Coptica v. 16 2017

Towards A History of Coptic Liturgical Vestments II: Bishops and Patriarchs

Ramez Mikhail

A previous contribution analyzed the historical development of Coptic liturgical vestments for the minor orders, deacons, and presbyters. 1 It is now time to continue this historical analysis for the rank of bishop. Although strictly speaking the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria is also a bishop, the sources used for this study reveal a clear distinction between the office of patriarch and that of bishop in terms of liturgical vestments. Thus, these two offices of what is essentially and sacramentally is the same rank in the priesthood are treated separately below. The article concludes with a description of current practice(s) in the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Bishops

Upon the ordination of a new bishop, the text of the codex Coptic Museum 253 Lit. (AD 1364) reads as follows:

[1] Ⲙⲉⲛⲉⲛⲥⲁ ⲛⲁⲓ ⲙⲟⲓ ϩⲓⲱⲧϥ ·ⲛϯⲥⲧⲟⲗⲏ ·ⲛⲓⲉⲣⲁⲧⲓⲕⲟⲛ [2] ϯϣⲑⲏⲛ ·ⲛⲟⲩⲱⲃϣ [3] ϯⲕⲟⲩⲗⲗⲁ ·ⲛⲟⲩⲱⲃϣ [4] ⲡⲓⲡⲁⲗⲗⲓⲛ ·ⲛⲩⲟⲱⲃϣ. 2

[1] البسه هذا بعد الحله الكهنوتيه [2] الثوب [3] والقلنسوه البيض

[1] After this, clothe him with the hieratic vesture: [2] The white tunic, [3] the white hood, [4] and the white omophorion [ pallin ].

الابيض

ا

.

[4]

الابيض والبلين

As was explained elsewhere, 3 in this instance, Ϯ ⲥⲧⲟⲗⲏ , tistolē [1] must be taken to mean liturgical vestments generally, in agreement with Innemée’s reading of this same passage. 4 This general term is then broken down into 1 Ramez Mikhail, “Towards A History of Coptic Liturgical Vestments: I-Minor Orders, Deacons, and Presbyters,” Coptica 15 (2016), 55-70. 2 Coptic Museum 253 Lit. (AD 1364), fol. 34 v.; cf. O.H.E. Burmester, Ordination Rites of the Coptic Church: Text According to MS. 253 Lit., Coptic Museum (Cairo, 1985), 63 (Coptic), 112 (English). For all texts from this manuscript, the Coptic and Arabic columns are presented from the manuscript, while the English column is based on Burmester’s English translation of the Coptic text with occasional modifications. 3 For an analysis focusing only on the topic of clerical head covering in the Coptic tradition, together with images, cf. Ramez Mikhail, “‘And they Shall Stand Bareheaded’: On the Historical Development of Liturgical Head-Covering in the Coptic Rite,” forthcoming in Proceedings of the Eleventh International Congress of Coptic Studies , Claremont, California, July 25th-30th, 2016. 4 Karel C. Innemée, Ecclesiastical Dress in the Medieval Near East , Studies in Textile and Costume History 1 (Leiden and New York, 1992), 23.

Coptica 16 (2017), 55 – 66.