I spend a lot of my time trying to explain what it means to be in a Free Church tradition. There is so much church hopping and so little explanation about ecclesiological principles that many people really have no clue what the difference is between, say, a Baptist and a Methodist. And then we do things like this that make things that much harder . . . For a long, long, long, long time, certain churches have required their leaders to wear special clothing that sets them apart from the regular church members and visitors. "That's not a big deal, is it?" you say. After all, most companies out there require employees to wear some kind of uniform. And is there not great value in that? When you walk into a store, you know exactly who to ask for help. When you walk through a public event, you know exactly who is on security. That's good. So, if you were walking through life and had a spiritual question, wouldn't it be helpful if you could quickly identify an "expert"? Clericals and VestmentsObviously, some people think the answer to that question should be yes. To make that identification, there has evolved a style of dress unique to clergy: clericals (which clergy wear out and about) and vestments (which clergy wear in church services). This goes way back before Judaism, where Egyptian priests wore special robes. This should only make sense in every culture where priests are expected to perform sacred, ritual duties that would have a lot of rules attached to them as to how to perform those duties correctly so as not to offend the associated god. Jews, who served the One True God, were also given rules about priestly attire and purification for the time that they would spend either in the presence of God (with the various offerings) or in the service of God (with the various sacrifices). But with the first exile and destruction of the temple and subsequent rise of the synagogue, a new class of priests arose, regularly populated by Pharisees. Modern Christians tend to cast Pharisees as a caricature, but in this area the truth seems to be that they indeed had a very elaborate system of dress. Everything from the tie of their sandals to the cut and color of their robes was designed to distinguish them. They had a particular beard trim, special rings and bracelets, and the infamous fringes and tassels. They had multiple layers of clothing all very carefully put together. Pharisees also wore phylacteries all the time. Everything about their attire screamed "Rabbi!" and they received due homage for their vocation.
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AuthorIf I ever say something in here that doesn't make sense, please ask me to clarify. It always makes sense in my head, but that doesn't necessary mean anything to you . . . Categories
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