Coptica 15, 2016

Evolution of Coptic Liturgical Vestments

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623-62) in the History of the Patriarchs (late 11 th c.), it includes a set of monastic/liturgical canons attributed to the famous pope that he is said to have left after consecrating the sanctuary in the Monastery of St. Macarius. The text of the first two canons in Coquin’s edition reads as follows:

[1] ·Ⲛⲛⲉϩⲗⲓ ·ⲙⲡⲣⲉⲥⲃⲩⲧⲉⲣⲟⲥ ϩⲱⲗ ·ⲉⲡϣⲱⲓ ⲉϫⲉⲛ ⲡⲓⲙⲁ ⲛⲉⲣϣⲱⲟⲩϣⲓ ⲁⲧϭⲛⲉ ·ⲛⲧⲉϥⲉⲣⲫⲟⲣⲓⲛ ·ⲙⲡⲓⲃⲁⲗⲗⲓⲛ ·ⲛϣⲟⲣⲡ ·ⲙⲡⲁⲧⲉϥⲧⲁⲗⲉ ⲉⲑⲟⲓⲛⲟⲩϥⲓ ·ⲉⲡϣⲱⲓ ⲉϫⲱϥ. [2]·Ⲛⲛⲉϩⲗⲓ ·ⲛⲇⲓⲁⲕⲱⲛ ϭⲓ ⲥⲙⲟⲩ ·ⲛⲧⲟⲧϥ ·ⲙⲡⲓⲟⲩⲏⲃ

[1] Let none of the priests ascend to this altar before he wears

[1] فلا يصعد احد من القسوس على هذا المذبح من قبل ان يلبس البلين اولا قبل ان يرفع عليه بخورا [2] و لا احد من الشمامسة يتبارك من يد الكاهن من قبل لبسه البوميس او هو البلين

the ballīn first, before he raises incense upon it.

[2] And [let] none of the deacons receive a blessing from the hands of the priest [i.e. to receive communion] before he wears the apomis , or it is the ballīn . 16

ⲁⲧϭⲛⲉ ·ⲛⲧⲉϥϫⲟⲗϩϥ ·ⲛϯⲁⲡⲟⲙⲓⲥ ⲓⲉ ·ⲛⲑⲟϥ ⲟⲩⲃⲁⲗⲗⲓⲛ .

As I have argued elsewhere 17 , the apomis [ ⲁⲡⲟⲙⲓⲥ ]البوميس , mentioned here most likely corresponds to a type of shoulder veil. First, the term itself is closest to the Greek ἐπωμίς, which occurs as ephod in the Old Testament (Ex. 28:4-14; 29:5; Ex. 39). A type of shoulder vestment with broad strips descending from it is also encountered in the Ethiopian tradition, where it is called lānqā and is worn by deacons, priests, and sometimes bishops. 18 A shoulder veil possibly existed in Nubia as well, as seen in one mural painting of a deacon in Faras Cathedral dating to the 9 th century. 19 It is also likely that ballīn [ ⲃⲁⲗⲗⲓⲛ ]البلين , here is a head covering for both priests and deacons. The term is certainly more familiar as an episcopal and papal vestment, and it will be addressed in Part II of this 16 René-Georges Coquin, Livre de la consécration du sanctuaire du Benjamin: Introduction, édition, traduction et annotations , Bibliothéque d’études coptes 13 (Cairo, 1975), 154-156. 17 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. 18 Ernst Hammerschmidt, “The Liturgical Vestments of the Ethiopian Church A Tentative Survey,” Proceedings of the Third International Conference of Ethiopian Studies 2 (1970), 151-156. I am grateful for the assistance of Fr. Emmanuel Fritsch CSSp, for informing me of the ranks who wear the lānqā in the Ethiopian tradition, as well as providing helpful explanations and images of Ethiopian vestments generally. 19 Karel C. Innemée, Ecclesiastical Dress in the Medieval Near East , Studies in Textile and Costume History 1 (Leiden and New York, 1992), Pl. 31.