The Stole (a liturgical vestment of various Christian denominations) is an embroidered band of cloth, formerly usually of silk, about two and one-half to three metres long and seven to ten centimetres wide, whose ends are usually broadened out.
Etymology and history
The word stole derives from Latin stola, from the Greek stolē, 'garment', originally 'array' or 'equipment'.
The stole was originally a kind of scarf that covered the shoulders and fell down in front of the body. After being adopted by the Church about the seventh century, the stole became gradually narrower and so richly ornamented that it developed into a mark of dignity. Nowadays, the stole is usually wider and can be made from a wide variety of materials.
Use
In the Roman Catholic Church, the stole is conferred at the ordination of a deacon and is the common vestment of the Holy Orders. The bishop wears the stole around his neck with the ends hanging down in front while the deacon places it over his left shoulder and lets it hang cross-wise at his right side. The priest used to cross it over his breast but now wears it like a bishop. In Roman Catholicism, wearing of the stole is reserved to deacons, priests, and bishops.
Symbolism
Together with the cincture and now defunct maniple, the stole symbolizes the bonds and fetters with which Jesus was bound during his Passion; it is usually ornamented with a cross.Other versions is that the stole denotes the duty to spread the Word of God.In the Roman Catholic church, the stole's colors corresponds to that of the season, green symbolizes growth, white/red/gold symbolizes a happy occasion, violet/purple denotes mourning,Lent or Advent. The manner in which the stole is worn denotes the clergy's rank , whether diaconate, presbytery or episcopal.
The stole in Eastern rites
In the Eastern rites, the stole is known as the epitrachelion (when worn by a priest or bishop) and the orarion (when worn by a deacon or subdeacon). The priest's stole consists of a long strip of cloth, hung around the neck with the two strips sewn together. The protodeacon or archdeacon wears it over the left shoulder and crossed under the right, and the deacon wears it over the left shoulder with the two ends left hanging. The subdeacon wears his orarion over both shoulders, crossed in the back and the front.
Homonyms
Stole is also the past participle of the irregular English verb "steal".
References
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed., vol. 26, p. 953.
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