The dress of the hir/h-priest was precisely the same with that of the common priests in all the foregoing particulars; in addition to which he had (1) a robe, b^"^, meil (Exod. xxviii, 4, ivociipi], tunica'). This was not a mantle, but a second and larger coat without sleeves ; a kind of surtout worn by the laity, especially persons of distinction (Job i, 20 ; ii, 12, by kings ; 1 Sam. xv, 27; xviii, 4; xxiv, 5-12). This garment, when in- tended for the high-priest, and then called " the robe of the ephod," was to be of one entire piece of woven work, all of blue, with an aperture for the neck in the middle of the upper part, having its rim strengthened and adorned with a border. The hem had a kind of fringe, composed of tassels, made of blue, purple, and scarlet, in the form of pomegranates ; and between every two pom- egranates there was a small golden bell, so that there was a bell and a pomegranate alternately all round (Exod. xxviii, 31-35). The use of these bells may have partly been that by the high-priest shaking his gar- ment at the time of his offering incense on the great day of expiation, etc., the people without might be ap- prised of it, and unite their prayers with it (comp. Ecclus. xlv, 9 ; Luke i, 10 ; Acts x, 4 ; Rev. viii, 3, 4). Josephus describes this robe of the ephod as reaching to the feet, and consisting of a single piece of stuff parted where the hands came out (John xix, 23). He also states that it was tied round with a girdle em- broidered with the same colors as the former, with a mixture of gold interwoven (Ant. iii, 7, 4). It is highly probable that this garment was also derived from Egyp- tian usage. There are instances at Thebes of priests wearing over the great -coat a loose sleeveless robe, which exposes the sleeves of the inner tunic. The fringe of bells and pomegranates seems to have been the priest- ly substitute for the fringe bound with a blue ribbon, which all the Israelites were commanded to wear. Many traces of this fringe occur in the Egyptian re- mains. The use assigned to it, "that looking on this fringe they should remember the Lord's command- ments," seems best explicable by the supposition that the Egyptians had connected some superstitious ideas with it (Xumb.xv,37-40). (2.) Theephod,-!lEX,t7rw/t/c, superhumerak ( Exod. xxviii, 4). This was a short cloak covering the shoulders and breast. It is said to have been worn by Samuel while a youth ministering before the Lord (I Sam. ii, 18); by David while engaged in religious service (2 Sam. vi, 14) : and by inferior priests
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Ancient Egypt!
(1 Sam. xxii, 18). But in all these instances it is dis- tinguished as a linen ephod, and was not a sacred but an honorary vestment, as the Sept. understands it in 2 Sam. vi, 14, <jto\t)v t£a\\ov. The ephod of the high- priest was to be made of gold, of blue, of purple, of scar- let, and fine twined linen, with cunning work, 31ZJn. Though it probably consisted of one piece, woven throughout, it bad a back part and a front part, united by Bhoulder-pieces. It had also a girdle; or, rather, Strings went out from cacli side and tied it to the body. On the top of each shoulder was to be an onyx stone, set in sockets of gold, each having engraven upon it six of the names of the children of Israel, according to the precedence of birth, to memorialize the Lord of the promises made to them (Exod. xxviii, C>-12, 29). Jo- sephus gives sleeves to the ephod {Ant. iii, 7, 5). It may be considered as a substitute for the leopard-skin worn by the Egyptian high-priests in their most sacred duties, as in Fig. 1. where the ephod appears no less plainly. In other figures of Egyptian priests, the shoulder-pieces were equally apparent. They are even perceptible in Fig. 1. The Egyptian ephod is, how- ever, highly charged with all sorts of idolatrous figures and emblems, and even with scenes of human sacrifices. The Sept. rendering of 3U5H, "cunning work," is tpyov ixpavTuv iroactkrov, a woven -work of the embroid- erer, a word which especially denotes a manufacturer of tissues adorned with figures of animals (Strabo, xvii. p. 574, Sieb.). In the earlier liturgical costume, the ephod is mentioned as. belonging to the high-priest only ( Exod. xxviii, 6 12; xxxix, 2 5). At a later period it is used apparently by all the priests (1 Sam. xxii. 18), and even by others, not of the tribe of Levi, engaged in religious ceremonial (2 Sam. vi, 1 I i. See Ephod. Then came (3) the breastplate, "jfcjn, chdshen (Sept. Tripiorii- Stov ; Vulg. rationale) ; a gorget ten inches square, made of the same sort of cloth as the ephod. anil doubled so as to form a kind of pouch or bag (Exod. xxix. 9), in which were to be put the I "rim and Tlnunmim. which are also mentioned as if already known (xxviii. 30). The external part of this gorgel was set with four rows of precious stones— the first row a sardius, a topaz, irbuncle; the second, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond; the third, a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst •. and the fourth, a beryl, an onyx, and a jas- per— set in a golden socket. Upon each of l Ins.- stones engraven the name of one of the sons of Ja- cob. In the ephod, in which there was a Bpace I'll open sufficiently large for the admission of this pectoral, were four rings ol gold, to which four others al the four corners of the breastplate corresponded; the two lower rings, of the latter being fixed inside. It was confined to the ephod by means of dark-blue ribbons, which passed through these rings; and ii was also suspended from the onyx stones on the shoulder by chains of gold,