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