordinary
dress of the Roman citizenry in the first few centuries of the Christian era.
That the
office of the priesthood was meant to be set apart in its form of dress is
clear from the Old Testament. God commanded that when the priests enter the
gates of the inner court of the temple, "they shall put on linen robes...
and when they go out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off
their robes in which they minister and they shall lay them up in the chamber of
the sanctuary" (Ezek. 44:17). Linen was considered to be a fine material
in comparison with wool which was generally coarser and more commonly used.
Besides a linen tunic, the order of Levites was also ordained to wear linen
mitres upon their heads and "linen drawers upon their loins" and "they
shall not tightly gird themselves" (Ezek. 44:18).
One
cannot assume that before Christianity emerged from the catacombs any but the
simplest form of vestment was used. The dress commonly worn by men and women
'like in the Roman Empire at that time was the chiton or tunic, a long garment
with sleeves, which reached to he ground. The preferred color for celebrants
was white as a symbol of that holiness and purity which the Lord commanded;
"Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness" (Ps. 132:9). The garments
set aside for Church services were decorated with crosses to distinguish them
from ordinary garments. To this day the tunic remains as the vestment common to
all three orders of clergy-bishops, priests and deacons-the only difference
being that the deacon's tunic or sticherion has wide sleeves, while that of the
bishop and priest has tight-fitting ones. That this garment has its origin in
earlest times is a reminder of the universality of the Church and the
immutability of the Faith.
Another
item of clerical garb which had its origin the early centuries of the Church
was the orarion or stole. It is likely that it developed from the towel or
scarf which was an indispensable part. of the Roman attire and was generally
worn over one shoulder. A fourth century law required that officials wear a
sign of office. The stole served this function as well as having more purely
spiritual, significance as a symbol of the grace of the holy Spirit flowing
down upon the clergy In.the case of priests, the stole is worn over both shoulders
as sign of the double measure of grace and is called the epitrachelion which
means "what is worn around the neck." For convenience sake it is sewn
or buttoned down the front. Although the bishop also wears - an epitrachelion,
his distinctive sign of office is the ontophorion-a long, broad strip arranged
on the shoulders in such a way that one end descends in front and the other
behind. The word 'omophorion' means "shoulder covering" and
originally referred to a piece of sheepskin worn over the shoulders by the aged
and in firm for warmth. Later it was made out of the same material as the rest
of the vestment, but its origin still recalls the parable of the lost sheep
which the good shepherd found and lay on his shoulders. So too the bishop is entrusted
to safely guide his flock and take thought for the conversion of the erring.
The rise
of Byzantium and the close relationship of the Church and State had a marked
influence on the further development of Orthodox vestments which have
essentially remained in the same form up to this day The mitre, for example,-worn by all those in
the episcopal office-is modeled after the crown of the Byzantine emperors. .It
is highly unlikely that it was modeled after the Old Testament mitre since it
was not adopted by bishops of the Church until the 15th century. The mitre
represents both the crown of thorns and also the power entrusted to bishops as
the leaders of the Church In more recent
centuries the Russian Church has given the mitre to some archimandrites and archpriests
as an honorary distinction. During the Byzantine era vestments came to be made
of very beautiful fabrics such as brocaded silks, and were adorned with
embroidery and jewels. With the hierarchs arrayed in such resplendent
vestments, the services were reminiscent of the majestic - court ceremonies and
were a striking reminder that the worshippers were in the presence of the King
of kings
The
spiritual significance of all the various liturgical vestments is underlined by
the special prayers read during the process of vesting; When the priest or
deacon puts on the sticharon, he says: "My soul shall rejoice in the Lord,
for He hath clothed me in the garment of salvation and with the vesture of
gladness hath He covered me. .(Is. 61:10). In putting on the epimanika or
cuffs, first on the right hand and then on the left, he prays: "Thy right
hand, O Lord, is glorified in strength; Thy right hand, O Lord, hath vanquished
the enemy, and in the multitude of Thy glory hast Thou crushed the adversaries
(Ex. 15:6). "Thy hands have made me and fashioned me..." (Ps.
118:73). The cuffs are symbolic of the bonds of Christ and serve as a re minder
that a minister of the Church must rely not on his own strength, but on the
help of God. Taking the-epitrachelion, the priest makes over it the sign of the
Cross and prays: "Blessed is God Who poureth out his grace upon His
priests, like unto the oil of myrrh upon the head, which runneth down upon the
beard, upon the beard of Aaron, which runneth down to-the fringe of his raiment"
(PS. 132:2).
In putting on the zone or belt, worn by both bishops and priests,
he says: "Blessed is God, Who girded me with power, and hath made my path
blameless..." (Ps. 47:32-33). The zone denotes the priest's readiness to
serve the Lord and is also a sign that he is bound to Christ. Those priests
honored to wear the thigh-shield and also the epigonation (in Russian-palitsa),
then put these on with the prayer: Gird Thy sword upon Thy thigh, O Mighty
one.. "(Ps. 443) And indeed, these originated from the
"knee-protectors' suspended from the belt and worn on the thigh by
soldiers under their swords. The thigh-shield represents the spiritual sword
denoting the celebrant as a soldier of Christ. The epigonation also represents
the word of God, that is, the spiritual sword (Eph. 6:17) used to fight against
all the wiles of the enemy.
Over every thing the priest puts on the phelonion
or chasuble a long, circular and sleeveless garment, shorter in front to allow
the hands freedom of movement. It is symbolic of the robe Christ wore during
His Passion; the ribbons which decorate it are reminders of the flow of blood
on Christ’s garments. The phelonion is also a token that the priest is “clothed
with righteousness” (Ps. 131:9) and thus hedged off from all iniquities. For
centureies it was also worn by bishops until it became customary for them to
wear the saccos, a garment like a short tunic with half-sleeves, fashioned in
all likelihood after the vestment of the Byzantine emperor; as such is is a
sign of special distinction and honor. Symbolically it serves as a reminder
that the bishop must rise to holiness of life. The term “saccos” means a
“sackcloth garment” or “garment of humility”
The
pectoral is worn by both priests and bishops as a reminder that they should not
merely carry Christ in their hearts, but also confess Him in the face of all
men. The round or oval image of the Saviour or Mother of God, which is worn by
bishops, is called a I, meaning ‘All-holy.”
During
the Divine Services bishops use a crozier or staff indicating that they are
shepherds of Christ’s flock. The top of the staff is made to resemble two
serpents’ heads, recalling the Saviours’ words: “Be ye wise as serpents”. As a
serpent each year forces its way through thorny plants to shed its old skin, so
also must the bishop lead others and follow himself along the thorny path which
leads of the renewal of our souls.
The
orlets is a small round or oval rug bearing the design of an eagle flying above
a city. Bishops stand on such rugs as a reminder that they should rise high
above the things of this world; through the example of their life and teaching,
they are to inspire their flocks also to ascend from earth to heaven.
Although
in the early Church the preferred color for vestments was white – as was
mentioned above – it was not long before a wide array of colors was used. While
there are no set rules as to when to use what colors, certain colors have come
by tradition to be connected to particular feasts. White vestments, for
example, are associated with the Paschal period (although in some churches the
tradition for Paschas is to use red), as the brightest and most radiant
celebration of the vanquishing of death. It is a visual reminder that, “He that
overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment” (Rev. 3:5). Green, the
color of life and spring, is used at Pentecost to symbolize the beginning of
the life of the Church. It is also used on feasts of certain saints, particular
monk saints, who dwelt in the wilderness. Red is used at Nativity, on the Feast
of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and for Martyrs. Blue is the traditional
color of the Mother of God, as she is the Queen of Heaven. Deep purple is used
during Lent as a reminder of the purple robe which the soldiers put on Christ
to mock Him before His Passion. Outside of festal periods gold is used to
remind us of the heavenly Jerusalem: “and the city was pure gold” (Rev. 21:18).
The use
of vestments, then, not only adds to the visual splendor of the church; they
have a far greater significance in transforming the celebrants, even young
acolytes, into representatives of the Kingdom on high, reflecting that
otherworldliness which is the essence of Orthodoxy.
By Reader Phillip Blyth
From a talk given at the St. Herman Winter
Pilgrimage,
Redding, California, 1983
CONVERSATION