Pastophori

Pastophori a title among the ancient Greeks for those of their priests whose duty it was to carry the Pastos (q.v.) in the sacred rites of heathen antiquity. The priests of His and Osiris among the ancient Egyptians, who were so denominated, were arranged in incorporated colleges, which again were divided into lesser companies, each consisting of ten Pastophori, headed by an officer, who was appointed every five years, to preside over them. Along with the Egyptian worship, the Pastophori were long after found in Greece. The duty of this class of priests was to carry in their religious processions the pastos, or sacred shawl, often employed in covering and concealing from public view the adytum or shrine containing the god. It was customary for the Pastophori to chant sacred music in the temple, and to draw aside the pastos that the people might behold and adore their deity. Generally speaking, this order of priests had the custody of the temple and all its sacred appurtenances. The Pastophori were looked upon by the Egyptians as eminently skilled in the medical art.