Osiem szat arcykapłana żydowskiego i ubiór kapłanów chrześcijańskich w pismach Hrabana Maura i Walahfrida Strabo
The eight vestments of the Jewish High Priest and the garments of Christian ministers in the writings of Rabanus Maurus and Walahfrid Strabo

Summary/Abstract: The following study is concerned with Medieval interpretations of liturgical vestments of Christian clergy and their relation to ceremonial garments of the Jewish High Priest. Attempts to find a link between vestments of the Old Testament and those of Christian ministry date back to 4th and 5th century. Still, the Carolingian theologian Rabanus Maurus (780–856) was the first author to firmly suggest a direct correspondence between the eight vestments of the Jewish High Priest and the garments used by Christian ministers. The article proves that the idea of “the eight vestments”, as presented by Ranabus Maurus, was invented as a concept that was strictly theological and was not meant to be read as a historical study. References to ancient Jewish robes were not considered to serve as an aid in reconstructing the origin of liturgical vestments, but were approached as a hermeneutic tool that would help to explain the relation between worship within the Old and the New Covenant. As a result of this idea, additional symbolic significance was ascribed to particular vestments and insignia, even though it was well known that their actual origins and figurative meaning were different. The idea of “the eight vestments” appears to be a typical example of Medieval typology. As such, it seems to be one of the numerous aspects of biblical theological intuition, which states that Christian priesthood is both a continuation and a recapitulation of the Old Testament hierarchy, focused around Christ as the High Priest of “the New and Everlasting Covenant”, as shown in the Epistle to the Hebrews.

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