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.
(From a talk given at the St. Herman Winter Pilgrimage, Redding, California, 1983).