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Should Women Cover Their Heads?
What about 1 Corinthians 11:3-16? What is Paul driving at? The man acknowledges Christ as his Lord and Master. The woman, while recognizing the supremacy of Christ as Lord over all, in their culture at that time in domestic life acknowledges that she is under the guidance and protection of man.
In verses 4–16 Paul discusses the subject of the covering of the head, particularly in relation to religious services. It should be stated clearly that this may be one of those statements of Paul to which Peter referred, that Paul wrote “some things hard to understand” (2 Peter 3:16). Commentators, in general, confess to perplexity in their endeavors to follow Paul’s argument. Paul seems here to be dealing with the basic principle of propriety, religious decorum, and good taste, in the context of the customs and manners of the time in which he wrote and the people to whom he wrote.
Customs and Cultures
Customs of what is appropriate is different in different cultures. In Moses’ time, when he came to the burning bush the Lord commanded him: “Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” (Exodus. 3:5) NKJV. It was and still is the custom in that area of the world to show respect for holy places by removing the shoes. The principle of proper reverence still is appropriate, though it is demonstrated in different ways in different cultures.
The culture in Corinth in Paul’s day recognized a certain propriety in the way men and women wore their hair and covered their heads. In Corinth an uncovered head was proper for a man but improper for a woman. We’re told that the Temple prostitutes who ministered in the Acropolis above Corinth, shaved their heads. As they roamed the streets of the city, they were recognized by this custom. One can readily see how a woman’s identity could be misunderstood by the way she wore her hair in Corinth.
Later in its history, one of the charges against Christianity as it spread abroad and aroused the hatred of men was that the Christians were immoral. This charge may already have been whispered abroad in Paul’s day. How needful, then, that Christians “abstain from all appearance of evil.” What follows in 1 Corinthians 11:4–16 may be understood in the light of this historical background.
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