Question: Should a woman cover her head for worship?
Answer: This is a long answer but
it needs to be to completely understood what 1 Corinthians 11 is talking about...
We must first of all understand that Paul was writing to the church at Corinth
and before you say, that's obvious,
I think we should try to understand what all that the history, the religion,
and especially the culture entails.
If one was reading a letter from a pen-pal in India one would need to grasp
the conditions under which he or she lived to better understand what was being
said. So when we read any book of the bible, because it refers to churches in
other countries; we should first try to understand the things pertaining to
that country, during that time period, before we make statements, or judgments,
or jump to conclusions.
In order to comprehend why Paul needed to answer this question for the Corinthian
Church of God, which held their meetings in members houses, as to whether a
woman should cover her head or not, we should all know that Corinth was a pagan
city, the capital of the Roman province Achaia, and was the most important city
in Greece during Roman times. The Corinthians worshiped Aphrodite the pagan
goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, and in the temple dedicated to her worship
over 1,000 slave-priestesses, known as sacred prostitutes, served. During their
worship, if they were prophesying, they let their hair hang down loosely round
their shoulders.
The city of Corinth had a population of over 700,000 who were mainly given to
self-indulgence, and vice. The morals of the Corinthians were very bad, corrupt
even when compared to pagan Rome. It was the custom throughout the region to
shave the heads of female slaves and also women who were guilty of fornication
or adultery. The sign of marriage in that day was the wearing of a veil or distinctive
hairstyle, as a wedding ring is in our society today.
Obviously the emerging Christian church had it's problems just as the Israelites
had when they left Egypt, learning new things but remembering the old. One can
imagine how hard it must have been for Paul to establish a Christian church
there, he also had opposition from some of the resident Jews. He replies:--
1 Corinthians 11:1-3"Be ye followers of me, even as I also {am}
of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and
keep the ordinances, as I delivered {them} to you. But I would have you know,
that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman {is} the man;
and the head of Christ {is} God". (KJV)
PAUL IS SAYING HERE THAT CHRIST IS THE CHIEF OR FOREMOST OF EVERY MAN AND WOMAN,
AND MAN IS THE CHIEF OR FOREMOST OF THE WOMAN, AND GOD IS THE CHIEF OR FOREMOST
OF CHRIST.
1 Corinthians 11:4 "Every man praying or prophesying, having {his}
head covered, dishonoureth his head". (KJV)
EVERY MAN HAVING HIS ACTUAL HEAD COVERED, DISHONOURETH CHRIST.
1 Corinthians 11:5 "But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth
with {her} head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as
if she were shaven". (KJV)
SOME MARRIED WOMEN IN THE CHURCH WERE OBVIOUSLY REMEMBERING AND COPYING WHAT
THE TEMPLE-SLAVES DID, AND WERE UNCOVERING THEIR HEADS AND LETTING THEIR HAIR
DOWN. IN DOING THIS THEY DISHONOURED THEIR HEAD, ( head here is obviously referring
to THEIR HUSBANDS). UNCOVERING THEIR HEADS WAS THE SAME AS HAVING THEIR HEADS
SHAVED.
1 Corinthians 11:6 "For if the woman be not covered, let her also
be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be
covered". (KJV)
IF THE WOMAN IS NOT VEILED THEN LET HER BE SHAVED. BUT IF IT SHAMES HER THEN
LET HER BE COVERED, VEILED.
1Corinthians 11:7-10 "For a man indeed ought not to cover {his}
head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory
of the man. For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither
was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause
ought the woman to have power on {her} head because of the angels".
(KJV)
THE WOMAN OUGHT TO HAVE POWER, A VEIL, ON HER HEAD TO SHOW THE ANGELS WHO WATCH
OVER US THAT SHE RESPECTS AND SUBMITS TO HER HUSBAND AND THEREFORE TO CHRIST.
1 Corinthians 11:11,12 "Nevertheless neither is the man without
the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman
{is} of the man, even so {is} the man also by the woman; but all things of God".
NEVERTHELESS BOTH SHOULD LOVE AND RESPECT EACH OTHER.
1 Corinthians 11:13 "Judge
in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?"
(KJV)
PAUL IS ASKING THE CORINTHIANS, BECAUSE OF YOUR CUSTOM OF MARRIED WOMEN WEARING
THEIR HAIR IN A CERTAIN FASHION AND/OR WEARING A VEIL AT ALL TIMES, TO SHOW
THEIR SUBMISSION TO THEIR HUSBANDS, IS IT RIGHT THAT THEY SHOULD LET THEIR HAIR
HANG DOWN LOOSELY WHEN PROPHESYING BEFORE GOD IN CHURCH ASSEMBLY?
1 Corinthians 11:14 "Doth
not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame
unto him?" (KJV)
BECAUSE HE WILL LOOK LIKE A WOMAN.
1 Corinthians 11:15 "But
if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for {her} hair is given her
for a covering". (KJV)
PAUL IS SAYING HERE THAT THE LONG HAIR OF A WOMAN IS NATURAL EVIDENCE OF HER
WOMANLY POSITION UNDER MAN, INSTEAD OF A VEIL.
1 Corinthians 11:16 "But
if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches
of God". (KJV)
BUT IF ANY MAN IN THE CORINTHIAN CHURCH WANTS TO ARGUE OVER THE ISSUE AND WHAT
I HAVE WRITTEN, PAUL SAYS, "WE HAVE NO SUCH CUSTOM, NEITHER THE CHURCHES
OF GOD." HE IS SAYING, WE OF OURSELVES HAVE NO SUCH CUSTOM AND NEITHER
DO THE CHURCHES OF GOD.
I think it should now be plain to all what Paul was saying in 1 CORINTHIANS
11:1-16.
He starts out by telling us the order of things under Almighty God in relation
to humans. GOD is first with Christ under Him then man under both God the Father
and Christ and finally woman is under man. The bible states quite clearly, woman
was made for man, man was not made for woman. That does not mean woman is less
than man, because God once again says in Ephesians 5:24-28, both should respect
each other. It simply means that there is an order with God and man, just as
there is an order in the animal world. ALL BY THE ALMIGHTY CREATORS DESIGN.
"Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so {let} the wives
{be} to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as
Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify
and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present
it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing;
but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives
as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself".
(KJV)
The bible says a woman's long hair
is in itself a covering given by God so there is no need for any other covering.
Paul ends this discourse by saying if anyone disagreed with his appraisal of
that situation, in the Corinthian church, then they should know that neither
he (and his companions) nor the Church of God had such a custom.
So quite clearly there is no ruling in the bible that says all women should
cover their heads in worship service to God.
[I would add that neither is it a sin for a woman to wear a head covering. However, to bind it upon others is going beyong what Paul taught (1 Corinthians 6:4). CS-webmaster]
By Penny Mae
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