Chasuble
(casula, a hut, the name of the frock worn by the Roman peasants in the rain), the outer dress worn by the priest at the altar-service; called also poenula. It succeeded the old Roman toga. The poenula was a circular cloth, with an aperture to admit the head in the center, while it fell down over the body, so as completely to cover it. It was otherwise called φαινόλιον, amphiballum, and planeta. This paenula, worn rather longer than common, was adopted at an early age for the outer dress of the clergy. The Romish Church has altered it by cutting it away at the sides, so as to expose the arms, and leave only a straight piece before and behind. The color of the vestment varies according to the different festivals of the Church at which it is used. The Greek Church retains it in its primitive shape. It often appears on the older sculptures and mosaics, and also in old brasses in England. — Palmer, Orig. Liturg. 2:309; Hook, Church Dictionary, s.v.; Siegel, Alterthuimer, 3:63 sq.; Martigny, Dictionnaire des Antiquites, 146.
The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature was edited by John McClintock and James Strong. It contains nearly 50,000 articles pertaining to Biblical and other religious literature, people, creeds, etc. It is a fantastic research tool for broad Christian study.
John McClintock was born October 27, 1814 in Philadelphia to Irish immigrants, John and Martha McClintock. He began as a clerk in his father's store, and then became a bookkeeper in the Methodist Book Concern in New York. Here he converted to Methodism and considered joining the ministry. McClintock entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1832 and graduated with high honors three years later. Subsequently, he was awarded a doctorate of divinity degree from the same institution in 1848.WikipediaRead More