8. THE FINE LINEN TUNIC, THE TURBAN,: And The Sash
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(that is, the alms and the other works of righteousness) which they will produce. All these things are to be carried out in h s way by divine institution, as has been mystically figured in the vesture of the high priest and also openly taught in the words of Sacred Eloquence.
Sadly, the actions of certain ones who preside [in the Church] are far different from this. They arc willing to accept-and even to demand!gifts and offerings from the people, but they do not bother to labour on their behalf, that their guilt may be camed away and rebuked and pardoned. The only justification they have for taking temporal gifts from their subjects is that they have guided them away from error by preaching about etcmal goods and have led them back to the way of truth, in imitation of the first teachers in the Holy Church who confidently said to those from whom they were receiving tempod support, Ifwe have sown s iritual things among you, is it too much ifwe reap your material things? But because anyone
P who presides or any ministerof the word. whether he is preaching or making supplication to the Lord, can only be effectual in his labours on his subjects' behalf if his soul is always endowed with the memory of the Divine Name, there follows:
28:38 And the plate shall always be on his forehead, in order that the Lord may be kindly disposed toward them. The Lord will be kindly disposed toward the children of Israel if the plate with the name of the Lord will always be on Aaron's forehead. because when the teacher faithfully subjects himself to the divine service with a pure mind, then those who are subject to his example and who wait upon his counsel are also themselves fired with zeal to live rightly, and to merit the grace of the internal Observer.
THE FINE LINEN TUNIC, THE TURBAN,
AND THE SASH
28:39 And you shall bind the tunic with fine linen. This is the inner tunic, which above is called a close-Jtting linen
We have already explained above the reason that it was called 'a close-fitting linen garment' or commanded to be bound with fine linen.3 Now we should add that soldiers are accustomed to have linen garments called 'comisias ' which are fitted to their limbs and bound close to their bodies in such a way that whether they are on the tnarch or in battle they are ready to throw a javelin,
1 1 Cor.9.11
2 Exod. 28:4
3 Bede, De fab. 3.3; 3, 6 (CCSr. 119A: 98, 201-4; 109,638-49)
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hold a shield, or brandish a sword wherever necessity demands; we read that when Joab killed Amasa he was wearing something of this sort, namely, aclose-fitting garment that was as long as the rest of his attire.2Accordingly, the priests also wore this tunic when they were prepared for the ministry of God, so that clothed in vestments of srtrrple beauty they could run with quickness.
Because this tunic, like the blue one, reached to the feet, it too was called in Greekpoderis, that is, a long robe reaching to the ankles.4 The mystical significance of this is clear, for we have alrcady agreed that linen or fine linen signifies the continence and chastity of our body, in accordance with what we have frequently explained above. Priests have a close-fitting linen garment or a tunic of fine linen when they never weaken or mentally waver in their intention to remain continent, but maintain it with such constancy that the concupiscent flesh never makes war against the spirit, or the spirit against the f l e ~ h . ~ They have a close-fitting linen garment when their soul longs and faints for the courts of the Lord so completely that their hcart and their flesh are mutually allied with one another, rejoicing together in the living God.6
This linen [tunic] is not only a close-fitting garment but also a poderis, that is, one that hangs down to the feet, when continence is not imposed upon any one member by force but is rather accomp!ished with the willing cooperation of the whole body. For surely this linen garment ought to bind the hands and arms of the priest, lest they should do anytlung that is not suitable; the breast, lest it should think something vain; the belly, lest it should presume to make a glutton of itself by seeking pleasures beyond the limit set by God; the members located beneath the belly, lest thcy should mar the beauty of the entire priestly vesture by being lascivious; the knees, lest they should become stiff from their constancy in prayer, the legs and feet, lest thcy should run toward evil. Therefore, let the priest first be clothed with a close-fitting linen garment, so that he may restrain his body from wicked deeds and his mind from improper thoughts; then let him also receive a blue [tunic], so that after the salutaly discipline of continence he may beaut@ both body and soul alike by the practice' of spiritual virtues.
1 Jerome, Ep. 64, 1 1 , 2 (CEL 54: 598, 10-13) 2 2 Sani. 20:s 3 Jerome, Ep. 64, 1 1 , 2 (CSEL 54: 598, 13-15)
4 'a long robe reachingto the anklcs' = lalarrs. The Greek word rr~&pq< literally means
'reaching to the fect'.
5 Gal 5:17
6 Ps. 84:2 (83:3) 7 habifu, which can also mean 'garment' or 'vesture'.
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But since four of the five bodily senses (sight, hearing, taste, and smell) are proper to the head and the last (touch) is common to the whole body, this tunic of which we have been speaking properly designates both the continence and the righteousness of touch. Consequently, the innocence that we are supposed to preselve in the other four senses, or the sanctification of them that we are supposed to seek, is figuratively shown in the vesture of the high priest when it is said:
( I 171 28:39 And you shall make a fine linen turban. Surely the turban,' which is also called a head-dress2 or mitre,3 covers and adorns the head of the high priest so that he may be admonished by tlus garment to consecrate all the senses of his head to God, lest his eyes should look at vanity: or his ears take up a reproach against his neighbou? by willingly listening [to the same], or his mouth be filled with vileness and his tongue frame deceit;6 lest his heart should be weighed down with intoxication and drunkenne~s,~ or his sense of smell embrace the couch of a harlot perfumed with myrr aloes, and cinnamon.8 On the contrary, let his eyes be looking at equity; let his ears be inclined to hear the words of prudence;" let the eloquences of the Lord be sweeter in his throat than honey and the honeycomb;" as long as breath remains in him, let him neither speak iniquity nor depart from his innocence.12 And with regard to the fifth sense, which is common to the whole body, let him be careful to fdfill that prophetic [command]: 'Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing. '13 As the Apostle admonishes, Let us cleanse ourselvespom every deJlement of the flesh and ofthe spirit, making sanctijcation perfect in the fear of God.I4
$ Now Josephus explains how th~s turban was made when he says: And upon the head he wears a cap in the manner of a little skull-cap or helmet, which is stretched over the top of the head and extends slightly beyond the 1 tiara 2 cidaris 3 mitre 4 Ps. 119:37 (1 18:37) 5 Ps. 15:3 (143) 6 Ps. 50:19 (49:19) 7 Luke 21 :34
8 Prov. 7: 17
9 Ps. 17:2 (16:2) LO Prov. 1:2 (1:3); 5:1
11 Ps. 119:103(118:103) 12 Job 27:3-5 13 Isa. 52: 11
14 2 Cor. 7 1
BEDE: ON THE TABERNACLE
middle of the crown. It is made in such a way that it appears to be ofwoven linen, for its wrapped ban& are joined together repeatedlyso that it cannot easily slip off.' This same Josephus relates that over this cap there was added another larger veil which covered the entire surface of the head, adjusted perfectly lest it should fall oflas the priest was working around the sacr$ces;2 however, he does not indicate what colour it was. These things have to do with the turban of the lesser priest, but concerning that of the high priest he testifies in this way: Now the high priest has a cap made in the same fmhion as that of the rest of thepriests, and another one stitched with blue embroidery. Encircled around it there is a golden crown made with three tiers, upon which there sprouts in the middle of the forehead something like a certain smallgolden cabx, similar to that of the plant that among us is called 'hstle', which the Greeks call 'henbane'.3 A little later he added descriptions of the marvelous variety [of its appeamnce], saying,
Now it has aflower similar to that of aplantain, and round about the whole crown it is engraved with these flowers, from the back of the head to both temples. It does not have this on the forehead, however; instead, there is a plate ofgoldon which the name of God is inscribed with the sacred letter^.^
(1 181 Holy Scripture seems to be silent about these things concerning the second veil and the golden crowns of the high priest. Subsequently, it did briefly make mention of the crowns, saying, They also made the tunics with woven work, or Aaron and his sons, and the mitres with their little crowns of$ne linen. but it dld not say from what material they were made. For when it says, and the mitres with their little crowns ofjne linen, it would be possible for us to understand that both of them had been made from fine linen, if Josephus had not indicated that the crowns were of gold. When the temple was still standing and the ceremonies of the law were still being celebrated, it was very easy for [Josephus], since he was of priestly descent, to learn all about the priestly mode of dress, not merely by reading about it, but by seeing it [for himselfj.
< .
But whether the little crowns were of fine linen or of gold, since it is agreed that they were made with the mitres, let us speak briefly concerning the figurative meaning. The priests have mitres of fine linen with little crowns because they keep their sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch in the 1 Josephus, Anf. Jud. 3,7,3 (ed. Blalt, 238, 9-12)
2 Ibid. (ed. Blatt, 238, 13-14) 3 Ibid., 3, 7, 6 (ed. Blatt, 240, 16-19). Bede has vrcrbus ('tiers') where the Cassiodorian
Josephus reads versibus ('turns'), and achano ('thistle') where it has accaro (probably the plant known as yellow flag).
4 Ibid. (ed. Blatt, 240,6-8) 5 Exod. 39127-8 (39:25-6)
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loveliness of chastity, in order that in return for keeping them so they may hope to receive the crown of lqe that God has promised to those who love him.' For if anyone is so zealous for continence or good works as to neglect to seek the rewards of eternal recompense in return for them, that person may indeed appear to have a fine linen mitre on his head, but he does not have little crowns, for although he certainly displays the image of virtue before humans, he does not acquire the reward of virtue with the Lord.
Consequently, either the little crowns were of gold, sigmfying the brightness of everlasting light, or else they were of fine linen, figuratively announcing that immortality of our body which is to be everlasting. And rightly does the priest wear crowns added on top of his fine linen clothes, so that in his own continence he may be continually meditating upon eternal rewards, and also at the same time, in his preaching of continence or of good works, he may be promising the same joys of heavenly blessedness to his hearers. For if he were to impose the weight of labour apart from the hope of reward, he would be rendering the sweet yoke of Christ bitter for his hearers, and the light burden hard to bear.2 But when the Lord was commandmg that the turban was to be made, he added:
28:39 And a sash of embroidery work. Farther on, it is written more clearly what the sash was to be made of: But the girdle they made offine twisted linen, blue, purple, and scarlet twice dyed, with embroidery work.3
As Jerome writes from Josephus, This girdle was woven all around, aJer the manner of a snake's skin which it casts offwhen it has grown old, in such a way that you might even consider it apouch. Now it was woven with a scarlet, purple, and blue woof and a j n e linen warp, for beauty and for strength; it was so arqully decorated with weaving that you might think the diverseflowers and gems had not been woven by the hand of an artisan, but rather afixed onto it; and it had a width offour i n c h e ~ . ~
It was the high priest in particular who made use of this girdle to bind both the blue tunic and the superhumemle, for subsequently it is openly said concerning the joining of the superhumemle and the rational: They met each other both in front and behind in such a way that the superhumerale and the rational
[I 19) were bound together, being fastened to the sash and securely connected with rings which were joined with a blue ribbon, lest they shouldslip
1 Jas. 1:12
2 Matt. 11:30
3 Exod. 39:29 (39:28) 4 Jerome, Ep. 64, 12, 1-2 (CSEL 54: 598, 19 - 599, 8). Of the eight quotations or clear parallels to this work in De fubernuculo, this is the only instance where Bede cites Jerome by name. It seems likely that he does so in order to point out that Jerome took the notion of comparing the girdle to a snake's skin from Josephus, An?. Jud. 3,7,2 (ed. Rlatf 237, 18-20).
BEDE: ON THE TABERNACLE
loose and be moved awayfrom one another. Now there is no doubt that the sash or girdle with which the superhumerale was bound was placed around the blue tunic, which was also called 'the tunic of the superhumerale'. For surely everything that has been said up to this point pertains to the vesture of the high priest; from here on, consequently, his sons' sashes are described together with the rest of their garments, when it is said that:
28:40 For Aaron's sons you shall then prepare linen tunics and sashes and turbans, for glory and for beauty. It does not state whether their sashes were to be made of embroidery work also, orof only one colour; therefore, we must first speak about the sash of the high priest. It was made of those four colours that are most noble and acceptable to God, because it was appropriate for the hgh priest to have the kind of [sash] that would ensure that he was always girded with the ornament of every virtue. Aptly did the high priest go forth girded with the variegated adornment of shining colours, because just as it is necessary for anyone else to be girded with industriousness in regard to continence, lest the flesh should ever disturb that person's inner peace of mind by fighting against the spirit, in the same way it is obligatory for the high priest and teacher of the faithful to be encircled with the very glory of virtues, once his every lustful impulse of soul or body has been tamed. For only in this way will righteousness be the girdle around his loins, andfoith the belt around his reins,2 in accordance with the example of that flower whch came forth from the root of Jesse,3 that is, of the Lord and Saviour.
Now from the things that we have previously explained it is easy to understand what the linen tunics and the sashes and the turbans that were ordered to be made for glory and for beauty for the sons of Aaron commend to us in internal glory and beauty. Surely priests have linen tunics when they dedicate their whole body to the splendour of chastity, and they gird their tunics with sashes when they look all around that same chastity with a vigilant custody of the mind lest their consciousness of it should leave them indolent toward the exercise of good works, or lest they should diminish the merit of their chastity by boasting of it. For if someone clothed with a tunic reaching to the ankles tries to walk without a sash, the tunic will slip down and leave room for the wind and cold to come in upon the unprotected body; also, it may well impede the feet, so that the person's ability to walk is hindered, or even trip them up and become a cause of stumbling. In the same way, there is no doubt that the chastity of the flesh
(1201 1 Exod. 39~20-1 (39:18-19) 2 Isa. 11 :5
3 Isa. 11 : 1