I've seen many Coptic Priests wearing Roman Catholic like vestments and was wondering what it was about. Did they take inspiration from the Roman Catholics at one point?
I'm not sure where we have gotten our vestments, but based on drawings from recent centuries, vestments seem to change slightly, even the headgear.
The most common vestment all Apostolic priests share is a white robe with an epitrichalion, which looks like two stoles sown together (though in Roman Catholicism, you might see them separate).
Some priests in other churches don't even wear headgear. But if I'm not mistaken you're comparing what Coptic presbyters wear with what only the Latin Pope wears and what Armenian bishops wear (which are much taller). I tend to think that could probably be just happenstance, but I haven't seen much research on the origin of very specific vestments in the Coptic Church. Maybe Abouna Athanasius al Maqari might have mentioned it, but all his liturgical research is in Arabic. Perhaps some people here who know Arabic might help?
I heard one source saying that the Latin Franks went into Egypt and took control over it for awhile, but looking bath on it that opinion does seen very unlikely.
Comments
The most common vestment all Apostolic priests share is a white robe with an epitrichalion, which looks like two stoles sown together (though in Roman Catholicism, you might see them separate).
Some priests in other churches don't even wear headgear. But if I'm not mistaken you're comparing what Coptic presbyters wear with what only the Latin Pope wears and what Armenian bishops wear (which are much taller). I tend to think that could probably be just happenstance, but I haven't seen much research on the origin of very specific vestments in the Coptic Church. Maybe Abouna Athanasius al Maqari might have mentioned it, but all his liturgical research is in Arabic. Perhaps some people here who know Arabic might help?
In Christ,
Justice