Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/449

 VESTMENTS

391

VESTMENTS

with the appearance of Ritualism. Although the ecclesiastical authorities fought the revival with de- termination, yet it has continually advanced until now there are at least 2000 Anglican churches where the old liturgical vestments have been reintroduced. Blessing of the Liturgical Vestments. — Not all the vesles sacrm necessarily re(|uire a blessing. This is strictly com- manded only for the amice, alb, maniple, stole, chasuble, and perhaps also the cincture. The blessing of the liturgical vestments is a pre- rogative of the bish- ops; others can bless them only when specially empowered to do so. Vestments that have been blessed lose the blessing when the form is essentially altered, when thej' are much worn, and are therefore un- worthy of the holy service, finally, when very greatlj' re- paired. On account

Priest of Italo-Greek Rite

Showing Kamelaukion and Greek

Tunic, or Cassock

of the lack of positive information, it cannot be even approximately settled as to the time at which the blessing of liturgical vestments was introduced. The first certain statements concerning the blessing of liturgical vestments are made by the pseudo-Isidore and Benedict Levita, both belonging to the middle of the ninth century, but the oldest known formula of blessing, which is in the Pontifical of Reims, belongs to the end of the ninth century, for the benedictory prayers in the Pontifical of Egbert of York are an interpolation of the tenth century. From the twelfth centurj' and especially in the later Middle Ages, the forms of blessing were very numerous. The blessing of the vestments w;ia prob- .ably alwaj's the pre- rogative of the bishop, though this is not expressly mentioned before (lilbert of Limerick in the early part of the twelfth century. In the Oriental Rites the blessing of the liturgical vestments is also customan,'; it is given by the bishop, but in case of necessity the priest can perform the ceremony. The benedictory' prayers in the Greek Rite are very similar to those in the Latm Rite. It is perhaps even more difficult to determine the time when the bles-sing of the vestments in the Oriental Ritea began than to settle its date in Western Europe.

■su

Symbolism. — It h;is been said at times that mys- tical considerations were the cause of the introduc- tion of liturgical vestments and consequently of their existence. But this is absolutely wrong. These mystical considerations did not create the priestly dress; they are, rather, the result of the appearance of these vestments and of the defining of the individual ones. The omopho- rion and orarion were the first to receive symbolical in- terpretation, which was given by Isidore of Pelusium (died about 440) ; the ear- liest symbohsm of the entire priestly dress of the Greek Rite is found in the '1 <r t o p I a iKK\v'qia(7TLKrij prob- ably of the eighth centurj'. This work was the basis of the symbolical inter- pretation of the sacred vestments among the Greek hturgists until the late Middle Ages. In Western Europe the first attempt to give a symbolical meaning to the vest- ments of the Mass is found in what is called the Galilean explanation of the Mass. However, it

Greek Cathouc Bishop (Ruthe-

nian) vested in Phelonion,

Mitre, and Omophorion,

holding Dikirion and

Trikirion

was not until the ninth centurj' that a more com- plete symbolism of the priestly dress was attempted in Gaul. The mystical interpretation became from this time a permanent theme for the writers on the liturgy, both in the Middle .\ges and in modern times. In the symbolical interpretation of the sacred vestments. Amalarius of Metz became especially important. Even in his hfetime Ama- larius aroused much opposition on ac- count of his sym- bolism, which, it must be acknowl- edged, was not sel- dom peculiar, la- boured, and arbi- trary. In the end, however, his mys- tical interpretations, which in r e a I i t j' contained many beautiful and edi- fying thoughts, were greatly admired, and were a model for hturgists until far into the thirteenth century. Various tr.aees of the influ- ence of .\malarius's interpretations are evident even in the late Middle Ages. A symboliBm, however, appeared even as early as the ninth century in certain liturgical prayers, the prayers that are

K03, Mitre. IOpiookation, and Omopho- rion. holding Pas- toral Staff
 * hop (Kc'THE-