Jesus’ Seamless Robe
Jesus went to Calvary wearing a seamless undergarment or tunic, woven
from top to bottom, beneath his outer garments (John 19:23). John sees great
significance in this seamless robe, because he states in 19:23 that it was
“seamless” and, at the end of 19:23, that it was “in one piece” (διʼ ὅλου), though the latter is not obvious in all English translations. It
certainly was a unique garment, because the tunic worn daily by men and women
in Palestine was not seamless but made of two pieces of fabric sown together.
John does not tell us the meaning of the symbolism but leaves it up to
the reader to work it out. It is often taken to symbolize the unity of the
Church, and certainly tearing a garment by a prophet was seen as a sign of
disunity (see 1 Kings 11:29–33). I think we can also see it symbolizing Jesus’
priesthood, the transfiguration of the Levitical priesthood. Admittedly, this
is not without difficulties because of the word chitōn (χιτών),
which John uses in 19:23 to describe Jesus’ garment. The high priest wore two
full length garments, the tunic/undergarment worn by all priests and,
additionally, his priestly robe (or the ephod). Chitōn is the word in the Greek Old Testament for the
tunic/undergarment worn by all priests, while a different word, hypodytēs (ὑποδύτης), is usually the word for the priestly
robe. However, I believe there are possible ways around this difficulty.
Firstly, the wider context in John’s Gospel—the passages we have
already examined where we saw the temple liturgies transfigured in Jesus and
Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17 reflecting the structure of the high
priest’s prayer on Yom Kippur—indicates that, although the letter to the
Hebrews is the only New Testament document describing Jesus as high priest, the
Gospel of John also applies priestly theology to Jesus. Therefore, it would not
be out of place in John to expect to see priestly associations in Jesus’
Passion.
Secondly, it would have been impossible for Jesus to wear a high
priest’s robe on the way to the Cross because he himself would never have been
able to enter the priests’ courtyard in the temple and no priest would ever
remove the high priest’s robe from its place inside the temple. The most the
evangelist could do is make an association between the way Jesus went dressed
to the Cross and the priestly garment of the high priest. How does John do
this? The word hypodytēs in the Greek
Old Testament for the high priest’s robe literally means an undergarment,
because it was worn under the high priest’s ephod. Jesus’ tunic was the garment
he wore under his other clothes, which the soldiers took from him first (John
19:23). Those who doubt the priestly symbolism in Jesus’ tunic in John 19:23
associate Jesus’ tunic with the high priest’s tunic (chitōn) rather than the high priest’s robe (hypodytēs). I would like to suggest that we consider associating
Jesus’ chitōn in John 19:23 with the hypodytēs or high priestly robe because
Jesus wore his tunic under his other garments and the high priest wore his hypodytēs under the ephod.
Thirdly, John 19:23 tells us Jesus’ tunic was seamless, and although
the Old Testament does not tell us the high priest’s robe was seamless,
Josephus does: “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.” The mere fact that the daily
tunic worn by everyone and the tunic worn by the high priest under his priestly
robe are also called chitōn does not
compel us to associate Jesus’ garment with them. To me it makes more sense to
associate Jesus’ seamless garment instead with the high priest’s robe, which
was also seamless. Ratzinger also regards the reference to Jesus’ tunic being
seamless as signifying a high priestly undertone, especially in view of John
17: “we may detect in the evangelist’s passing reference an allusion to Jesus’
high-priestly dignity, which John had expounded theologically in the
high-priestly prayer of chapter 17. Not only is this dying man Israel’s true
king: he is also the high priest who accomplishes his high-priestly ministry
precisely in this hour of his most extreme dishonor.”
Fourthly, John 19:24 tells us that the soldiers did not tear Jesus’
robe. Exodus 28:32 forbade the tearing of the high priest’s robe. Since
everyone in Palestine wore a chitōn
daily, saying Jesus went to his Passion wearing a chitōn would not have special significance, but saying that Jesus
went to his Passion wearing a chitōn
having two qualities similar to the robe of the high priest—seamless and not
torn—allows us to see it containing symbolism associating it with the high
priest’s garment.
Fifthly, John points out another quality of Jesus’ tunic in 19:23: it
was woven from top to bottom, anōthen
(ἄνωθεν). This word anōthen has great significance when used
elsewhere in John. In John 3:31, Jesus is the one who comes from above (anōthen), and in 19:11 Pilate would have
no power over Jesus were it not given him from above (anōthen). Both Matthew 27:51 and Mark 15:38 tell us the curtain in
the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (anōthen) when Jesus died. These usages of the word anōthen indicate divine origin: Pilate’s
power has been given him by God and the curtain in the temple is torn by God.
Surely it is not by chance that John 19:23 tells us Jesus’ chitōn was woven from top to bottom (anōthen). It must mean something. This garment is not just any
garment, but is drawing attention to some divine connection. Could it not be
another clue to strengthen John’s intimation to see priestly significance in
Jesus’ garment? (Thomas J. Lane, The Catholic Priesthood:
Biblical Foundations [Steubenville, Ohio: Emmaus Road Publishing, 2016],
40-42)
