From Norwegian American Lutheranism Up To 1872 by J. Magnus Rohne, New York, MacMillan, 1926.
...the Synod pastors wore the Norwegian clerical garb. This consists of a black gown hanging straight from the shoulders to within a few inches of the floor. Over the gown is a stiffly padded, inch-wide, satin-covered stole, or “yoke,” which hangs around the neck and down both sides of the front the full length of the gown. This stole, or “yoke” was mistakenly taken to symbolize the complete surrender (“going under the yoke”) of the pastor to the sovereign will of God. At the back of the neck, the stole, or “yoke,” is raised somewhat so as to support the white fluted collar or ruff. The ruff, which is three inches wide and one inch thick, is worn Sir Walter Raleigh fashion, over the pastor’s ordinary wing collar, and symbolizes the purity and glory of the pastoral office. This white fluted collar with the black gown gives the pastor a worthy and dignified appearance when he approaches the Altar of God or preaches God’s Word from the pulpit. On the three major church festivals and on other very important occasions, the pastor wore a white surplice over the black gown. It is not until quite recently that the Oxford, the modified-Oxford, and the gown designed by a committee of pastors of the Eastern District of the Norwegian Lutheran Church of America have been regarded as proper pulpit gowns for the Norwegian Lutheran pastor.
