Editing Crozier

{{Short description|Ceremonial staff in Christianity}}
{{Other uses}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}}

{{multiple image
|total_width= 360
|header=Western- and Eastern-style croziers
|image1=Crosiere of arcbishop Heinrich of Finstingen.jpg
|caption1=Western-style crozier of Archbishop {{ill|Heinrich II of Finstingen|de|Heinrich II. von Finstingen}} (1260–86) in the [[Treasury of Trier Cathedral]]
|image2=Crozier of the Syriac Orthodox Bishop.jpg
|caption2=Eastern-style crozier of the [[Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East|Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch]] with serpents representing the [[staff of Moses]]
|image3= Crosier.jpeg
|caption3= Eastern Orthodox [[Tau cross|tau-shaped]] crozier belonging to St. [[Dimitry of Rostov]] in [[Rostov, Yaroslavl Oblast|Rostov]] museum
}}

[[File:Wappen Basel-Stadt matt.svg|thumb|A crozier on the coat of arms of [[Basel]], Switzerland which was ruled by [[Prince-Bishop]]s during the [[Middle Ages]]]]

A '''crozier''' or '''crosier''' (also known as a '''paterissa''', '''pastoral staff''', or '''bishop's staff''')<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Crozier |volume=7 |page=520}}</ref> is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a [[bishop]] or [[abbot]] and is carried by high-ranking [[prelates]] of [[Roman Catholic]], [[Eastern Catholic]], [[Eastern Orthodox]], [[Oriental Orthodox]], [[Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church]], and some [[Anglican]], [[Lutheran]], [[United Methodist Church|United Methodist]] and [[Pentecostal]] churches.

In [[Western Christianity]] the crozier typically takes the form of a [[shepherd's crook]], a tool used to manage flocks of sheep and herds of goats. In [[Eastern Christianity]], the crozier has two common forms: [[tau]]-shaped, with curved arms, surmounted by a small cross; or a pair of sculptured serpents or dragons curled back to face each other, with a small cross between them.

Other typical insignia of prelates are the [[mitre]], the [[pectoral cross]], and the [[episcopal ring]].

== History ==
The origin of the crozier as a staff of authority is uncertain, but there were many secular and religious precedents in the ancient world. One example is the [[lituus]], the traditional staff of the ancient Roman [[augurs]],<ref>{{Cite Catholic Encyclopedia |last=Morrisroe |first=Patrick |wstitle=Crosier |volume=4 }}</ref> as well as the [[Staff of Moses]] in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. Many other types of the [[staff of office]] were found in later periods, some continuing to the modern day in ceremonial contexts.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

In the [[Western Church]], the usual form has been a [[shepherd's crook]]. This relates to the many metaphorical references to bishops as the shepherds of their "flock" of Christians, following the metaphor of Christ as the [[Good Shepherd]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

The Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic crozier is commonly [[tau]]-shaped, with curved arms and surmounted by a small cross, or with a pair of sculptured serpents or dragons on top, curled back to face each other, and a small cross between them. The symbolism in the latter case is of the bronze serpent, [[Nehushtan]], made by [[Moses]] as related in {{bibleverse||Numbers|21:8–9|HE}}. It is also reminiscent of the rod of the ancient Greek god [[Asclepius]], whose worship was centered around the Aegean, including Asia Minor, indicating the role of the bishop as healer of spiritual diseases.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

===Staff of Moses===
The [[Staff of Moses]] is first mentioned in the [[Book of Exodus]] (chapter 4, verse 2), when God appears to [[Moses]] in the [[burning bush]]. God asks what Moses has in his hand, and Moses answers "a staff" ("a rod" in the [[King James Version]]). The staff is miraculously transformed into a snake and then back into a staff. The staff is thereafter referred to as the "rod of God" or "staff of God" (depending on the translation).

{{blockquote|"And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs." And Moses went and returned to Jethro, his father in law, and said unto him, "Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren which are in Egypt and see whether they be yet alive." And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace." The LORD said unto Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life." And Moses took his wife and his sons and set them upon an ass; and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.|{{bibleverse|Exodus|4|KJV}} ([[King James Version|KJV]])}}

Moses and [[Aaron]] appear before the [[Pharaohs in the Bible#In the Book of Exodus|Pharaoh of the Exodus]], when [[Aaron's rod]] is transformed into a serpent. The Pharaoh's sorcerers are also able to transform their own rods into serpents, but Aaron's swallows them. Aaron's rod is again used to turn the [[Nile]] blood-red. It is used several times on God's command to initiate the [[Plagues of Egypt]].

During [[the Exodus]], Moses stretches out his hand with the staff to [[Crossing the Red Sea|part the Red Sea]]. While in the wilderness after leaving Egypt, Moses does not follow God's command to "speak ye unto the rock before their eyes", instead he strikes the rock with the rod to create a spring for the Israelites from which to drink. Because Moses did not sanctify God before them but said "Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?" Thus, Moses failed by honoring himself and not God.  For not doing what God commanded, God punished Moses by not letting him enter into the [[Promised Land]] ([[Book of Numbers]] 20:10–12).

Finally, Moses uses the staff in the battle at [[Rephidim]] between the Israelites and the [[Amalekites]]. When he holds up the "rod of God", the Israelites "prevail". When he drops it, their enemies gain the upper hand. Aaron and [[Hur (Bible)|Hur]] help him to keep the staff raised until victory is achieved.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

== Official use ==
[[Image:Anonymous Abbess Eufemia Szaniawska.jpg|thumb|''Eufemia Szaniawska, [[Abbess]] of the Benedictine Monastery in [[Nesvizh|Nieśwież]] with a crozier'', {{circa|1768}}, [[National Museum, Warsaw|National Museum]] in [[Warsaw]]]]
The crozier is the symbol of the governing office of a [[bishop]], [[abbot]], or [[Apostle]].

=== Western Christianity ===
In [[Western Christianity]], the crozier (known as the pastoral staff, from the Latin ''pastor'', shepherd) is shaped like a [[shepherd's crook]]. A bishop or church head bears this staff as "shepherd of the flock of God", particularly the community under his canonical jurisdiction, but any bishop, whether or not assigned to a functional diocese, may also use a crozier when conferring [[sacrament]]s and presiding at [[liturgy|liturgies]]. The Catholic [[Caeremoniale Episcoporum]]<ref>Caeremoniale Episcoporum (Vatican Polyglott Press, 1985), 59</ref> says that, as a sign of his pastoral function, a bishop uses a crozier within his territory, but any bishop celebrating the liturgy solemnly with the consent of the local bishop may also use it. It adds that, when several bishops join in a single celebration, only the one presiding uses a crozier.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

A bishop usually holds his crozier with his left hand, leaving his right hand free to bestow [[blessing]]s. The Caeremoniale Episcoporum states that the bishop holds the crozier with the open side of the crook forward, or towards the people. It also states that a bishop usually holds the crozier during a [[procession]] and when listening to the reading of the Gospel, giving a homily, accepting vows, solemn promises or a profession of faith, and when blessing people, unless he must lay his hands on them. When the bishop is not holding the crozier, it is put in the care of an [[altar server]], known as the "crozier bearer", who may wear around their shoulders a shawl-like [[veil]] called a [[vimpa]], so as to hold the crozier without touching it with their bare hands. Another altar server, likewise wearing a vimpa, holds the [[mitre]] when the bishop is not wearing it. In the [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] tradition, the crozier may be carried by someone else walking before the bishop in a procession.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

The crozier is conferred upon a bishop during his [[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 for the presentation of a crozier in the liturgy associated with the blessing of an [[abbess]], by long-standing custom an abbess may bear one when leading her community of [[nun]]s.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

The traditional explanation of the crozier's form is that, as a shepherd's staff, it includes a hook at one end to pull back to the flock any straying sheep, a pointed finial at the other tip to goad the reluctant and the lazy, and a rod in between as a strong support.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

The crozier is used in [[ecclesiastical heraldry]] to represent pastoral authority in the [[coats of arms]] of [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|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 the [[Church of God in Christ]], the largest [[Pentecostal]] church in the United States, the [[presiding bishop]] bears a crozier as a sign of his role as positional and functional leader of the Church.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}} In some [[Jurisdictional conferences (United Methodist Church)|jurisdictions]] of the [[United Methodist Church]], [[bishop (Methodism)|bishops]] make use of croziers at ceremonial events.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Bishop's Staff |url=https://www.moumethodist.org/newsdetail/the-bishops-staff-6366011 |website=www.moumethodist.org |publisher=Missouri Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church |date=October 20, 2016 |access-date=July 25, 2022}}</ref>

==== Papal usage ====
[[File:PapaJCruz Brazil.jpg|thumb|[[Pope John Paul II]] holding the Papal ferula, not a crozier, 5 October 1997]]
[[Pope]]s no longer carry a crozier and instead carry the [[papal ferula]]. In the first centuries of the church, popes did carry a crozier but this practice was phased out and disappeared by the time of [[Pope Innocent III]] in the thirteenth century. In the Middle Ages, much as bishops carried a crozier, popes carried a [[papal cross]] with three bars, one more than the two bars found on croziers carried before archbishops in processions (see [[archiepiscopal cross]]). This too was phased out. [[Pope Paul VI]] introduced the modern papal pastoral staff, the papal ferula, in 1965. He and his successors have carried a few versions of this staff, but never a crozier.

=== Eastern Christianity ===
[[File:Mar George Alencherry at Kothamangalam Cathedral.jpg|thumb|[[Syro-Malabar]] Major Archbishop Mar [[George Alencherry]] with his crozier.]]
In [[Eastern Christianity]] ([[Oriental Orthodox]]y, [[Eastern Orthodox]]y and [[Eastern Catholic]]ism), bishops use a similar pastoral staff. When a bishop is [[consecration|consecrated]], the crozier ({{langx|el|italic=yes|paterissa}}, [[Church Slavonic|Slavonic]]: ''pósokh'') is presented to him by the chief consecrator following the dismissal at the [[Divine Liturgy]].

The [[Archbishop of Cyprus]] has the unique [[Privilege (canon law)|privilege in canon law]] of carrying a ''paterissa'' shaped like an imperial [[sceptre]]. This is one of the ''Three Privileges'' granted to the [[Orthodox Church of Cyprus]] by Byzantine Emperor [[Zeno (emperor)|Zeno]] (the other two being to sign his name in [[cinnabar]], i.e., ink coloured [[vermilion]] by the addition of the mineral cinnabar, and to wear purple instead of black [[cassock]]s under his vestments).{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

An Eastern [[archimandrite]] (high-ranking abbot), [[hegumen]] (abbot) or hegumenia (abbess) who leads a monastic community also bears a crozier. It is conferred on them by the bishop during the Divine Liturgy for the elevation of the candidate. When he is not vested for worship, a bishop, archimandrite or abbot uses a [[Staff of office#Ecclesiastical use|staff of office]] topped with a silver pommel.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

==== Oriental Orthodoxy ====
[[File:Crozier armenia.jpg|thumb|A crozier of the [[Vardapet]], [[Armenian Apostolic Church]], 19th century]]

In the [[Oriental Orthodox]] churches, croziers are used as pastoral staffs held by bishops. The [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] uses both Eastern- and Western-style croziers, while the [[Syriac Orthodox Church]],[[Indian Orthodox Church]] and [[Marthoma Syrian Church]] have croziers that are thicker than their Eastern counterparts. Clerics of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] and the [[Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church]] use croziers that look exactly like the Greek ones.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

In the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria]], croziers are sometimes somewhat longer and are always decorated with a blood-[[red]] cloth around the top cross and the serpents. This symbolizes the bishop's responsibility for the blood of his flock.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

== Description ==
Croziers are often made or decorated in precious metals, or are at least [[gilding|gilded]] or silver-plated. Underneath, the core and shaft is often wood, and some are entirely made of wood, though this is more common for croziers carried by abbots rather than bishops. [[Ivory]], from the [[walrus]] or elephant, was often used in the Middle Ages.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}

=== Western croziers ===
Croziers used by Western bishops have curved or hooked tops, similar in appearance to staves traditionally used by [[Animal husbandry|shepherds]], hence they are also known as [[Shepherd's crook|crooks]]. In some languages there is only one term referring to this form, such as the German ''Krummstab'' or Dutch ''kromstaf''. The crook itself (i.e., the curved top portion) may be formed as a simple shepherd's crook, terminating in a floral pattern, reminiscent of the [[Aaron's rod]], or in a serpent's head. It may encircle a depiction of the bishop's [[coat of arms]] or the figure of a saint. In some very ornate croziers, the place where the staff meets the crook may be designed to represent a church.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}}
[[File:Bastone pastorale di clonmacnoise, XI secolo 01.jpg|thumb|Crook of the late 11th century Irish Insular [[Clonmacnoise Crozier]]. [[National Museum of Ireland – Archaeology]], Dublin]]

[[Insular crozier]]s, produced in Britain and Ireland in the [[Early Middle Ages]], have a more simple shape, perhaps closer to actual shepherd's crooks. They were regarded as important [[relic]]s of church leaders, and have survived in untypical numbers, including the [[Clonmacnoise Crozier]], [[Kells Crozier]], [[Lismore Crozier]], [[Prosperous Crozier]], [[River Laune Crozier]], [[St. Columba's Crozier]], [[St. Fillan's Crozier]], and [[St. Mel's Crozier]].

In previous times, a cloth of linen or richer material, called the ''[[sudarium]]'' (literally, "sweat cloth"), was suspended from the crozier at the place where the bishop would grasp it. This was originally a practical application which prevented the bishop's hand from sweating and discolouring (or being discoloured by) the metal. The invention of [[stainless steel]] in the late 19th century and its subsequent incorporation in material used for croziers rendered moot its original purpose and it became more elaborate and ceremonial in function over time.{{Citation needed|date=May 2016}} In [[heraldry]], the ''sudarium'' is often still depicted when croziers occur on coats of arms.

In the Roman Catholic Church, the crozier is always carried by the bishop with the crook turned away from himself; that is to say, facing toward the persons or objects he is facing, regardless of whether he is the [[Ordinary (Catholic Church)|Ordinary]] or not. The [[Sacred Congregation of Rites]] on 26 November 1919, stated in a reply to the following question,
{{blockquote|In case an outside Bishop uses a Bishops' staff, this being either required by the function or permitted by the Ordinary, in what direction should he hold the upper part, or crook?

'''Reply.''' Always with the crook turned away from himself, that is toward the persons or objects which he is facing. (AAS 12-177)}}

=== Eastern croziers ===
The croziers carried by Eastern bishops, [[archimandrite]]s, abbots and abbesses differ in design from the Western crozier. The Eastern crozier is shaped more like a crutch than a shepherd's staff.

The ''[[sudarium]]'' or crozier mantle is still used in the Eastern churches, where it is usually made of a rich fabric such as brocade or velvet, and usually embroidered with a cross or other religious symbol, trimmed with galoon around the edges and fringed at the bottom. The ''sudarium'' is normally a rectangular piece of fabric with a string sewn into the upper edge which is used to tie the ''sudarium'' to the crozier that can be drawn together to form pleats. As the sudarium has grown more elaborate, bishops no longer hold it between their hand and the crozier, but place their hand under it as they grasp the crozier, so that it is visible.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="180" heights="200" perrow="4">
File:Aghadoe Crozier (copy).jpg|Copy of the Aghadoe Crozier, [[Swedish History Museum]], Stockholm. Originating from [[Aghadoe]], [[County Kerry]] in the early 12th century, the crozier is formed from a single block of [[Walrus]] [[ivory]], and contains a spiral design on the crook showing the head of an animal biting a human figure.<ref name="m214">Moss (2014), p. 314</ref> 
File:Ivory crozier MNMA Cl13066.jpg|Walrus tusk, [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|Holy Spirit]] as a dove, England, {{Circa|1120–1130}}, [[Musée national du Moyen Âge]], Paris
File:Crozier head, Gloucester City Museum.jpg|[[Archangel Michael]] defeating the dragon, [[Limoges enamel]], [[The Museum of Gloucester]], 1220–1250
File:National Museum of Scotland (27850492657).jpg|Crozier head with floral cluster, English, late 12th century<ref>"[https://www.nms.ac.uk/explore-our-collections/collection-search-results/crosier-head/235626 Crosier head]". [[National Museum of Scotland]]. Retrieved 20 August 2021</ref>
File:Crozier lamb Louvre OA7267.jpg|Ivory crozier showing the [[Agnus Dei]], Italy, 13th century, [[Musée du Louvre]]
File:Crozier of Abbot Ponętowski - detail.jpg|A traveling crozier, covered with embroidered fabric, 16th century, Czech Republic. [[Collegium Maius, Kraków|Jagiellonian University Museum]]
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Khakkhara]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
* {{Cite Catholic Encyclopedia | volume=4 | last =Morrisroe | first =Patrick | wstitle =Crosier}}
* {{Citation | contribution =Crosier | year =2005 | title =Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary | place =Springfield, MA | publisher =Merriam-Webster, Inc. | url =http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=crosier | access-date =28 July 2003 | archive-date =18 December 2007 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071218223349/http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=crosier | url-status =dead }}
* [[Rachel Moss (art historian)|Moss, Rachel]]. ''Medieval c. 400—c. 1600: Art and Architecture of Ireland''. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014. {{ISBN|978-0-3001-7919-4}}
* {{Citation | last=Noonan | first=James-Charles Jr. | title=The Church Visible: The Ceremonial Life and Protocol of the Roman Catholic Church | year=1996 | location=New York | publisher=Viking | isbn=0-670-86745-4 | pages=191 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/churchvisiblecer0000noon/page/191 }}
* Sybille Schneiders: ''Baculus pastoralis. Bischofs- und Abtstäbe des 5. bis 12. Jahrhunderts in Irland und auf dem Kontinent : Typologie und Chronologie –  Herkunft und Verbreitung  – Besitzer und Gebrauch''. Freiburg i. Brsg. 2017 https://freidok.uni-freiburg.de/data/15776.
* {{cite web 
 |publisher=[[Victoria and Albert Museum]] 
 |url=http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/metalwork/metalwork_stories/Reichenau_Crozier/index.html 
 |title=The Reichenau Crozier 
 |work=Metalwork 
 |access-date=22 September 2007 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091128100451/http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/metalwork/metalwork_stories/Reichenau_Crozier/index.html 
 |archive-date=28 November 2009 
 }}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Croziers|crosiers}}
* {{Cite EB1911 |ref=none |last=Braun |first=Joseph |wstitle=Pastoral Staff |volume=20 |pages=898–899 |short=x}}
* {{cite encyclopedia
 |title= PASTORALE
 |encyclopedia= [[Enciclopedia Italiana]]
 |year= 1935
 |publisher= [[Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana]]
 |location= Rome
 |url= https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/pastorale_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)
 |access-date= 22 November 2024
}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Croziers| ]]
[[Category:Anglican liturgy]]
[[Category:Catholic liturgy]]
[[Category:Eastern Christian liturgical objects]]
[[Category:Episcopacy in Anglicanism]]
[[Category:Episcopacy in the Catholic Church]]
[[Category:Formal insignia]]
[[Category:Heraldic charges]]
[[Category:Ritual weapons]]