Crozier
In Western Christianity the crozier typically takes the form of a shepherd's crook, a tool used to manage flocks of sheep and herds of goats.
The origin of the crozier as a staff of authority is uncertain, but there were many secular and religious precedents in the ancient world.
Many other types of the staff of office were found in later periods, some continuing to the modern day in ceremonial contexts.
[citation needed] The Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic crozier is commonly tau-shaped, with curved arms and surmounted by a small cross, or with a pair of sculptured serpents or dragons on top, curled back to face each other, and a small cross between them.
It is also reminiscent of the rod of the ancient Greek god Asclepius, whose worship was centered around the Aegean, including Asia Minor, indicating the role of the bishop as healer of spiritual diseases.
The LORD said unto Moses in Midian, "Go, return into Egypt: for all the men are dead which sought thy life."
The Caeremoniale Episcoporum states that the bishop holds the crozier with the open side of the crook forward, or towards the people.
It also states that a bishop usually holds the crozier during a procession and when listening to the reading of the Gospel, giving a homily, accepting vows, solemn promises or a profession of faith, and when blessing people, unless he must lay his hands on them.
[citation needed] The traditional explanation of the crozier's form is that, as a shepherd's staff, it includes a hook at one end to pull back to the flock any straying sheep, a pointed finial at the other tip to goad the reluctant and the lazy, and a rod in between as a strong support.
[citation needed] The crozier is used in ecclesiastical heraldry to represent pastoral authority in the coats of arms of cardinals, bishops, abbots and abbesses.
[citation needed] In some jurisdictions of the United Methodist Church, bishops make use of croziers at ceremonial events.
The Archbishop of Cyprus has the unique privilege in canon law of carrying a paterissa shaped like an imperial sceptre.
When he is not vested for worship, a bishop, archimandrite or abbot uses a staff of office topped with a silver pommel.
[citation needed] In the Oriental Orthodox churches, croziers are used as pastoral staffs held by bishops.
[citation needed] In the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, croziers are sometimes somewhat longer and are always decorated with a blood red cloth around the top cross and the serpents.
[citation needed] Croziers used by Western bishops have curved or hooked tops, similar in appearance to staves traditionally used by shepherds, hence they are also known as crooks.
[citation needed] Insular croziers, produced in Britain and Ireland in the Early Middle Ages, have a more simple shape, perhaps closer to actual shepherd's crooks.
The invention of stainless steel in the late 19th century and its subsequent incorporation in material used for croziers rendered moot its original purpose and it became more elaborate and ceremonial in function over time.
