Coptica 15, 2016

66 Ramez Mikhail

from it down the back of the wearer, often embroidered with crosses. It is unlikely, however, that this modern form goes back to the 13 th century.

The Precious Jewel & The Lamp of Darkness (13 th -14 th c.) By the late 13 th and early 14 th century, the Coptic vestment tradition seems to have reached a stable state of development. The sources do not reveal any new vestments, but rather tend to copy older sources almost verbatim. This is the case for example in Ibn Sibā c ’s description in The Precious Jewel of the ordination of deacons, in which the orarion [ zinnār ] is placed on the left shoulder, as was seen in previous sources. 44 Similarly, his description of the vestments of the priest is almost identical to that in The Order of the Priesthood , with the addition of a few explanations:

And as for the vestment of the priesthood, it is seven pieces as the number of the orders of the Church. These are first the tunic [ tūnyah ], and the explanation of the tunyah is the light of the sanctuary; then, the ṭaylasān , in the likeness of Aaron the priest, for God commanded him to put on the ṭaylasān in the tabernacle; then, the third is the girdle [ zinnār ], by which the priest pulls together his waist; then, the two sleeves, which free the hands of the priest for the transfer of the holy mysteries; then afterwards the sixth piece is the epitrachelion [ biṭrashīl ]. The priest hangs it on his neck, and the interpretation of biṭrashīl is a thousand rocks; then the seventh piece, which is the phelonion [ burnus ]. If he were a high priest, the phelonion is with a hood [ qaṣlah ] on his head, and if he were not a high priest, the phelonion is without a hood.

واما بدلة الكهنوت وهى سبع قطع على عدد طغمات الكنيسة وهم اولا تونية وشرح التونية النور الهيكلية ثم الطيلسان كمثل هارون الكاهن لان الله امره ان يتطيلس فى قبة الزمان ثم القطعة الثالثة وهى الزنار الذى يشدد الكاهن به ثم الكمين الذى يخلصوا يدى الكاهن لتنقل السراير المقدسة ثم بعد ذلك القطعة السادسة وهى البطرشيل يعلقه الكاهن فى حلقه وشرح البطرشيل يونا نيا الف صخرة ثم القطعة السابعة وهى البرنس فان كان رييس الكهنة فيكون البرنس بقصلة على راسه وان كان غير رييس كهنة فيكون البرنس بغير قصلة. 45

وسطه

44 Victor Mistrīḥ, Yūḥannā ibn Abī Zakaryā ibn Sibā‘: Pretiosa margarita de scientiis ecclesasticis , Studia Orientalia Christiana (Cairo, 1966), 221. 45 Ibid ., 175-176 (Arabic), 486 (Latin).