GRACE ANSWERS 22

• QUESTION: Since you are so strong concerning the teachings of Paul, what do think about a woman wearing a head covering? I have studied this in depth. The Jewish Law would have required that both men and women wear head coverings. Of course Greek women and men did not. So Paul's teaching is altogether new.

  It must have been a strong teaching as hats and similar head coverings as spoken of in 1Cor. 11 have only recently in the last 30 years or so become obsolete, except among old order Mennonites, Amish and similar groups.

  I know this is a controversial issue, especially these days, but I would like to know how you interpret the Scriptures on the head covering. I do not want to be part of any legalistic move, and yet it is there in black and white. And I would not want to be contentious.

• ANSWER: Corinth was a metropolitan city of 1st Century Greece. Paul visited Corinth during his second journey. He left Athens and traveled to Corinth where he started preaching to the Jews in the synagogue that Jesus was the Messiah. "But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, 'Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." (Acts 18) Paul stayed in Corinth a long time "teaching them the word of God." Paul later traveled to Ephesus and spent two years teaching God's Word.

  Paul probably wrote to members of the Corinthian Church while he was in Ephesus. He wrote them about a string of problems in the church.

  "My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you."

  1 Corinthians 1:11

  That was just the tip of the iceberg. The Corinthians had many problems with doctrine and practice. They were divided against each other. They were proud. They sued each other. They tolerated sexual immorality within the church. Some were sick or had died because they abused the Lord's Supper. They misused spiritual gifts. They were confused about the resurrection of the dead and about Christ's return for His Church. Then there's the issue of women covering their heads during prayer and prophesying.

  "I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you. Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head--it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head. In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice--nor do the churches of God."

  1 Corinthians 11:2-16

  Headship and coverings are the focus of Paul's writing. This section follows Paul's beautiful explanation of how believers should express their freedom.

  "Everything is permissible"--but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible'--but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others...Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God--even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ."

  1 Corinthians 10:23-24, 32 - 11:1

  Paul begins with an explanation of headship. God is the Head of Christ. Christ is the Head of man. Man is the head of woman. This is not chauvinistic. Paul never teaches male dominance of the female. Paul teaches God's Love and Grace for human beings. He teaches us how to demonstrate God's Love for through love toward each other. Headship is important for order and the flow of Grace in the Spiritual world. Paul doesn't begin teaching about "coverings" until he presents clearly the order and flow of God's Grace from the Father through the Son through the man to the woman. Women should be the recipient of God's full Grace as demonstrated through the words and actions of Jesus Christ and man. Anything less than that does not come from God.

  Next, Paul states that "every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head." Remember that the Head of every man is Christ. A man who prays or prophesies with his head "covered" dishonors Christ. Now that's important! We men need to understand about head coverings so we don't dishonor the One we love.

  The Greek reads: "pas aneir proseuchomenos he propheteuon kata kephales echon kataischunei ten kephalen autou" . Key words for our understanding are kata kephales echon .

  The first word is kata . It means "down over." The second word is kephales . It means "his head." The third word is echon . It means "having anything." It is wrong for a man to have anything down over his head. The meaning to Greeks in the first century was of a man having anything hanging down from his head like a veil. A Christian man reflects the glory of Christ. It would be shameful for him to wear a veil concealing his head.

  "A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God."

  1 Corinthians 11:7

  The opposite was true of women.

  "And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head--it is just as though her head were shaved."

  1 Corinthians 11:5

  The word "uncovered" is akatakalupto . It means "unveiled." It would be shameful for a woman to not wear a veil over her head. She would dishonor her husband.

  The veil was a sign of authority on the head of a woman. It showed she had the authority to pray and prophesy because it demonstrated her acknowledgement of the headship of her husband.

  Here is a quote from Professor Fred Wight's book on "Manners and Customs of Bible Lands" about women wearing veils in the Middle East.

  "The veil was the distinctive female wearing apparel. All females, with the exception of maidservants and women in a low condition of life, wore a veil. They would usually never lay it aside, except when they were in the presence of servants, or on rare occasions. This custom has prevailed among the Eastern women down to the modern era. When traveling, women may throw the veil over the back part of their head, but if they see a man approaching, they place it back in its original position...When women are at home they do not speak to a guest without being veiled and in the presence of maids. They do not enter the guest's chamber, but rather, standing at the door, they make it known to the servant what is wanted...It is well to remember that prostitutes went unveiled. Today, as in olden times, virgins and married women may be seen wearing veils in Bible lands."

  "Manners and Customs of Bible Lands," Fred Wight, Moody Press, 1953

  The act of veiling and unveiling in public is still strong in many countries today. It is shameful for a woman to go into public unveiled. Paul said that a Christian woman praying in public without her veil over her head was like having her hair cut off. That was a sign of a harlot or adulteress in the Greek world of Paul's time. It was certainly not the image a Christian woman should have.

  "If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head (katakaluptestho - let her be veiled)."

  1 Corinthians 11:6

  "Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is for her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering (peribolaiou - a veil)."

  1 Corinthians 11:13-15

  God gives women long hair as a natural veil on their heads. It is her glory. A man should not wear long hair "since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man." (1 Corinthians 11:7)

  Paul made it clear to the Corinthians that he would not tolerate dissension or argument concerning this issue.

  "If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice--nor do the churches of God."

  1 Corinthians 11:16

  Paul was dealing with something very clearly part of the religious and social customs of the Jewish and Greek worlds. The Law of Moses did not allow men to wear women's clothing or women to wear men's clothing: "for the Lord your God detests anyone who does this." (Deuteronomy 22:5)

  What does this have to do with Christians today? Should Christian women wear veils during church? Maybe they should in some parts of the world where a woman not wearing a veil in public would be a disgrace. But what about America, the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries where women do not wear veils in social situations? Should women have another way of physically demonstrating their honor towards their husbands in public?

  Paul always dealt with personal issues from God's standard. That standard held true in the particular dispensation of the prophet and in the social setting of the day. Slavey, for instance, was a social issue during Paul's ministry. He gave specific instructions to Christian slaves and owners of slaves about how to treat each other as brothers. Paul would have preferred that slave owners freed their slaves, but he dealt with life as it was at that time, pointing them toward the way of Christ. The Word of God was the standard for Christianity during centuries of slavery after Paul, which included America until the 1860s. Christian slaves and slave owners should have obeyed God's Word then as well. Now that slavery is illegal and a thing of the past in our country, Paul's writings about slavery do not have the same social influence. However, in other parts of the world where slavery still exists, Christian slaves and owners are under Paul's directives about how to treat each other.

  The same is true about veils. The social setting of dress in the time of Paul included women wearing veils and men not wearing veils. Men wore turbans to protect their head from the sun, much like we might wear a hat to protect us from weather today. However, they did not veil their face from public. Women did. Today, in America for instance, women do not normally wear veils unless they are in a time of mourning. You have to visit Eastern countries now to find social situations where women wear veils in public. Christian men and women in those countries should obey Paul's teaching about wearing veils.

  The issues of veils and slavery in America are different now than they were in Paul's time, but the principles are the same. They deal with love and respect. "Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." Each of us belongs to another in a relationship of love and respect. Jesus Christ loves and respects His Father. God the Father loves and respects His Son. Christian husbands love and respect Christ. Christian wives love and respect their husbands.

  Love and respect for another also leads to other relationships. Christ is the Head of Christian men. Christian men love and respect Christ, their Head. How does that relationship influence a Christian husband toward his wife?

  "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. he who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church--for we are members of his body. 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.' This is a profound mystery--but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

  Ephesians 5:25-33

  How does this relationship of love and respect influence a Christian wife toward her husband?

  "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything."

  Ephesians 5:22-24

  American Christians today do not have veiling and unveiling as social issues, but we still have the deeper principle of love and respect for Christ and for one another. I recommend you do what you think is right within your social situation, but remember the deeper principle so the outer action "always" reflects the inner faith.

Last Updated: 12/20/1999