consisted of a num- An Ei:ypti:in Woman Veiled with bcr of strings of hair ~" the Milayah.
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VEIL
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VEIL, ECCLESIASTICAL
reaching to the bottom of the shoulder-blades, the ends being left loose, or with two or three plaits fastened to- gether at the extremity by woollen strings of corre- sponding color (Wilkinson, Aiic. E(j;/pf. iii, 36'J). Long hair, perhaps similarly done up, certainly often plaited, was used by the Greek females; thus very commonly they appeared in public. Hence, also, Paul contends, in Church meetings they should have a head -covering, formed either of a mantle or shawl (^jxplum) drawn somewhat over the countenance, or a veil in the strict- er sense {KaraKoKvirTw, 1 Cor. xi, 5, 0). Such a partial covering seemed to become females in public assem- blies; and for Christian women to have departed in such a matter from the general practice of the coun- tries where they resided woidd inevitably have brought reproach upon the Christian name. The attempt of some, tlicrefore, at Corinth to do so was wisely discoun- tenanced by the apostle as implying an assumption of equality with the other sex ; and he enforces the cov- ering of the head as a sign of subordination to the au- tliority of the men (ver. 5-15). The same passage leads to the conclusion that the use of the tulith [see FkingeJ, with which the Jewish males cover their heads iu prayer, is a comparatively modern practice,
A Syrian "Veiled Wonian.
inasmuch as the apostle, putting a hypothetical case, states that every man having anything on his head dishonors his head, i. e. Christ, inasmuch as the use of the veil would imply subjection to his fellow-men rath- er than to the Lord (ver. 4). In modern times, as al- ready observed. Oriental females are veiled with great strictness. Their ideas of decency forbid a virtuous woman to lay aside, or even to lift up, the veil in the presence of men. The female who ventures to disre- gard this prohibition inevitably ruins her character, and is regarded as a woman of easy virtue. To lift up the veil is reckoned a' gross insult; and when females are out of doors propriety requires a man to let them pass without seeming at all to observe them. Some of the face- veils worn by modern Syrian, Arab, and Egyptian ladies are made of white muslin richly em- broidered with colored silks and gold, and hanging down behind nearly to the ground. Sometimes they are made of black crape, and often ornamented with spangles, gold coins, false pearls, etc. The mere size and shape of the veils diifer in different parts of the East. The outer garment, when out of doors, is a large piece of black silk for a married lady, of white silk for the unmarried; for the poorer females white calico,
which completely conceals every part of the dress ex- cepting a small portion of a very loose gown and the face-veil. The ladies of Syria often have tlie veil gracefully thrown over the tantur,ox horn (([.v.). See llartmann, //c6?-aVrwi, ii, 316 sq., 334 sq., 428 s(j. ; Jahn, Archdol. I, ii, 130 sq. ; Thomson, Land and Book, i, 33 sq. ; Van Lennep, Bible Lands, p. 537. See Attikk.
VEIL, Ecclesiastical. Coverings of this kind have been used in various ages of the Church and for various purposes.
1. In the Greek Church the nave was separated from the chancel by a partition of lattice-work with a cur- tain, and the entrance to the choir was by folding-doors in this partition. The doors were provided with a cur- tain called KaTaTTtTa<ji.ia, which was drawn aside dur- ing the celebration of the eucharist, and, in the earlier times, during the delivery of a sermon. Generally, however, these veils were drawn, and concealed this part of the Church from cateehiunens and unbelievers, and covered the eucharist during consecration.
2. A veil or curtain was hung in front of the church- door in early times. Jerome tells us that Nepotian was very careful to see it in its place.
3. Bankers were placed at the sides of the altars, let down when the priest entered the sanctuary, and raised every Saturday during Lent when the Sunday' office began. Dorsals and frontal veils were also used at the high al- tars of large churches until the end of the IGth century.
4. Curtains of great richness were used only iu Lent, one to veil the altar, a second the sanctuary, and a third the choir. The\' were succeeded by permanent screens ; hence ia Spain, as marriages were permitted or forbitlden, such seasons were called " veilings open or shut."
5. A white veil or coif, called velamen dominicale, was worn by females at the time of receiving the eucharist during the 5th and (ith centuries. These veils were or- dered by the councils of Autun (578) and Angers.
6. The velamen mipthde was always used at the mar- riage ceremony, and during one part of the service was spread over both bridegroom and bride. It was worn by the bride as a symbol of maiden modesty and obedi- ence to her husband.
7. A nun's veil was an ornament used in the time of St. Gregory (740), given only to a woman twenty-five years of age, and, except in cases of extreme sickness, at no time but Epiphan}', an apostle's day, or Low Sun- day. The color was sometimes purple or flame-color.