{The Colours of Priestly Vestments}[2nd August 1989]

[Redbook6:186-187][19890802:1959]{The Colours of Priestly Vestments}[2nd August 1989]

.1959

[Extracts from ‘Gregory the Great to John, Bishop of Constantinople [et al], on Christian leadership:]*

‘The divine law also decrees that the priestly vestment is to be made of gold, blue, purple, twice-dyed scarlet, and the finely twined linen (Exodus 28:8), that it may be shown by what great diversity of virtues the priest ought to be distinguished.

‘Thus in the priest’s robe before all things gold glitters, to show that he should shine forth principally in the understanding of wisdom.

‘And with it blue, which is resplendent with aerial colour, is conjoined, to show that through all that he penetrates with his understanding he should rise above earthly favours to the love of celestial things; lest, while caught unawares by his own praises, he is emptied of his very understanding of the truth.

‘With gold and blue, purple is also mingled: which means that the priest’s heart, while hoping for the high things which he preaches, should repress in itself even the suggestions of vice, and, as it were, by virtue of a royal power, rebut them, in that he has regard ever to the nobility of inward regeneration, and by his manners guards his right to the robe of the heavenly kingdom….

‘But with gold, blue, and purple, twice-dyed scarlet is conjoined, to show that all excellences of virtue should be adorned with charity in the eyes of the judge within; and that whatever glitters before men may be lighted up in sight of the hidden arbiter with the flame is [sic] inward love. And further, this charity, since it consists in love at once of God and of our neighbour, has, as it were, the lustre of a double dye….

‘Hence, with twice-dyed scarlet fine twined linen is conjoined. For fine linen springs from the earth with glittering show, and what is designated by fine linen but bodily chastity shining white in the comeliness of purity? And it is also twisted for being interwoven into the beauty of the vestment, since the habit of chastity then attains the perfect whiteness of purity….’

[Text extracted from ms image reproduced above:]

				C
				Holiness Innocence
				|	(Lucifer	Point)
			Wisdom	White		Air
			Gold
					Blue
G~	Charity	–	Scarlet (x2)	+		–		M~
				Purple
			(Empress)	(Mauve?)	(Emperor)
				|
				Distraction
				A~

(The N[ew] J[erusalem] B[ible] translates the colours slightly differently;** but that is not the point.)

The remarkable thing about this is that, as can be seen from earlier C[ircles] A[nalysis &] S[ynthesis] exercises on Gifts, Vices, Virtues, Elements, Colours etc.,*** every one of Gregory the Great’s attributions of properties as symbols of colours**** matches those arrived at, almost mechanically, using C[ircles] A[nalysis &] S[ynthesis].

*‘Gregory the Great to John, Bishop of Constatinople [et al], on Christian leadership (in ‘Part III: The Christian Testament since the Bible’, Firethorn Press/Waterstone, London, 1985)

**[ie in Exodus 28:8]

***[eg [Redbook4:144-145][19871020:2058b]{Angelic Hierarchies [continued (20)]}[20th October 1987]]

****[or vv – colours as symbols of properties?]

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