A crosier (crozier, pastoral staff) is the stylized staff of office carried by high-ranking Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, some Lutheran and Pentecostal prelates. The other typical insignia of most of these prelates, but not all, are the mitre and the episcopal ring.
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Symbol of office
The crosier is the symbol of the governing office of the Bishop. A bishop bears this staff as "shepherd of the flock of God", i.e., particularly the community under his canonical jurisdiction, but any bishop, whether or not assigned to a functional diocese, also uses a crosier when conferring sacraments and presiding at liturgies. The crosier is conferred upon the Bishop during the liturgy of ordination to the episcopacy. It is also presented to an Abbot at his blessing, an ancient custom symbolizing his shepherding of the monastic community. Although there is no provision in the liturgy of the blessing of an abbess for the presentation of a crosier, by long-standing custom an abbess may bear one when leading her community of nuns. The crosier is used in ecclesiastical heraldry to represent pastoral authority in the arms of cardinals, bishops, abbots and abbesses. It was suppressed in most personal arms in the Catholic Church in 1969, and is since found on arms of abbots and abbesses, diocesan coats of arms and other corporate arms. In Eastern Christianity the symbolism is similar. The crosier is presented by the chief celebrant following the dismissal at the Divine Liturgy where the new bishop is consecrated. A bishop bears the crosier whenever he is present for church services outside the altar, whether in his own diocese or not, even if he is not serving. Auxiliary bishops also bear it. It is not used inside the altar. A different type of staff is used outside church services. An Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Rite Catholic archimandrite (high-ranking abbot) or abbess who leads a monastic community also bears a crosier. It is conferred at the same point in the Divine Liturgy as with a bishop at the service where the candidate is elevated. The Church of God in Christ, Incorporated is a Pentecostal body, the largest Pentecostal Christian church in the United States. The Church of God in Christ community views the Presiding Bishop as the positional and functional leader of the Church. The Presiding Bishop also bears a crosier.
Description
Crosiers used by Western bishops have curved or hooked tops, similar in appearance to staves traditionally used by shepherds, hence they are also known as crooks. In some languages there is only one term, referring to this form, such as German Krummstab, Dutch kromstaf. When a bishop is inside his own diocese, the crozier is carried with the curve facing out; when he is outside his own diocese, the curve faces in. The crosiers of (some) abbots are carried with the curve toward the back (rather than toward the front as with bishops), symbolising the introvert nature of his jurisdiction: over the monastery only.
Symbolism
The traditional explanation for the form, beyond the obvious reference to the bishop as shepherd, is this: the pointed ferrule at the base symbolizes the obligation of the prelate to goad the spiritually lazy; the crook at the top, his obligation to draw back those who stray from the faith; and the staff itself his obligation to stand as a firm support for the faithful. It is considered to be both a rod and a staff (Psalm 23:4): a rod for punishing the recalcitrant, and a staff for leading the faithful.
The Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic crosier, in the Slavic tradition known as the pateritsa, is found in two common forms. One is tau-shaped, with curved arms, surmounted by a small cross. The other has a top comprising a pair of sculptured serpents or dragons curled back to face each other, with a small cross between them. The symbolism in the latter case is of the bronze serpent made by Moses in Numbers 21:8-9. It is also reminiscent of the caduceus, indicating the role of the bishop as healer of spiritual diseases.
Papal usage
A crosier was also carried on some occasions by the pope, beginning in the early days of the church. This practice was gradually phased out and had disappeared by the time of Innocent III's papacy in the eleventh century. In the Middle Ages, popes would carry a three-barred cross (one more bar than on those carried before archbishops), in the same manner as other bishops carried a crosier. This was in turn phased out, but Paul VI introduced the modern papal pastoral staff, which instead of the triple cross depicts a modern rendition of the crucified Christ, whose arms are fixed to a crossbar that is curved somewhat in the manner of an Eastern crozier.
References
- Morrisr, Patrick (1908), "Crosier", The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. IV, New York: Robert Appleton Company, <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04515c.htm>
- "Crosier", Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2005, <http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=crosier>
- Noonan, James-Charles, Jr. (1996). The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church. New York: Viking, p.191. ISBN 0-670-86745-4.
External links
- Photo of Pope John Paul II kneeling before the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica, carrying the older form of the Papal Cross
- The Reichenau Crozier. Metalwork. Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved on 2007-09-22.
- "Crosier". Catholic Encyclopedia. (1913). New York: Robert Appleton Company.
