Pallium

PALLIUM, is taken in Scripture, First, for an upper Garment. Secondly, for any sort of Stuff or Covering. For Example, the Curtains of the Tabernacle which Moses made in the Wilderness, are called Pallium¹. Ut unum pallium ex omnibus sagis fieret. They made a great Veil or Covering of all the Curtains of Goats-hair, that covered the Tabernacle. And at their Decampments they wrapped up the Ark and the Table of Shew-bread, and other Things, in the costly Veil of the Colour of Sky-blue. Involvent hyacinthino pallio, &c. The Sword of Goliah was laid up in the Tabernacle, folded up in a Numb. iv. 7, 8. 1 Sam. xxii. 9. 1 Cor. xi. 10.Veil. Involutus pallio post Ephod.

The Pallium, or the Cloak, in Hebrew Mahil, was a Garment belonging to both Men and Women. When Rebekkah saw her future Spouse Isaac at a distance, she presently cover’d herself with her Cloak², or Veil. The Hebrew Word is Zaiph, which signifies a Veil with which Women us’d to cover their Head and Face. The Spouse in the Canticles says, that the Watchmen of the City had found her, and took away her Veil or Cloak³. The Hebrew Word Redid signifies a costly Veil, which was peculiar to Women. It may be derived from the Hebrew Word Radah, to govern, and then it will have the same Signification as potestas, which St. Paul orders that Women should wear upon their Heads. Debet mulier potestatem habere super caput propter Angelos⁴. This Veil, this Power, is the Token of the Authority of the Husband over the Wife. Ruth also wore a Veil or Mantle⁵, into which Booz put six Measures of Barley, and the Scripture gives it the Name of Mitpheat, different from those we took notice of before.

As to the Pallium or Cloak of Men, it appears from Scripture every where, that they wore it over their Coat, and that it was not cut. It was a plain piece of Cloth, or of other Matter, which they folded about them in several Manners, as Occasion requir’d, and according to the present Circumstances. It was lapp’d about them backwards and forwards on all Sides; they folded it about their Heads, or their Shoulders, they fastned it at their Breast, or on their Shoulder, or about their Neck with a kind of Clasp. The Wife of Potiphar pull’d off Joseph’s Cloak. The Sons of Noah took a Cloak, and going backward, they covered their naked Father with it. The Hebrews at their quitting Egypt had not Time to bake their Bread, but carried the Dough along with them in their Cloaks. When Saul had a mind to stop Samuel, who 1 Sam. xv. 27.was going away from him, he took him by the Cloak and tore it. The Prophet Abijah 1 Kings xi. 2).tore the Cloak he had on into twelve Pieces, to intimate the future Separation of the ten Tribes from that of Judah. When Elisha gathered up Elijah’s Cloak, he roul’d it up into a kind of Staff; wherewith 2 Kings xi. 13.he struck the Waters of Jordan, and divided them into two Parts.

The Matter of their Cloaks was commonly Wool, or Leather, or some other Stuff of Value. When Joseph was made Governor of Egypt, he was cloathed with the finest Cotton, or with some fine Linnen Cloth⁶. At the Solemnity of bringing the Ark to Jerusalem⁷, David wore a Cloak of fine Linnen. When Mordecai was advanced to Honour by King Ahasuerus, he wore a Robe of fine Cloth, or of Silk of a Esth. viii. 15.purple Colour. Amictus serico pallio atque purpureo. The false Prophets and Hypocrites wore Cloaks of Hair-cloth, to make themselves reverenced for their seeming Austerity of Life, pretending thereby to imitate the Lives of the true Prophets. The Cloak was a kind of Badge of Dignity. When the Zech. xiii. 4.Witch of Endor was consulted by Saul, she pretended to see a venerable Man appear, cloathed with a Robe or Cloak. To distinguish the Hebrews from other Nations, even by their Habits also, God commanded them to wear Tufts or Fringes of blue or hyacinth at the four Corners of Num. xv. 38. Deut. xxii. 12.their Garments, and a Border or Galloon of any Colour, Breadth, or Matter, at the Hembs of their Garments. Jesus Christ himself wore these Fringes to his Cloak, as appears from Matt. ix. 20. Si tetigero tantum fimbriam vestimenti ejus, salva ero, said the Woman with the Issue of Blood. Our Saviour upbraided the Pharisees, who out of Affectation wore large Fringes at the Bottom of their Cloaks, or longer Tassels than ordinary at the Corners of their Garments. Magnificant fimbrias. Matt. xxiii. 5.

That the Modern Jews may not make themselves ridiculous by the Singularity of their Habits, they have left off wearing these Tufts and Fringes outwardly at the Hembs of their Cloaks. But under their Cloaths they have a Piece of square Silk or Linnen, with four little Tufts at the four Corners. This kind of Garment is double; one Part is put before, and the other behind, and the two Pieces are fastned by Strings which reach to the two Shoulders⁸, and which they call Harbacanephoth, the four Wings, or the four Corners. This is their ancient Cloak reduced to a smaller Size. In the Scripture frequent mention is made of the Wings of the Cloak, which probably were nothing else than the four Corners of which we have been speaking. Saul tore off the Wing of Samuel’s Cloak, and David cut off the Wing of Saul’s Cloak in the Cave.

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