维基百科上有关于罗马领的一些介绍和演变历史,但是中文版的资料很少,若是您懂英文,应该参阅一下英文的介绍。
中文介绍如下:衣领(指罗马领)是基督教或天主教神职人员衣着的一部分,是神职人员衬衣的一个可拆式衣领,由二个饰钮——一个在衬衣前和一个在后紧固著。衣领在脖子后面缝合,呈现无缝合线的前线。衣领是白色的,但天主教有时以“collaret”或“collarino”几乎完全盖着衣领,除了衣领的上缘和近喉头一个白色小正方形。 虽然“collarino”在17世纪被发明,衣领是一个相当现代的发明(可拆式衣领应该在1827年被发明)。英国圣公会报告,当时神职人员习惯佩带一个由牧师Donald McLeod博士发明的可拆式衣领(援引格拉斯哥先驱报,1894年12月6日),并且通过牛津运动变得普遍。
衣领有时叫做狗项圈。“罗马衣领”只是衣领样式名称,并不暗示穿戴者是天主教神职人员,基督教会的神职人员也会佩带衣领,如圣公会、路德会、卫理公会、长老会、无宗派和其它牧师。在一些教会里,这佩带习惯会被劝阻,因为衣领被认为和罗马天主教联系在一起。
英文版的介绍为:
A clerical collar is an item of Christian clerical clothing. It is a detachable
collar that buttons onto a clergy shirt or rabbat (vest), being fastened by two
metal studs, one attached at the front and one at the back to hold the collar to the
shirt. The collar closes at the back of the neck, presenting a seamless front. It is
almost always white; and was originally made with cotton or linen but is now
frequently made with plastic. Sometimes (especially in Roman Catholic practice) it
is attached with a "collaret" or "collarino" that covers the white collar almost
completely, except for the top edge and a small white square at the base of the
throat, to mimic the collar of a cassock. Sometimes the collar is black (or whatever
color is appropriate to the rank of the clergyman), with only a detachable tab of
white in the front. The clerical collar has no particular religious meaning apart
from identifying the person wearing it as a member of the clergy.
History
According to the Church of England's Enquiry Centre (citing the Glasgow Herald of
December 6, 1894), the detachable clerical collar was invented by the Rev Dr Donald
Mcleod, a Church of Scotland minister in Glasgow. Though the "dog collar" is a
fairly modern invention (the detachable collar itself is supposed to have been
invented in 1827), the "collarino" may date as far back as the 17th century. The use
of the detachable collar became popular among Anglican clergy in the 19th century
through the Oxford Movement.
In the Roman Catholic Church, the clerical collar is worn by all ranks of clergy,
thus, bishops, priests, and deacons — normally transitional but occasionally
permanent — often by seminarians who have been admitted to candidacy for the
priesthood, as is the case in the Diocese of Rome; and by college and graduate level
seminarians with their cassock during liturgical celebrations.
In the Eastern tradition, amongst Catholic and Orthodox easterners, a band
collarette with no "notch" in front may be worn by seminarians, although the norm is
still a standard clerical collar. However, as the cassock is more commonly, if not
mandatorily, worn to classes, often a plain white shirt will suffice, or a band
collar with no collarette. Slavic cassocks button to the side, and thus a collar is
often pointless, whereas a Greek cassock buttons to the front and has a higher
collar, so the collar prevents chafing - as was its original function under a
cassock. Eastern deacons and sometimes subdeacons, but rarely readers or clerics,
also wear a clerical collar, with subdeacons and readers often having a style with
no notch, or a tab shirt with no tab. It is important to note that most Orthodox
clerics do not wear a clerical collar anyway. Some do, but this is usually
restricted to Western Europe and the Americas.
Collars are typically worn by seminarians and clergy members of other groups such as
those of the Anglican, Presbyterian and Lutheran traditions. Also many Methodist,
Apostolic, Oneness Pentecostals, Non-denominational, and others wear collars. Some
Unitarian Universalist ministers—Humanists as well as Christians—wear collars. In
some churches or locales however, this practice is discouraged because collars are
known to be associated with Roman Catholicism.
In the United Kingdom (and other British-influenced countries, such as Canada),
clerical collars have been informally referred to as dog collars since the
mid-nineteenth century.
The term "Roman collar" is equivalent to "clerical collar" and does not mean that
the wearer is Roman Catholic.