In theEastern Orthodox andEastern Catholic liturgical tradition, theomophorion (Ancient Greek:ὠμοφόριον, meaning "[something] borne on the shoulders";Slavonic: омофоръ,omofor) is the distinguishingvestment of abishop and the symbol of his spiritual and ecclesiastical authority. Originally woven of wool, it is a band ofbrocade decorated with fourcrosses and an eight-pointed star; it is worn about the neck and shoulders.[1]
By symbolizing the lost sheep that is found and carried on theGood Shepherd's shoulders, it signifies the bishop'spastoral role as theicon ofChrist. All Eastern Orthodox bishops wear theomophorion. Clergy and ecclesiastical institutions, including seminaries, subject to a bishop's authority are often said to be "under hisomophorion" (seeEcclesiastical jurisdiction).
The equivalent vestment in Western Christian usage is the archiepiscopalpallium, the use of which is subject to different rubrics and restrictions.
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Theomophorion has two forms: the ancient greatomophorion, which passes around the neck, is folded in the front, and hangs down past the knees in both the front and the back, like a loosely worn longscarf; and the smallomophorion which is much simpler, passing around the neck and hanging down in the front similar to anepitrachelion (stole), only wider and shorter, coming down a little past the waist. Because of the complexity of the greatomophorion, and because of the dignity of the episcopal office, whenever the bishop puts on theomophorion or takes it off, he is assisted by twosubdeacons.
Whenever the bishop presides at any divine service, he will be vested in theomophorion. If he is serving theDivine Liturgy, he will wear both the great and the smallomophorion at different times over his liturgical vestments. At any service other than the Divine Liturgy, he will usually wear the smallomophorion.
At theDivine Liturgy, therubrics call for the bishop to put on and take off theomophorion numerous times. When he is first vested, the subdeacons place the greatomophorion on him, but afterwards, when the rubric calls for him to wear theomophorion, it is replaced, for the sake of convenience, with the smallomophorion.
In modern practice in the Slavic tradition, when several bishopsconcelebrate, it is now the custom for the chief celebrant to use the greatomophorion when called for, and the other bishops to wear the smallomophorion throughout, with all bishops wearing their mitres. In modern Greek Patriarchal practice, on the other hand, all concelebrating bishops wear the great omophorion at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, with only the chief celebrant wearing the mitre and the other bishops wearing theirkalimavkia with theEpanokalimavkion. In other local Churches, notably the Church of Greece, all concelebrating bishops wear both the great omophorion and the mitre, and even carry their staffs.
In theRuthenian Greek Catholic Church and theUkrainian Greek Catholic Church, often only the greatomophorion is used. In this simplified usage, the greatomophorion is not replaced by the smallomophorion, and is worn by thebishop throughout the entireliturgy. In such cases, theomophorion is often sewn into shape and can be simply draped onto the shoulders rather than wrapped on by assistants. Some Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops, however, insist on the full ceremonial.
During theAll-Night Vigil, the bishop will wear the smallomophorion at the beginning, but near the end will change into the greatomophorion for theGreat Doxology.
In theearly church, theomophorion was a broad band of white wool ornamented with crosses and draped loosely over the neck, shoulders, and breast. The modern Romanpallium developed from this earlyomophorion. In the West, over the centuries, its form changed into a circular, thin, woolen garment for the shoulders, with short, weighted, pendantlappets before and behind.[2] In an act of reversion from the modern form of Papalpallium, the form thatPope Benedict XVI wore from the beginning of his pontificate was closer to that of the originalomophorion, but he later reverted to the modern form of thepallium yet substituted red crosses instead of black ones.[citation needed]
In the East, the only change in theomophorion has been an increase in its width and a shift in the material from which it is made. Theomophorion was documented about the year 400 AD as a liturgical vestment of the bishop inIsidore of Pelusium. It was made of wool and was already seen as symbolic of the duties of bishops as shepherds of their flocks. In the miniatures of an AlexandrianChronicle of the World, written probably during the fifth century, theomophorion was represented in an image. In later times, it was shown on the renowned ivory tablet of Trier, depicting the solemn translation ofrelics. Among the pictures dating from the seventh and eighth centuries, in which theomophorion is illustrated, are the lately discovered frescoes inS. Maria, Antiqua in theRoman Forum. The representation of theomophorion in these frescoes is essentially the same as the vestment in its present form.[2]
Theomophorion probably developed from the civilomophorion, a shoulder garment or shawl in general use. Bishops may have introduced directly by a positive precept a humeral cloth resembling the ordinaryomophorion and called by that name, to be used as a liturgical pontifical badge. Alternatively, bishops may have used the civilomophorion as an ornament without any special significance, but in the course of time it gradually developed associations as a distinctively episcopal ornament. Finally it symbolized an episcopal badge of office.[2]
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InOriental Orthodoxy, theomophorion takes a number of different forms:
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Pallium".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
