Western Liturgies and Vestments

Church History
3/25/25

Schaff, Philip. (2014). "Chapter VII. Public Worship and Religious Customs and Ceremonies." In  History of the Christian Church. (The Complete Eight Volumes in One). Volume 3, Nicene and Post-Nicene Christianity A.D. 311-600, from Constantine the Great to Gregory the Great. (pp. 2124-2268). (Original work published 1889).  Amazon Kindle Edition. (Personal Library). (sections 74-101).

"§100. The Occidental Liturgies." (pp. 2263-2266).
    Schaff classifies western liturgies as having their sources in Ephesus, with the influence of John; in Rome, with the influence of Peter; or "the Ambrosian and Aquileian, which is a mixture of the other two" (Schaff 2014, p. 2263). Over time, the Roman liturgy came to prominence and the others were eclipsed.
    The old liturgies in Gaul showed an influence of the Ephesian liturgy. Liturgies in Britain and Spain show similar influences. African liturgies show signs of Roman origin (Schaff 2014, p. 2264).
    Ambrosian liturgy is used in Milan, and has survived at least to Schaff's time in the 19th century (Schaff 2014, p. 2265). A related group, from the patriarchate of Aquileia, was long used.
    Roman liturgy is more widely documented than other families (Schaff 2014, p. 2265). While it claims roots in the apostle Peter, the liturgy can be clearly traced as far back as the fifth century. Documentation in the various sacramentaries is clear. Schaff summarizes the history of a number of sacramentaries.

"§101. Liturgical Vestments." (pp. 2266-2268).
    Public worship, particularly with the sharp distinction of clergy and laity, was characterized by particular types of vestments (Schaff 2014, p. 2266). Schaff provides a list of particular liturgical garments used in Greek tradition, then those from Latin tradition, all with explanatory footnotes. We observe that the garments were often specific to various ranks of clergy, as well as to particular liturgical actions. Schaff observes that the use of special priestly garments originated in the Old Testament (Schaff 2014, p. 2267). Various colors developed over time to be appropriate for different seasons or celebrations, though the basic color white remained. Schaff considers that the specific garments for the priesthood probably became common after the sixth century (Schaff 2014, p. 2268).

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