Omophorion

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of ecclesiastical garment that signifies a bishop's role in overseeing the congregation and offers a visual representation of care and guidance
2. This vestment serves to symbolize pastoral authority in the church while visually expressing the commitment to shepherding the faith
3. A ceremonial garment worn by bishops that represents their pastoral oversight and embodies their responsibility for guiding the faithful

Etymology: The omophorion is a narrow band of cloth worn draped over the shoulders by bishops in Eastern Orthodox and some Eastern Catholic churches, and its name is a compound of two ordinary Greek words. The first half, "ômos", means "shoulder", and the second, "phérō", means "carry", so the literal sense is "shoulder-carrier" or something that is carried on the shoulder. The word came to English through Medieval Greek "ōmophórion", the form used in the Byzantine church, where the garment had become a distinct piece of episcopal vesture. Its ancestors in classical Greek are therefore built from common vocabulary, but the specific ecclesiastical meaning belongs to the later Church, not to the ancient world.

Synonyms: epitrachelion, stole, pallium, chasuble, cope