Talk 15: Women and Men in Worship (11:2-16)
Paul leaves the matter of meat offered to idols and turns his attention to the subject of public worship. This important theme occupies the next four chapters which deal with head-coverings, the Lord’s Supper and the right use of spiritual gifts in all of which the over-riding consideration must be love. He opens his discussion with the matter of head-coverings.
This passage is full of notorious difficulties. These are largely due to our lack of knowledge about:
- the meaning of certain crucial terms
- prevailing customs in culture and in the churches
For example, to what is Paul referring when he says that a woman should not pray or prophesy with her head uncovered? Does he mean without a covering, or without long hair, or with her hair loose? All three have been suggested, although the first seems most likely.
Fee suggests that some women were praying/prophesying without the customary head-covering or hairstyle which probably involved some kind of breakdown in the distinction between the sexes.
- a) An Argument from Culture and Shame (2-6)
2 I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the teachings, just as I passed them on to you.
Paul is about to rebuke them for disorders in their worship, so he begins by praising them where he can. They were holding to his teachings, but there were still some areas that needed putting right.
3 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.
This verse, along with verses 7-9, states certain basic theological principles.
Paul uses those principles to support the regulations for worship which he gives in the remaining verses.
One of the basic principles is that the man is the head of the woman just as God is the head of Christ.
However, kephale (head) in Greek has the primary meaning of source or origin rather than of ruler (cf. Fee pp 502-503).
There is no disgrace in the woman’s relationship to the man, just as there is no disgrace in Christ’s relationship to the Father.
It is simply the divine order of things. It is relational not hierarchical.
4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonours his head.
Literally having down from the head. Having what down from the head?
This could refer to hair (see NIV footnote) but probably refers to the veil worn by the devout and modest Jewess.
The man who prayed or prophesied with his head covered in this way dishonoured his head. Paul probably intends both man’s physical head and Christ his spiritual head here.
5 And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head–it is just as though her head were shaved.
Conversely, the woman who prayed or prophesied with her head uncovered dishonoured her head (i.e. her husband or, more probably, ‘man’ in general, in terms of male-female relationships, as well as her physical head). In fact she might as well have been shaved bald as have her head uncovered. It is not clear that society in most parts of the world would make the same judgement today.
6 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.
For a woman to be shaven at that time was a great disgrace. It indicated that she was an adulteress. From this Paul reasons that it is a disgrace for a woman to pray with her head uncovered. The connection in thought is perhaps explained in vv. 14-15.
14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,
15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
For more on these verses see below.
- b) An Argument from Creation (7-12)
7 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.
8 For man did not come from woman, but woman from man;
9 neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.
In verses 7-9 the teaching that men should not cover their heads for prayer and that women should is supported by the following theological considerations.
First, man is the image and glory of God whereas woman is the glory of man (7). But “This is her role in creation; it is not her role in Christ” (Barrett).
Second, man was not made from woman; woman was made from man (8).
Third, man was not made for woman but woman was made for man (9). Clearly Genesis 1-3 is in mind here.
But how does the woman’s coming from the man and being created for his sake make her his glory? Fee refers back to the Genesis account and suggests:
‘Man by himself is not complete; he is alone, without a companion or helper suitable to him. The animals will not do; he needs one who is bone of his bone, one who is like him but different from him, one who is uniquely his own “glory”. In fact, when the man in the OT narrative sees the woman, he “glories” in her by bursting into song’ (p 517).
10 For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.
a sign of authority
This phrase, along with because of the angels (see below) is extremely difficult. At the end of the day we have to say that we do not know. The following explanation must therefore be viewed in that light.
For the reasons given in vv 7-9 Paul taught that a woman should wear a sign of authority on her head. However, a sign of is not to be found in the Greek text. The verse literally teaches that the veil is the woman’s authority.
because of the angels
Various explanations have been offered:
Aggelos means messenger as well as angel and some take the phrase to refer to visiting preachers. However, this seems unlikely.
Others see the angels referred to as the fallen angels of Genesis 6. It is by no means certain, however, that the sons of God refers to angelic beings.
The best, simplest, and most obvious explanation is that angels are present with the worshipping church.
11 In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
12 For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.
Paul now puts vv 7-9 in perspective. If woman came from man in the first place, thereafter man has come of woman.
- c) An Argument from Propriety (13-16)
13 Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?
Paul appeals to the Corinthians’ own judgement and expects them to agree with his teaching. Not every generation and culture, however, would give the same answer.
14 Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him,
It is not immediately obvious that nature teaches that women should have longer hair than men, but the majority of cultures throughout history have conformed to this practice.
15 but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering.
Paul was not teaching that the head-covering was unnecessary for a woman with long hair but that nature teaches her to cover her head by giving her long hair.
16 If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice–nor do the churches of God.
This is probably better translated no such practice (which appears to mean the exact opposite!)
However, if read this way we should understand Paul to be saying that there is no such practice as the women were advocating.
Read the other way he means no other practice than that which he is advocating!
There is much in this passage to indicate that Paul’s teaching can only be understood within the culture of his day.
That the Christian church has not permanently and universally adopted the same practices, however, does not invalidate the underlying theology.