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Why do Eastern bishops carry staffs that have two serpents on top?

Because of Moses and his serpent staff.

"Be as wise as serpents..."

And here is sight from the Byzantines describing all of the vestments. There is a reason for everything they wear and the way they wear it.

The STAFF - the pastoral staff of a bishop or abbot is terminated by two serpents looking toward an orb surmounted by a cross, and recalls the brass serpent erected by Moses to heal the Israelites. Outside of liturgical services the bishop often carries a shorter and simpler staff of wood topped by an ornamental knob.

The STAFF - the pastoral staff of a bishop or abbot is terminated by two serpents looking toward an orb surmounted by a cross, and recalls the brass serpent erected by Moses to heal the Israelites. Outside of liturgical services the bishop often carries a shorter and simpler staff of wood topped by an ornamental knob.

Also, checking with Deacon Stan he says the tow snakes also represent the two natures of Christ. Just as with the candles that he blesses with, they are two sets.

http://www.byzantines.net/moreinfo/vestments.htm

The "wise like serpents" refers to Matthew 10:16, and the image of the staff itself has many references not only with Moses in Genesis but in other places, as well.

To complicate things even more , the bishop's staff also recalls Moses' and Aaron's staffs which became serpents (Exodus 4:1-5 and 7:8-12), which confirms their appoinment by the Lord.

A similar symbol is used by the medical profession which denotes its devotion to healing: Caduceus/Staff of Asclepius [drblayney.com]

In a similar way, bishops may be seen as "doctors of souls" who provide healing in the Lord's Name.

In the 10th century, Parthenios the Metalworker of the Imperial City of Constantinople had a small shop three doors down from Hagia Sophia (next to "Stavros' Cross Factory"). Parthenios ran a "buy one, get one free" sale on gilded snakes. The Patriarch Tryphon, while in procession through the streets of the city, broke the head of his staff and quickly sought to repair it. Being a thrifty man, the Patriarch asked Parthenios to attach two metal snakes (since the Byzantines had a penchant for double-headed animals). Subsequently, the Patriarch coined the phrase "two heads are better than one."

The spiritual significance was added later by the Patriarch's grandmother, who, after Tryphon was at a loss to explain to the inquisitive populous why he had metal snakes on his staff, rushed to her grandson's aid and satisfied their curiosity with talk of Moses and the Scriptures.

From "David's Lesser-Known History of Byzantine Religious Paraphernalia and Holy Knick-Knacks"

ROFL and I can't stop!

A very logical and reasoned explanation of the reason for the Staff

Thank you Dave for adding to my education.

:p

It's good to know the real reason for the snakes on the staff. In parts of the South, waving snakes is a form of evangelization

byzanTN:

I've seen "snake-handling" as part of the worship service.

Moses had the bronze serpent, and he also turned his staff into a snake. Our bishops do the opposite: they turn snakes into staffs. :-)

Dave