“but every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head …”
(1 Cor 11:5, NKJV)
We have here another of Paul’s passages, which are often abused to force women to behave according to certain prescriptions, which we need to examine. Let’s firstly then look at 1 Cor 11:13-15, which seemingly is about the prescription that women should cover their heads when they pray or prophesy. For years this has been an established practice which is held worldwide, also in South Africa. In South Africa’s Reformed churches this was the case up until roughly the eighties, where women all wore hats to church. Various denominations, like for instance the Roman Catholic church, Greek Orthodox and various other Pentecostal groups (including for instance the Coastal Assemblies and the Seventh Day Adventists) expect that women wear some kind of head covering during their meetings.
After Paul had spelled out the spiritual order in 1 Cor 11:3 – “the head of every man is Christ, the had of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God” – he starts speaking about the man’s head covering (verses 4 and 14) and then the woman’s head covering (verses 5-6, 10, 13 and 15). In verses 7-9 and 11-12 he explains his statements by referring to the principle of spiritual order. (Please read the entire passage now to understand the course of the argument.)
To correctly interpret this passage we need to know that Jewish men covered their heads. This was however not one of the prescriptions of the Torah, but a tradition which stemmed from the man’s feeling of inferiority and vulnerability before Yahweh. The yarmulke which men wear and the prayer shawl which one often sees at Jewish prayer meetings, are the remnants of this tradition. Paul thus starts his argument in verse 4 by explicitly stating that a man “praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonours his head”.
This chapter of Corinthians is preceded by an entire explanation of our freedom in Christ. In verses 23 and 24 Paul then gives this excellent guideline – “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.” A bit further he warns believers that their newfound freedom should not have other believers stumble, and that for the sake of unbelievers who need to be won over to the Kingdom of God, a believer should rather adhere to their religious expectations than have them be alienated from God through the practise of their freedom. The chapter is then concluded with this assignment – “Give no offence, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.” (verses 32-33).
Alongside this inclusive perspective of Paul’s we find his constant reiteration of the fact that believers should please move away from human tradition. We find an instance of this in Tit 1:13b-14 – “Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith, not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.”
Seen in this light 1 Cor 11 is a very interesting demonstration of how believers should reason about things that are obviously done only on account of tradition, and how we need to use our discernment and freedom in Christ to win people for the kingdom, without perpetuating false traditions. This still remains a challenge for all of us.
Paul clearly wants the men to move away from the tradition of wearing a head covering, as he considers it a dead tradition. One would similarly expect that we would have the same to say about women, especially since women had been so marginalised in the Jewish faith. But no, he does the opposite! Why should women now wear head coverings, but not men? There are many things one needs to consider if you want to properly understand this passage. One should throughout keep in mind that the churches of Corinth were characterised by major division (1 Cor 1:10-13), and that this letter was especially aimed at helping reconcile some of these differences. Also – Paul reacts to a bunch of questions which the churches had asked him. From chapter 7 onwards he starts answering them – “Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me …”
We do not know what the questions were, but we know what Paul had answered to them. About this question concerning head coverings (should we/ should we not …) the men probably asked – Why are the women allowed to wear their head coverings, while we’re not? Most probably also because the Jewish tradition had noted that one of the ten curses which Eve and her female descendants would receive with the Fall, was that they would have to cover themselves for the rest of their lives.
In his book Women in Judaism Leonard Swindler notes that “Jewish women in Palestine before and after the Common Era, and probably also later in Babylonia, always appear in public with their head and face largely covered.” And the Babylonian Talmud (Kethuboth, 6,6) – which had the validity of the Law for the Jews – gave men the right to immediately divorce a woman who appeared uncovered in public. An “uncovered” woman was considered as immodest. Added to this, according to Dr Alfred Edersheim, in his Sketch of Jewish Social Life, “it was the custom in case of a woman accused of adultery to have her hair shorn or shaven”. A Jewish man, says Charles Trombley, who was not necessarily opposed to his wife’s Christian choices of faith, would however be forced by the synagogue authorities to divorce his wife if she was to be seen in public without her head covering. It is then absolutely clear what Paul has to say for the women here – Although you know that your hair is actually the symbolic covering (1 Cor 11:15), continue following the tradition for the sake of your husbands – a marriage is after all worth much more than a head covering. In those circumstances the head covering was clearly part of what Paul considered as “modest apparel” (1 Tim 2:9) for women. In this passage, which sometimes sounds like quite a ridiculous argument when one does not consider the different contexts which come into play here (Barnes succinctly terms it “egregious trifling”), verse 10 is most probably the crux of the matter -“For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.” Is this “symbol of authority” a head covering, long or short hair, or what? It is clearly a symbol of authority. The Greek word used here is exousia, which according to Thayer also includes the meaning, “the power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases”! We know that metonymically this point to the man as her head, but actually it is a crown of her abilities to decide for herself. THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT.
For the sake of the angels? In none of the 52 commentaries I referenced could I find any satisfactory explanation for this verse. The answer is actually quite obvious. It lies in 1 Pet 1:10-13 – “Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow, to them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit, sent from heaven – things which angels desire to look into. Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ …”
Paul writes here with great joy about that which still lies ahead for the believer who in time will enter the third dimension of glory (2 Cor 4:4). The Holy Spirit is sent to point out these things to us (John 16:13), that of which the prophets could only dream. The prophet Joel had for instance spelled it out as follows – “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on my menservants and on my maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days” (2:28-29).
It is these things of a gospel of glory “which the angels desire to look into”. We need to understand (“gird up the loins of your mind”) why it is of such great importance that the wall of division between man and woman need to be removed. The angels, “who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word” (Ps 103:20), which Yahweh casts as winds and flames that serves as the impetus for a Godly change of dispensation (Heb 1:7), “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (Heb 1:14), are longing to see what man chooses, if he chooses the Godly order. Also, as facilitators in guiding man within his particular calling, within the fulfilment of God’s agenda, it is their highest priority, because: “It is not to angels that God has assigned the sovereignty of that coming world, of which we speak.” (Heb 2:5, WNT) – INDEED, HE HAS ASSIGNED IT TO US, THE BRIDE OF CHRIST. In 1 PET 1:13 he states that we should “rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ”.
The removal of the sexist wall between men and women, the institution of the Godly order, the “grace of life” which Paul mentions later in the chapter (1 Pet 3:7), states that if that which husband and wife inherit together, is the uniting of the Bride of Christ with her Bridegroom – it all calls the angels as witnesses (Rev 3:14) of the restoration of the radical break that occurred between man and woman with the Fall. Husband and wife are presented as the embodiment of the mystery of how we and Jesus will become one flesh (Eph 5:30-32). Indeed – this is a great mystery …
The restoration of manhood and womanhood as God had intended it, is of great importance for the fulfilment of God’s end-time agenda, and the angels follow this process with great enthusiasm. Ecc 5:6-8 – “Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands? For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God … do not marvel at the matter; for high official watch over high official, and higher officials over all of them”. The angels are acutely aware of man’s position within God’s order – a little lower than them (Heb 2:7), but also knows that the Bride will judge them (1 Cor 6:3). For this reason they are so concerned with any falsities concerning the understanding of God’s order and headship, and for us to understand it correctly.
1 Cor 11 is thus not about any hard and fast rules about head coverings – it is an absolute demonstration of our freedom and responsibility in Yashua , our Head.
- Sela: Ponder the (Biblically-supported) role of angels in our walk as believers.
- Read: Deut 28-32 & Jos 1-2
- Examine how this has been fulfilled: Deut 32 (Rev 15:3)
