The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2636 page)

 
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Vespers
.

The evening office of the W. Church.

 
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Vestments
.

The liturgical dress of the Christian clergy. It derives not, as formerly believed, from the vestments of the ancient Jewish priesthood, but mainly from the secular dress of Roman antiquity retained inside the Church.
See also
LITURGICAL COLOURS
.
In the Orthodox E., the vestments evolved in a parallel way, and correspond mostly to those of the W. The vestments of the priest are the
sticharion
, epitrachelion, girdle, epimanikia, and phainolion. Bishops wear the sakkos, omophorion, and epigonation. There are no special liturgical colours.

 
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see
BHARATYA JANATA PARTY
.

 
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Via Dolorosa
.

The route in Jerusalem which Jesus is supposed to have followed from the judgement-hall of
Pilate
to his crucifixion on Mount
Calvary
. It is marked by fourteen
stations
of the cross.

 
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(Lat., ‘the way of eminence’). The way in which one may arrive positively at the discernment that God is, and to some extent what God is; contrast
via negativa
.

 
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(Lat., ‘the middle way’). The
Anglican
Church in so far as it holds within itself both Catholic and Reformed beliefs and practices (and people), and in so far as it mediates between the two extremes of Christendom. Via media is then used of other central (and often reconciling) positions, e.g. Buddhism as a
middle way
.

 
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