The cultural background behind Paul’s advice on women wearing head coverings is incomplete and contradictory. Here’s what we know and (what I think is) the best way to put it together.
1 Corinthians 11 is one of the more difficult passages of Scripture. Even though everything I say in this podcast is debated, I will not begin every sentence with “I think” — that is implied. While I have reached a level of certainty in my thinking, I acknowledge there is a greater than average chance that I am wrong because this is a very difficult passage.
In this second talk on 1 Corinthians 11:2–16, I focus on the cultural background behind Paul’s comments on women and head coverings. The big question is whether this passage gives a universal rule for all Christians in all times or addresses a cultural symbol in Corinth that expressed deeper, timeless truths. I use an analogy about wedding rings—and even a future Martian colony—to show how Paul can appeal to Genesis and the Ten Commandments while still addressing a local cultural practice. Along the way I’ll also survey what we know (and don’t know) about Greek, Roman, and Jewish customs so we can approach this difficult passage with humility, conviction, and charity toward believers who disagree.
Review
I argued in the previous podcast that in Corinthian culture married women kept their heads covered in public as a sign of respect for their husbands while husbands removed their head coverings when they stood up to pray or prophesy as a sign of respect for God.
Women did not participate in the Jewish worship service, but in the Christian church, women begin to participate alongside the men, creating a conflict of symbols. What’s a married woman to do when she stands up to pray or teach?
If she removes her head covering that is respectful to God but disrespectful to her husband. If she keeps her head covering on, that is respectful to her husband but disrespectful to God. We have a clash of cultural practices. I understand Paul to be saying wives should keep their head coverings on because that symbol speaks the loudest in their culture.
Passage: Head Coverings Cultural Background (1 Corinthians 11:2-16)
11:2Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you. 3But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ. 4Every man who has something on his head while praying or prophesying disgraces his head. 5But every woman who has her head uncovered while praying or prophesying disgraces her head, for she is one and the same as the woman whose head is shaved. 6For if a woman does not cover her head, let her also have her hair cut off; but if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her cover her head. 7For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. 8For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; 9for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake. 10Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God. 13Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him, 15but if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her? For her hair is given to her for a covering. 16But if one is inclined to be contentious, we have no other practice, nor have the churches of God. – 1 Corinthians 11:2-16
Is 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 a Cultural Issue? Why This Question Matters
- The fact that Paul appeals to timeless principles (Scripture and creation) does not negate the cultural component of his argument.
- Suppose a group of married men begin removing their wedding rings when in the company of single women, and Paul wrote them a letter instructing them to keep their wedding rings on. In the course of his argument, he might appeal to Genesis, the permanent commitment of marriage and the 10 commandments which call us to avoid adultery, lying and coveting.
- Now suppose a colony on Mars 2000 years in the future has given up the practice of wearing jewelry of any kind including wedding rings. Are you disobedient to Paul’s commands? No.
- The timeless principles of Scripture have not changed, but the cultural situation in which they are being applied has changed.
Corinth was a mix of 3 cultures
- Corinth, a city in Greece, was heavily populated by Romans.
- The church in Corinth was a mix of Gentile God-fearers and Jewish converts.
- At least three cultures were influenced the culture of Corinth: Jewish, Greek and Roman.
The cultural situation for men
- Roman men covered their heads when they prayed, prophesied or offered a sacrifice in the temple.
- When they met a superior on the street, Roman men uncovered their heads as a sign of respect.
- Greek men kept their heads uncovered in the pagan temples.
- Jewish men begin covering their heads in the temple but we don’t know whether that practice started before or after Paul’s time.
- Some argue that Jewish men begin covering their heads to distinguish themselves from the Christian men who kept their heads uncovered.
- All men who wanted to dress and act like men kept their hair short.
The cultural situation for women
- We have mixed evidence concerning both Roman and Greek women. Some of them did cover their hair in public and some didn’t.
- Some not only uncovered their hair in the pagan temples, they let their hair down.
- We have evidence that the Jewish women of Tarsus wore veils. But evidence suggests that most Jewish women kept their hair covered in public.
- Women who wanted to dress and act like women were expected to have long hair that they typically kept up in public.
- In some situations, an adulterous woman had her head shaved or her hair cut as part of her punishment.
Summary
1 Corinthians 11:2–16 is not a throwaway “cultural” passage we can ignore. Nor is it a timeless dress code we can woodenly impose on every time and place.
Paul is addressing a real situation in Corinth where cultural symbols of honor, marriage, and worship had become confused, and he settles it by appealing to unchanging truths about creation, faithfulness, and the gospel. The symbols themselves (head coverings in Corinth, wedding rings in my illustration, or whatever a future “Mars culture” might use) can change, but the underlying principles of honoring God, respecting marriage, and communicating truthfully to our culture do not.
Our task is to do the hard work of understanding both Scripture and our own cultural symbols so that what we do with our bodies and our clothing supports, rather than confuses, the message of the gospel. And as we wrestle with a difficult passage like this, we want to hold our conclusions with humility, love those who disagree, and care more about being faithful to Christ than about winning the head-coverings debate.
Further Reading:
Many commentaries have a thorough summary of the cultural background and existing evidence. See also:
Marlowe: Headcovering Customs of the Ancient World
1901 Jewish Encyclopedia: Bareheadedness
1901 Jewish Encyclopedia: Hair
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Dress (scroll down to head covering section)
Please listen to the podcast for more detail and explanation.
Next: 30 What does Paul mean by head, 1?
Previous: 28 Should Women Wear Head Coverings? (1 Corinthians 11:2-16)
Series: 1 Corinthians: Pride & Prejudice in the Church
Study: 1 Corinthians Resources
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Season 15, episode 31.
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