The stole is a
liturgical vestment of various
Christian denominations, which symbolizes
priestly authority; in Protestant denominations which do not have priests but use stoles as a liturgical vestment, however, it symbolizes being a member of the ordained. It consists of a band of colored cloth, usually of
silk, about seven and a half to nine feet long and three to four inches wide, whose ends may be straight or may broaden out in the shape of a spade or bell. The center of the stole is worn around the back of the neck and the two ends hang down parallel to each other in front, either attached to each other or hanging loose. The stole is almost always decorated in some way, usually with two crosses, or sometimes another significant religious design. It is often decorated with contrasting
galloons (ornamental
trim
Trim or TRIM may refer to:
Cutting
* Cutting or trimming small pieces off something to remove them
** Book trimming, a stage of the publishing process
** Pruning, trimming as a form of pruning often used on trees
Decoration
* Trim (sewing), ...
) and
fringe is usually applied to the ends of the stole following . A piece of white linen or lace may be stitched onto the back of the collar as a sweat guard, which can be replaced more cheaply than the stole itself.
Etymology and history
The word ''stole'' derives via the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
''stola'', from the
Greek στολή (''stolē''), "garment", originally "array" or "equipment".
The stole was originally a kind of shawl that covered the shoulders and fell down in front of the body; on women they were often very large. After being adopted by the Church of Rome around the seventh century (the stole having also been adopted in other locales prior to this), the stole gradually became narrower and started to feature more ornate designs, developing into a mark of dignity. Nowadays, the stole is usually wider and can be made from a wide variety of material.
There are many theories as to the "ancestry" of the stole. Some say it came from the
tallit (Jewish prayer mantle), because it is very similar to the present usage (as in the minister puts it on when he or she leads in prayer) but this theory is no longer regarded much today. More popular is the theory that the stole originated from a kind of liturgical napkin called an ''
orarium'' (cf.
orarion
The Orarion (Greek: ; Slavonic: орарь, ''orar'') is the distinguishing vestment of the deacon and subdeacon in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches. It is a narrow stole, usually four t ...
) very similar to the
sudarium. In fact, in many places the stole is called the orarium. Therefore, it is linked to the napkin used by
Christ in washing the feet of his disciples, and is a fitting symbol of the yoke of Christ, the yoke of service.
The most likely origin for the stole, however, is to be connected with the scarf of office among Imperial officials in the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...
. As members of the clergy became members of the Roman administration (see
Constantine I and Christianity) they were granted certain honors, one specifically being a designator of rank within the imperial (and ecclesiastical) hierarchy. The various configurations of the stole (including the
pallium or the
omophorion) grew out of this usage. The original intent, then was to designate a person as belonging to a particular organization and to denote their rank within their group, a function which the stole continues to perform today. Thus, unlike other liturgical garments which were originally worn by every cleric or layman, the stole was a garment which was specifically restricted to particular classes of people based on occupation.
Stoles were already used in pre-Roman Italic religion. In the
Umbrian
Umbrian is an extinct Italic language formerly spoken by the Umbri in the ancient Italian region of Umbria. Within the Italic languages it is closely related to the Oscan group and is therefore associated with it in the group of Osco-Umbrian ...
Iguvine Tablets
The Iguvine Tablets, also known as the Eugubian Tablets or Eugubine Tables, are a series of seven bronze tablets from ancient Iguvium (modern Gubbio), Italy, written in the ancient Italic language Umbrian. The earliest tablets, written in the na ...
, a stole was used by an officiating priest during offering rituals. It was worn on the shoulder during a sacrifice, and then placed on an offering cake:
''While you are slaying it, wear a stole on your right shoulder. When you have slain it, place (the stole) upon the mefa cake. While you are presenting it, wear the stole on your right shoulder. Present grain-offerings and sacrifice with mead.'' (ibid, pg. 164)
Symbolism and color
Together with the
cincture and the now mostly defunct
maniple, the stole symbolizes the bonds and fetters with which
Jesus was bound during his
Passion; it is usually ornamented with a cross. Another version is that the stole denotes
the duty to spread the Word of God. In the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...
's
Latin Rite, the priests' stole represents priestly authority, while the diaconal stole (which is diagonally and conjoined at the side) represents service. In the
Orthodox Church
Orthodox Church may refer to:
* Eastern Orthodox Church
* Oriental Orthodox Churches
* Orthodox Presbyterian Church
* Orthodox Presbyterian Church of New Zealand
* State church of the Roman Empire
* True Orthodox church
See also
* Orthodox (d ...
the symbolism is the same, though it also symbolizes particularly the anointing with oil which accompanies ordination, and which flows down the body as the stole does.
A stole will generally be the
liturgical color assigned by the church for the liturgical season or for the particular service.
Use
Western Christianity
Roman Catholic
In the
Latin Catholic tradition the stole is the vestment that marks recipients of
Holy Orders. It is conferred at the
ordination of a
deacon, by which one becomes a member of the clergy after the suppression of the tonsure and
minor orders after the
Second Vatican Council.
A
bishop or other
priest wears the stole around his neck with the ends hanging down in front, while the
deacon places it over his left shoulder and ties it cross-wise at his right side, similar to a sash.
Before the reform of the liturgy after the Second Vatican Council, priests who were not bishops were required to cross the stole over the breast (as pictured below), but only at
Mass or at other functions at which a
chasuble or
cope was worn. It is now often worn hanging straight down without being crossed across the breast. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal, which is the liturgical law for the Roman Catholic Church concerning the Mass, no longer makes explicit that a Priest must cross his stole. It states, "the stole is worn by the Priest around his neck and hanging down in front of his chest..." (GIRM §340). Unless there is a law promulgated by a particular diocese or other ordinary, it is left to the priest to interpret what this means. On solemn occasions, the
Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
wears, as part of his
choir dress, a special stole of state highly decorated and bearing his personal
coat of arms.
For the celebration of the Mass, the principal celebrant as well as concelebrants wear the stole over the
alb
The alb (from the Latin ''albus'', meaning ''white''), one of the liturgical vestments of the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Reformed and Congregational churches, is an ample white garment coming down to the an ...
but under the chasuble. Likewise, the deacon wears the stole over the alb but under the dalmatic. The stole is also worn over the
surplice
A surplice (; Late Latin ''superpelliceum'', from ''super'', "over" and ''pellicia'', "fur garment") is a liturgical vestment of Western Christianity. The surplice is in the form of a tunic of white linen or cotton fabric, reaching to th ...
or alb for the distribution and reception of Holy Communion.
The priest or deacon who presides in paraliturgical celebrations, such as the Stations of the Cross, usually wears the stole over the surplice (or alb), and always under the cope.
In Catholic practice, the vesting prayer for the stole is:
Protestant
In
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
churches, the stole is most often seen as the symbol of ordination and the office of the ministry of
Word and
Sacrament. Stoles are often given by the congregation (sometimes hand-made or decorated) as a love gift at ordination or at other life milestones. Generally, Protestant clergy wear the stole in the same manner as Catholic priests—around the back of the neck with the ends hanging down the front (though not crossed). Stoles are commonly worn by ordained ministers in
Anglican (see below),
Lutheran (see below),
Methodist (see below),
Presbyterian,
United Church of Christ,
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and other denominations. The clergy of some other Protestant denominations will wear stoles, though normally those in the less liturgical churches will wear either a
pulpit robe (with a
preaching scarf) or simply a
suit during
church services.
= Anglican
=
During the
English Reformation, the stole, along with all other sacramental vestments, were removed from the Church of England. The
Oxford Movement began an interest in pre-Reformation worship, and eventually the stole (along with other vestments) were revived among
Anglo-Catholic clergy. Though today, it is not uncommon for a
Low Church priest to wear a stole with choir dress, stricter ones may still object to its use, and wear the
tippet instead. This re-introduction of the stole continued to cause concern even in the 20th century. During the 1950s, the Bishop of London,
William Wand
John William Charles Wand, (25 January 1885 – 16 August 1977) was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Archbishop of Brisbane in Australia before returning to England to become the Bishop of Bath and Wells before becoming the Bishop of Lon ...
, and the Bishop of Oxford,
Kenneth Kirk
Kenneth Escott Kirk (1886–1954), also known as K. E. Kirk, was an English Anglican bishop. He was the Bishop of Oxford in the Church of England from 1937 to 1954. He was also an influential moral theologian, serving for five years as Regiu ...
refused to ordain any candidate to the priesthood who would not wear a stole. Many candidates objected to wearing it because of their theological and traditional allegiances. Finally,
Geoffrey Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury, had to resolve the matter, and instructed that all bishops must not refuse ordination simply because the candidate was unwilling to wear the stole. Today, there is less controversy. When a stole is used in a deacon's ordination, it may be conferred on him or her and worn over the shoulder. At ordination to the
priesthood, the newly ordained priest then wears the stole around his or her neck, hanging down in front, either straight down or crossed across the front of the body and secured with the
cincture.
= Lutheran
=
In the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the
Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS), and the
Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church
The Independent Evangelical-Lutheran Church (german: Selbständige Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche, abbreviated SELK) is a confessional Lutheran church body of Germany. It is a member of the European Lutheran Conference and of the International ...
(
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...
), only
pastors wear the stole, as there is only the one order of ordination, that of pastor, in these Lutheran traditions. (The office of bishop for
Episcopal polity and president for
Congregational Polity is not a separate order of ordination.) Diaconal ministers, the ELCA's equivalent to the deacon, generally do not wear the stole, but sometimes will wear the traditional deacon's stole while performing liturgical functions traditional to the diaconal order.
However, certain Lutheran churches, such as the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland ( fi, Suomen evankelis-luterilainen kirkko; sv, Evangelisk-lutherska kyrkan i Finland) is a national church of Finland. It is part of the Lutheran branch of Christianity. The church has a legal positi ...
and the
Church of Sweden, practice the three-fold ministry of holy orders (in that the orders of deacon, priest and bishop are separate ordinations). In such churches, wearing a deacon's stole when assisting in a liturgy is an official rule, and different rubrics exist for the use of the stole by priests and bishops. Ordained clergy of the
Church of Sweden follow the use described for Anglican deacons and priests in this article, except the practice of wearing the stole hanging straight down is reserved for bishops (priests wear it crossed over the chest except over a surplice, when no cincture is worn).
= Methodist
=
In the
United Methodist Church, ordained
deacons wear a stole around the shoulder as in the Anglican and Roman traditions. An ordained
elder
An elder is someone with a degree of seniority or authority.
Elder or elders may refer to:
Positions Administrative
* Elder (administrative title), a position of authority
Cultural
* North American Indigenous elder, a person who has and ...
wears the stole in the same fashion as an Anglican or Roman Catholic priest, with the role of elder being the Methodist equivalent, among other Protestant denominations, to that office. The English word "priest" is in fact derived from the Greek word ''presbyter'', which means "elder".
Eastern Christianity
Byzantine practice
In The Byzantine Rite practice of the
Eastern Orthodox and
Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually.
The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine C ...
churches, the stole worn by a deacon is called an
orarion
The Orarion (Greek: ; Slavonic: орарь, ''orar'') is the distinguishing vestment of the deacon and subdeacon in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches and Eastern Catholic Churches. It is a narrow stole, usually four t ...
, while that worn by a priest or bishop is called an
epitrachelion (a bishop additionally wears an
omophorion), all similar in meaning and use to the Western stole. In Greek Orthodox practice, the deacon wears a double orarion, meaning it comes over the left arm and under the right. Minor clerics (and in Greek and
Melkite traditions the
altar servers as well) wear an orarion wrapped around their waist, crossed in back, and then either crossed again in front and tucked under the belted section or not crossed and tucked in (see explanation of subdeacon below).
The
priest's epitrachelion consists of a long strip of cloth, hung around the neck with the two strips fastened together in front, either by buttons or by stitching. The epitrachelion comes down in front almost to the hem of his robes, and is symbolic of the priest's "anointing" (
Septuagint: Psalm 132:2;
KJV
The King James Version (KJV), also the King James Bible (KJB) and the Authorized Version, is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, which was commissioned in 1604 and published in 1611, by sponsorship of K ...
:
Psalm 133:2). Traditionally—though not necessarily—the epitrachelion will have seven crosses on it: six in the front (three on each side) and one on the back of the collar. The priest traditionally blesses the cross on the collar and kisses it before he puts it on, and kisses it again when he takes it off. When he is vesting for the
Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate ...
, he says the following prayer before putting on the epitrachelion:
''Blessed is God, Who poureth out His grace upon His priests, like the oil of myrrh upon the head, which runneth down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron: which runneth down to the fringe of his raiment.'' (Cf. Psalm 132:2, LXX)
In the
Russian Orthodox tradition, the priest may say a special blessing and sprinkle the epitrachelion with
holy water before it is worn for the first time. A priest is not permitted to celebrate even the simplest service, even the
Daily Office, unless he is wearing the epitrachelion (and in some traditions the
epimanikia, or "cuffs", as well). When a member of the faithful goes to
Confession, the priest places the edge of his epitrachelion over the head of the penitent as he confesses his sins. After the
absolution, the penitent will often kiss the priest's hand and then one of the crosses on the edge of the epitrachelion. At an Orthodox wedding, the priest will have the bridal couple hold the edge of his epitrachelion as he leads them in a procession three times around the
Gospel Book, symbolizing the
pilgrimage of life.
The
protodeacon or
archdeacon wears the orarion "doubled", i.e., over the left shoulder, under the right arm, and passing again over the left shoulder. The two ends hang down, one in the front and one in the back, coming down almost to the hem of his
sticharion (dalmatic).
A
deacon wears an orarion which simply passes over the left shoulder, the two ends of which hang straight down, one in the front and one in the back, coming down almost to the hem of his sticharion. This is only common in the most traditional Orthodox churches. In many Eastern traditions, the stole is always worn "doubled" unless the deacon in question is wearing only his
exorasson
The cassock or soutane is a Christian clerical clothing coat used by the clergy and male religious of the Oriental Orthodox Churches, Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, in addition to some clergy in certain Protestant denominat ...
(outer cassock) and then it is essentially folded and worn over the left shoulder.
The
subdeacon wears his orarion over both shoulders, crossed in the back and the front. Those acting as subdeacons (i.e., vested and serving as subdeacons but without having been ordained) wear their orarion crossed only in the back, to show that they do not bear
holy orders.
Oriental Orthodox
In the
Oriental Orthodox Churches, the priestly stole is very similar to the epitrachelion described above; however, instead of a long narrow strip of fabric that is wrapped around the neck and fastened together, it is often cut out of a single broad piece of cloth that has a hole cut in it for the head to pass through. Sometimes, depending upon the liturgical Rite, it also extends farther down the back.
British Monarch
The
British Monarch, although not in
Holy Orders, is
anointed
Anointing is the ritual act of pouring aromatic oil over a person's head or entire body.
By extension, the term is also applied to related acts of sprinkling, dousing, or smearing a person or object with any perfumed oil, milk, butter, or oth ...
with the oil of
Chrism and invested with a stole during the
Coronation rite. This stole, made of gold silk, is officially named the ''Stole Royal'' or ''Armilla'', and is one of several coronation robes kept overnight in the
Jerusalem Chamber of
Westminster Abbey before the day of the coronation.
The Coronation (which is always in the context of a
Eucharist) is an official liturgy of the
Church of England; the
Archbishop of Canterbury has responsibility for the ceremony and is almost always its presider.
Mandaean
A stole is used in the
Mandaean religion by the priests during rituals.
[Kurt Rudolph]
''Mandaeism''
pg 6
Unitarian Universalist
A stole/scarf/tippet is worn in the
Unitarian Universalist religion by some ministers during weekly services. The garment is a symbol of ministry. UU stoles often are adorned with the Unitarian Universalist chalice and come in a wide range of colors. Other participants in the service may also wear stoles, such as the green stole worn by chalice lighters.
See also
*
Tippet
*
Omophorion
*
Pallium
*
Tallit
*
Mandaean priest#Clothing
*
Xiapei
References
* ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 11th ed., vol. 26, p. 953.
External links
Stolearticle from the ''
Catholic Encyclopedia'' (1912)
{{Lutheran Divine Service
Eucharistic vestments
Roman Catholic vestments
Anglican vestments
Eastern Christian vestments
Lutheran vestments
Protestant vestments
History of clothing
Scarves
Shawls and wraps
Christian terminology