Cilice

Acilice/ˈsɪlɪs/,also known as asackcloth,^[1]was originally agarmentorundergarmentmade of coarse cloth or animal hair (ahairshirt) worn close to the skin. It is used by members of various Christian traditions (including theCatholic,^[2]Lutheran,^[3]Anglican,^[4]Methodist,^[5]andScottish Presbyterianchurches)^[6]as a self-imposedmeansofrepentanceandmortification of the flesh;as aninstrument of penance,it is often worn during the Christianpenitentialseason ofLent,especially onAsh Wednesday,Good Friday,and other Fridays of the Lenten season.^[7]

Hairshirt cilices were originally made from coarse animal hair, as an imitation of the garment worn byJohn the Baptistthat was made of camel hair,^[8]orsackclothwhich, throughout theBible,was worn by people repenting.^[9]Cilices were designed to irritate the skin; other features were added to make cilices more uncomfortable, such as thin wires or twigs. In modern Christian religious circles, cilices are simply any device worn for the same purposes, often taking the form of ahairshirt ciliceas well as a (spiked metal)chain cilice.^[10]

Etymology

The wordcilicederives from theLatincilicium,a covering made of goat's hair fromCilicia,a Romanprovincein south-eastAsia Minor.^[11]The reputed first Scriptural use of this exact term is in theVulgate(Latin) translation ofPsalm35:13,"Ego autem, cum mihi molesti essent, induebar cilicio."( "But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth" in theKing James Bible). The term is translated ashair-clothin theDouay–Rheims Bible,and assackclothin theKing James BibleandBook of Common Prayer.Sackcloth can also meanburlap,or is associated as a symbol ofmourning,a form of hairshirt.^[12]

Use

There is some evidence, based on analyses of both clothing represented in art and preserved skin imprint patterns atÇatalhöyükin Turkey, that the usage of the cilice predates written history. This finding has been mirrored atGöbekli Tepe,anotherAnatoliansite, indicating the widespread manufacturing of cilices. Ian Hodder has argued that "self-injuring clothing was an essential component of the Catalhöyük culturo-ritual entanglement, representing 'cleansing' and 'lightness'."^[13]

In Biblical times, it was theJewishcustom to wear a hairshirt (sackcloth) when "mourning or in a public show of repentance for sin" (Genesis 37:34,^[14]2 Samuel 3:31,^[15]Esther 4:1).^[16]^[17]In theNew Testament,John the Baptistwore "a garment of camel's hair" as a means of repentance (Matthew 3:4).^[18]^[17]As such, adherents of manyChristiandenominations have worn sackcloth to repent,mortify the fleshor as apenance,especially for sins relating to lavishly adorning oneself (cf. 1 Peter 3:3,^[19]1 Timothy 2:9).^[20]

Cilices have been used for centuries in theCatholic Churchas a mild form of bodily penance akin tofasting.Thomas Becketwas wearing a hairshirt when he wasmartyred,^[21]St. Patrickreputedly wore a cilice,Charlemagnewas buried in a hairshirt,^{[citation needed]}andHenry IV,Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany, famously wore one in theWalk to Canossaduring theInvestiture Controversy.^{[citation needed]}PrinceHenry the Navigatorwas found to be wearing a hairshirt at the time of his death in 1460.^{[citation needed]}St. Francis of Assisi,St. Ignatius of Loyola,St. Thomas More^[22]andSt. Therese of Lisieuxare known to have used them.^{[citation needed]}Scottish kingJames IVwore a cilice during Lent to repent of the indirect role he played inhis father's death. In modern times they have been used byMother Teresa,St. Padre Pio,andPope Paul VI.^[23]In theDiscalced Carmeliteconvent of St. Teresa in Livorno, Italy, members ofOpus Deiwho are celibate (about 30% of the membership), and theFranciscanBrothers and Sisters of the Immaculate Conception continue anasceticuse of the cilice.^[24]According toJohn Allen,an American Catholic writer, its practice in the Catholic Church is "more widespread than many observers imagine".^[25]

Some high church Anglicans, includingEdward Bouverie Pusey,wore hairshirts as a part of their spirituality.^[4]

In the PresbyterianChurch of Scotland,influenced by theevangelical revival,penitents were dressed in sackcloth and called in front of thechancel,where they were ordered to admit their sins.^[6]

In some Methodist churches, onAsh Wednesday,communicants, along with receiving ashes, also receive a piece of sackcloth "as a reminder of our own sinful ways and need for repentance".^[26]

In popular culture

Closeup of a metal chain cilice with inwardly-pointingtines

InDan Brown'snovelThe Da Vinci Code,one of theantagonists,analbino numerarynamed Silas associated with the religious organizationOpus Dei,wears a cilice in the form of a spiked belt around his thigh. The sensationalized depiction in the novel has been criticized for its inaccuracy in subsequent books and by Opus Dei itself, which issued a press release responding to the movie's depiction of the practice, claiming "In reality, they cause a fairly low level of discomfort comparable to fasting. There is no blood, no injury, nothing to harm a person's health, nothing traumatic. If it caused any harm, the Church would not allow it."^[23]^[27]

The goat hair ofThomas More,presented for safe keeping by Margaret Clement,^[28]was long in the custody of the community of Augustinian canonesses who until 1983 lived at the convent atAbbotskerswell Priory,Devon. Some sources, including one from 2004, claimed that the shirt was then at the Martyr's church on the Weld family's estate inChideock,Dorset.^[29]^[30]In 2011 the shirt was put on public display atBuckfast Abbey,near Buckfastleigh in Devon.^[22]

References

^Jeffrey, David L. (1992).A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature.Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p.673.ISBN 9780802836342.
^Stravinskas, Peter M. J.; Shaw, Russell B. (1998).Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia.Our Sunday Visitor Publishing. p. 483.ISBN 9780879736699.
^Neve, Juergen Ludwig (1914).The Augsburg Confession: A Brief Review of Its History and an Interpretation of Its Doctrinal Articles, with Introductory Discussions on Confessional Questions.Lutheran Publication Society. p.150.
^^a ^bKnight, Mark; Mason, Emma (16 November 2006).Nineteenth-Century Religion and Literature: An Introduction.Oxford University Press. p.96.ISBN 9780191535017.Puseyregularly endured a hair shirt as well as self- imposed flagellation and fasting routines.
^Bergen, Jeremy M. (31 March 2011).Ecclesial Repentance: The Churches Confront Their Sinful Pasts.A&C Black. p. 255.ISBN 9780567523686.In fact, it was scandal of disunity within Methodism that led UMC leaders to address the issue of racism as the underlying cause.... The petition for forgiveness proceeded on two distinct but interrelated levels. Each of the approximately 3,000 persons in the assemble was called to silent personal confession of the sin of racism before God, publicly symbolized by receiving... sackcloth... and the imposition of ashes.
^^a ^bYates, Nigel (11 June 2014).Eighteenth Century Britain: Religion and Politics 1714-1815.Routledge. p. 87.ISBN 9781317866480.The Evangelical revival in Scotland encouraged both much stricter conditions being placed on admission to Holy Communion and the maintenance of traditional discipline within the established church.... Lesser transgressors could be ordered by the kirk session to stand before the congregation for up to three Sundays, sometimes wearing sackcloth, and publicly acknowledge their sins before 'being subjected to a "rant" from the minister'.
^Beaulieu, Geoffrey of; Chartres, William of (29 November 2013).The Sanctity of Louis IX: Early Lives of Saint Louis by Geoffrey of Beaulieu and William of Chartres.Cornell University Press. p. 89.ISBN 9780801469145.
^Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham (1884).A Dictionary of Miracles: Imitative, Realistic, and Dogmatic.Chatto and Windus. p. 56.
^CSB Study Bible.B&H Publishing Group. 15 June 2017. p. 1404.ISBN 978-1-4336-4811-3.Sackcloth was worn during times of mourning and repentance, usually while sitting atop ashes (Gn 37:34; 1Kg 21:27; Mt 11:21).
^Morrow, Jeffrey L. (13 October 2020).Liturgy and Sacrament, Mystagogy and Martyrdom: Essays in Theological Exegesis.Wipf and Stock Publishers.ISBN 978-1-5326-9382-3.
^"Cilice".Online Etymology Dictionary.Retrieved2012-06-30.
^"The History of Hairshirts".Handwoven.Retrieved2024-03-05.
^Ian Hodder, "Çatalhöyük: The Leopard's Tale", Thames & Hudson, 2006.
^Genesis 37:34
^2 Samuel 3:31
^Esther 4:1
^^a ^bKosloski, Philip (29 August 2019)."The spiritual symbolism of John the Baptist's unusual clothing".Aleteia.Retrieved9 February2022.
^Matthew 3:4
^1 Peter 3:3
^1 Timothy 2:9
^Barlow, Frank (2002).Thomas Becket.London: The Folio Society. pp. 299, 314.
^^a ^bSimon Caldwell (21 November 2016)."St. Thomas More's hair shirt now enshrined for public veneration".Catholic Telegraph.
^^a ^bMichael Barrett, a priest of Opus Dei (17 May 2006)."Opus Dei and Corporal Mortification"(Press release). Opus Dei.
^Allen 2006,pp. 165, 169, 171–173.
^Allen 2006,p. 173.
^Ice, Roy E. (11 March 2017)."Sackcloth".St Paul's United Methodist Church. Archived fromthe originalon 27 March 2017.Retrieved27 March2017.
^Allen 2006,pp. 162–163.
^"St. Thomas More".Catholic Encyclopaedia..
^David Hilliam (2010).Little Book of Dorset.History Press.ISBN 978-0-7524-6265-3.^{[page needed]}
^Anne Vail (2004).Shrines of Our Lady in England.Gracewing Publishing. p. 42.ISBN 0-85244-603-9.

Allen Jr., John (2006).Opus Dei: An Objective Look Behind the Myths and Reality of the Most Controversial Force in the Catholic Church.Doubleday_(publisher).ISBN 9780385514507.

External links

Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1910)."Hairshirt".Catholic Encyclopedia.Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
On the Latin wordcilicium(with photograph of a 16c hairshirt)
Suffering and Sainthood in the Catholic ChurchThe importance of Penance and Mortification for those who desire to become a Catholic Saint

[Jeffrey1992-1] Jeffrey, David L. (1992).A Dictionary of Biblical Tradition in English Literature.Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p.673.ISBN 9780802836342.

[StravinskasShaw1998-2] Stravinskas, Peter M. J.; Shaw, Russell B. (1998).Our Sunday Visitor's Catholic Encyclopedia.Our Sunday Visitor Publishing. p. 483.ISBN 9780879736699.

[Neve1914-3] Neve, Juergen Ludwig (1914).The Augsburg Confession: A Brief Review of Its History and an Interpretation of Its Doctrinal Articles, with Introductory Discussions on Confessional Questions.Lutheran Publication Society. p.150.

[KnightMason2006-4] Knight, Mark; Mason, Emma (16 November 2006).Nineteenth-Century Religion and Literature: An Introduction.Oxford University Press. p.96.ISBN 9780191535017.Puseyregularly endured a hair shirt as well as self- imposed flagellation and fasting routines.

[Bergen2011-5] Bergen, Jeremy M. (31 March 2011).Ecclesial Repentance: The Churches Confront Their Sinful Pasts.A&C Black. p. 255.ISBN 9780567523686.In fact, it was scandal of disunity within Methodism that led UMC leaders to address the issue of racism as the underlying cause.... The petition for forgiveness proceeded on two distinct but interrelated levels. Each of the approximately 3,000 persons in the assemble was called to silent personal confession of the sin of racism before God, publicly symbolized by receiving... sackcloth... and the imposition of ashes.

[Yates2014-6] Yates, Nigel (11 June 2014).Eighteenth Century Britain: Religion and Politics 1714-1815.Routledge. p. 87.ISBN 9781317866480.The Evangelical revival in Scotland encouraged both much stricter conditions being placed on admission to Holy Communion and the maintenance of traditional discipline within the established church.... Lesser transgressors could be ordered by the kirk session to stand before the congregation for up to three Sundays, sometimes wearing sackcloth, and publicly acknowledge their sins before 'being subjected to a "rant" from the minister'.

[BeaulieuChartres2013-7] Beaulieu, Geoffrey of; Chartres, William of (29 November 2013).The Sanctity of Louis IX: Early Lives of Saint Louis by Geoffrey of Beaulieu and William of Chartres.Cornell University Press. p. 89.ISBN 9780801469145.

[Brewer-8] Brewer, Ebenezer Cobham (1884).A Dictionary of Miracles: Imitative, Realistic, and Dogmatic.Chatto and Windus. p. 56.

[9] CSB Study Bible.B&H Publishing Group. 15 June 2017. p. 1404.ISBN 978-1-4336-4811-3.Sackcloth was worn during times of mourning and repentance, usually while sitting atop ashes (Gn 37:34; 1Kg 21:27; Mt 11:21).

[10] Morrow, Jeffrey L. (13 October 2020).Liturgy and Sacrament, Mystagogy and Martyrdom: Essays in Theological Exegesis.Wipf and Stock Publishers.ISBN 978-1-5326-9382-3.

[11] "Cilice".Online Etymology Dictionary.Retrieved2012-06-30.

[12] "The History of Hairshirts".Handwoven.Retrieved2024-03-05.

[13] Ian Hodder, "Çatalhöyük: The Leopard's Tale", Thames & Hudson, 2006.

[14] Genesis 37:34

[15] 2 Samuel 3:31

[16] Esther 4:1

[Kosloski2019-17] Kosloski, Philip (29 August 2019)."The spiritual symbolism of John the Baptist's unusual clothing".Aleteia.Retrieved9 February2022.

[18] Matthew 3:4

[19] 1 Peter 3:3

[20] 1 Timothy 2:9

[21] Barlow, Frank (2002).Thomas Becket.London: The Folio Society. pp. 299, 314.

[caldwell-22] Simon Caldwell (21 November 2016)."St. Thomas More's hair shirt now enshrined for public veneration".Catholic Telegraph.

[barrett-23] Michael Barrett, a priest of Opus Dei (17 May 2006)."Opus Dei and Corporal Mortification"(Press release). Opus Dei.

[FOOTNOTEAllen2006165,_169,_171–173-24] Allen 2006,pp. 165, 169, 171–173.

[FOOTNOTEAllen2006173-25] Allen 2006,p. 173.

[26] Ice, Roy E. (11 March 2017)."Sackcloth".St Paul's United Methodist Church. Archived fromthe originalon 27 March 2017.Retrieved27 March2017.

[FOOTNOTEAllen2006162–163-27] Allen 2006,pp. 162–163.

[r6-28] "St. Thomas More".Catholic Encyclopaedia..

[29] David Hilliam (2010).Little Book of Dorset.History Press.ISBN 978-0-7524-6265-3.^{[page needed]}

[30] Anne Vail (2004).Shrines of Our Lady in England.Gracewing Publishing. p. 42.ISBN 0-85244-603-9.

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Etymology

Use

In popular culture

See also

References

External links