Antiquities of the Jews — Book 3, Chapter 7

1. There were peculiar garments appointed for the priests, and for all
the rest, which they call Cohanoeoe [-priestly] garments, as also for
the high priests, which they call Cahanoeoe Rabbae, and denote the high
priest's garments. Such was therefore the habit of the rest. But when
the priest approaches the sacrifices, he purifies himself with the
purification which the law prescribes; and, in the first place, he puts
on that which is called Machanase, which means somewhat that is fast
tied. It is a girdle, composed of fine twined linen, and is put about
the privy parts, the feet being to be inserted into them in the nature
of breeches, but above half of it is cut off, and it ends at the thighs,
and is there tied fast.

2. Over this he wore a linen vestment, made of fine flax doubled: it is
called Chethone, and denotes linen, for we call linen by the name of
Chethone. This vestment reaches down to the feet, and sits close to the
body; and has sleeves that are tied fast to the arms: it is girded to
the breast a little above the elbows, by a girdle often going round,
four fingers broad, but so loosely woven, that you would think it were
the skin of a serpent. It is embroidered with flowers of scarlet, and
purple, and blue, and fine twined linen, but the warp was nothing but
fine linen. The beginning of its circumvolution is at the breast; and
when it has gone often round, it is there tied, and hangs loosely there
down to the ankles: I mean this, all the time the priest is not about
any laborious service, for in this position it appears in the most
agreeable manner to the spectators; but when he is obliged to assist at
the offering sacrifices, and to do the appointed service, that he may
not be hindered in his operations by its motion, he throws it to the
left, and bears it on his shoulder. Moses indeed calls this belt
Albaneth; but we have learned from the Babylonians to call it Emia, for
so it is by them called. This vestment has no loose or hollow parts any
where in it, but only a narrow aperture about the neck; and it is tied
with certain strings hanging down from the edge over the breast and
back, and is fastened above each shoulder: it is called Massabazanes.

3. Upon his head he wears a cap, not brought to a conic form nor
encircling the whole head, but still covering more than the half of it,
which is called Masnaemphthes; and its make is such that it seems to be
a crown, being made of thick swathes, but the contexture is of linen;
and it is doubled round many times, and sewed together; besides which, a
piece of fine linen covers the whole cap from the upper part, and
reaches down to the forehead, and hides the seams of the swathes, which
would otherwise appear indecently: this adheres closely upon the solid
part of the head, and is thereto so firmly fixed, that it may not fall
off during the sacred service about the sacrifices. So we have now shown
you what is the habit of the generality of the priests.

4. The high priest is indeed adorned with the same garments that we have
described, without abating one; only over these he puts on a vestment of
a blue color. This also is a long robe, reaching to his feet, [in our
language it is called Meeir,] and is tied round with a girdle,
embroidered with the same colors and flowers as the former, with a
mixture of gold interwoven. To the bottom of which garment are hung
fringes, in color like pomegranates, with golden bells 13 by a curious
and beautiful contrivance; so that between two bells hangs a
pomegranate, and between two pomegranates a bell. Now this vesture was
not composed of two pieces, nor was it sewed together upon the shoulders
and the sides, but it was one long vestment so woven as to have an
aperture for the neck; not an oblique one, but parted all along the
breast and the back. A border also was sewed to it, lest the aperture
should look too indecently: it was also parted where the hands were to
come out.

5. Besides these, the high priest put on a third garment, which was
called the Ephod, which resembles the Epomis of the Greeks. Its make was
after this manner: it was woven to the depth of a cubit, of several
colors, with gold intermixed, and embroidered, but it left the middle of
the breast uncovered: it was made with sleeves also; nor did it appear
to be at all differently made from a short coat. But in the void place
of this garment there was inserted a piece of the bigness of a span,
embroidered with gold, and the other colors of the ephod, and was called
Essen, [the breastplate,] which in the Greek language signifies the
Oracle. This piece exactly filled up the void space in the ephod. It was
united to it by golden rings at every corner, the like rings being
annexed to the ephod, and a blue riband was made use of to tie them
together by those rings; and that the space between the rings might not
appear empty, they contrived to fill it up with stitches of blue
ribands. There were also two sardonyxes upon the ephod, at the
shoulders, to fasten it in the nature of buttons, having each end
running to the sardonyxes of gold, that they might be buttoned by them.
On these were engraven the names of the sons of Jacob, in our own
country letters, and in our own tongue, six on each of the stones, on
either side; and the elder sons' names were on the right shoulder.
Twelve stones also there were upon the breast-plate, extraordinary in
largeness and beauty; and they were an ornament not to be purchased by
men, because of their immense value. These stones, however, stood in
three rows, by four in a row, and were inserted into the breastplate
itself, and they were set in ouches of gold, that were themselves
inserted in the breastplate, and were so made that they might not fall
out. Now the first three stones were a sardonyx, a topaz, and an
emerald. The second row contained a carbuncle, a jasper, and a sapphire.
The first of the third row was a ligure, then an amethyst, and the third
an agate, being the ninth of the whole number. The first of the fourth
row was a chrysolite, the next was an onyx, and then a beryl, which was
the last of all. Now the names of all those sons of Jacob were engraven
in these stones, whom we esteem the heads of our tribes, each stone
having the honor of a name, in the order according to which they were
born. And whereas the rings were too weak of themselves to bear the
weight of the stones, they made two other rings of a larger size, at the
edge of that part of the breastplate which reached to the neck, and
inserted into the very texture of the breastplate, to receive chains
finely wrought, which connected them with golden bands to the tops of
the shoulders, whose extremity turned backwards, and went into the ring,
on the prominent back part of the ephod; and this was for the security
of the breastplate, that it might not fall out of its place. There was
also a girdle sewed to the breastplate, which was of the forementioned
colors, with gold intermixed, which, when it had gone once round, was
tied again upon the seam, and hung down. There were also golden loops
that admitted its fringes at each extremity of the girdle, and included
them entirely.

6. The high priest's mitre was the same that we described before, and
was wrought like that of all the other priests; above which there was
another, with swathes of blue embroidered, and round it was a golden
crown polished, of three rows, one above another; out of which arose a
cup of gold, which resembled the herb which we call Saccharus; but those
Greeks that are skillful in botany call it Hyoscyamus. Now, lest any one
that has seen this herb, but has not been taught its name, and is
unacquainted with its nature, or, having known its name, knows not the
herb when he sees it, I shall give such as these are a description of
it. This herb is oftentimes in tallness above three spans, but its root
is like that of a turnip [for he that should compare it thereto would
not be mistaken]; but its leaves are like the leaves of mint. Out of its
branches it sends out a calyx, cleaving to the branch; and a coat
encompasses it, which it naturally puts off when it is changing, in
order to produce its fruit. This calyx is of the bigness of the bone of
the little finger, but in the compass of its aperture is like a cup.
This I will further describe, for the use of those that are unacquainted
with it. Suppose a sphere be divided into two parts, round at the
bottom, but having another segment that grows up to a circumference from
that bottom; suppose it become narrower by degrees, and that the cavity
of that part grow decently smaller, and then gradually grow wider again
at the brim, such as we see in the navel of a pomegranate, with its
notches. And indeed such a coat grows over this plant as renders it a
hemisphere, and that, as one may say, turned accurately in a lathe, and
having its notches extant above it, which, as I said, grow like a
pomegranate, only that they are sharp, and end in nothing but prickles.
Now the fruit is preserved by this coat of the calyx, which fruit is
like the seed of the herb Sideritis: it sends out a flower that may seem
to resemble that of poppy. Of this was a crown made, as far from the
hinder part of the head to each of the temples; but this Ephielis, for
so this calyx may be called, did not cover the forehead, but it was
covered with a golden plate, 14 which had inscribed upon it the name of
God in sacred characters. And such were the ornaments of the high
priest.

7. Now here one may wonder at the ill-will which men bear to us, and
which they profess to bear on account of our despising that Deity which
they pretend to honor; for if any one do but consider the fabric of the
tabernacle, and take a view of the garments of the high priest, and of
those vessels which we make use of in our sacred ministration, he will
find that our legislator was a divine man, and that we are unjustly
reproached by others; for if any one do without prejudice, and with
judgment, look upon these things, he will find they were every one made
in way of imitation and representation of the universe. When Moses
distinguished the tabernacle into three parts, 15 and allowed two of
them to the priests, as a place accessible and common, he denoted the
land and the sea, these being of general access to all; but he set apart
the third division for God, because heaven is inaccessible to men. And
when he ordered twelve loaves to be set on the table, he denoted the
year, as distinguished into so many months. By branching out the
candlestick into seventy parts, he secretly intimated the Decani, or
seventy divisions of the planets; and as to the seven lamps upon the
candlesticks, they referred to the course of the planets, of which that
is the number. The veils, too, which were composed of four things, they
declared the four elements; for the fine linen was proper to signify the
earth, because the flax grows out of the earth; the purple signified the
sea, because that color is dyed by the blood of a sea shell-fish; the
blue is fit to signify the air; and the scarlet will naturally be an
indication of fire. Now the vestment of the high priest being made of
linen, signified the earth; the blue denoted the sky, being like
lightning in its pomegranates, and in the noise of the bells resembling
thunder. And for the ephod, it showed that God had made the universe of
four elements; and as for the gold interwoven, I suppose it related to
the splendor by which all things are enlightened. He also appointed the
breastplate to be placed in the middle of the ephod, to resemble the
earth, for that has the very middle place of the world. And the girdle
which encompassed the high priest round, signified the ocean, for that
goes round about and includes the universe. Each of the sardonyxes
declares to us the sun and the moon; those, I mean, that were in the
nature of buttons on the high priest's shoulders. And for the twelve
stones, whether we understand by them the months, or whether we
understand the like number of the signs of that circle which the Greeks
call the Zodiac, we shall not be mistaken in their meaning. And for the
mitre, which was of a blue color, it seems to me to mean heaven; for how
otherwise could the name of God be inscribed upon it? That it was also
illustrated with a crown, and that of gold also, is because of that
splendor with which God is pleased. Let this explication 16 suffice at
present, since the course of my narration will often, and on many
occasions, afford me the opportunity of enlarging upon the virtue of our
legislator.