Many years ago I read in a work entitled "The Fellow in the Cap" (by an
author who later revealed himself as an enthusiastic anti-Catholic) that the
mitre was originally the Phyrigian cap of Mithras which he considered was
evidence for the infiltration and corruption of early Christianity by this
pagan cult. His original information may have been correct even if his later
interpretation is more open to doubt .....
Brenda M.C.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Laning" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, February 05, 2001 8:10 PM
Subject: Re: Ben's mitre
> At 5:39 PM +0100 2/5/01, damien boquet wrote:
> >Mitra désigne donc à l'origine une coiffure en forme de bandeau
> >(headband). Or, à l'origine la mitre épiscopale était souple, elle
> >tenait donc grâce à un bandeau qui donne son nom à la coiffure :
> >mitra. Ce n'est qu'au début du XIIIème siècle que la mitre prend sa
> >forme actuelle, rigide : mitre bicorne (en rappel des 2 testaments,
> >des cornes de Moïse ou de la tiare d'Aaron), frontale et fendue,
> >prolongée de 2 fanons qui tombent sr les épaules. A noter que
> >pendant longtemps, la tiare pontificale est appelée mitra papalis.
>
> I believe I have read (though I don't remember the source) that the
> less-stiff early form of the miter was worn sideways, with the
> "horns" over each ear, rather than facing the front and back of the
> head as became the custom later.
>
> It seems to have developed as a bandeau which was made into a
> closed-top hat by sewing the rim of a simple square bag to the
> bandeau. When worn with the top seam running across the top of the
> head from ear to ear, it naturally tends to fall into a shape with
> the "ends" standing more or less vertically above each ear, due to
> the added stiffness provided by the end seams. In the center, there
> is a sagging area that runs from the forehead to the back of the
> head. As the miter developed, this fold was replaced by a seam, and
> the fabric pieces were cut in a more tailored and shaped fashion. The
> ends were flattened and stiffened, producing the modern form.
>
> (I am told that the [modern] retired Bishop of Leicester, Richard
> Rutt, who wrote a major book on the history of knitted textiles, has
> what is probably the world's only hand-knitted miter. It's said to be
> quite warm and comfortable.)
> --
> _________________________________________________________
> O Chris Laning
> | <[log in to unmask]>
> + Davis, California
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