Should Women Cover Their Heads In Church

[Lewis]

Should women cover their heads in church, I thought it should have a topic of it's own, now shall we begin.

1 Corinthians 11:4-16 contains the only reference in the New Testament, while Genesis 20:16 and Genesis 24:65 contains the only reference in the Old Testament to a headcovering for women and to an absence of a headcovering for men. Various early Church Fathers, such as Hermas[1], Clement of Alexandria[2], Jerome[3], Augustine of Hippo[4] and Tertullian[5] also mentioned women's headcoverings. Early Christian art shows women wearing headcoverings.[6]

Both at that time and through the ensuing centuries, women usually wore a headcovering in public, as they still do in some Middle Eastern countries. During those centuries, women definitely wore the head coverings during the church service, especially when praying or prophesying (1Corinthians 11:5). However, during the twentieth century, the practice of headcovering gradually disappeared from many churches, which dropped their requirement that women cover their heads during worship services. At different points in history, the style of the covering varied.


Should Women Cover Their Heads In Church?

I periodically re-read sections of the bible. Each time I find more that I did not see before. This time I am in 1 Corinthians 11. I am concerned that I need to cover my head when I worship or pray. Can you expand on what this chapter is referring to?

Q. I periodically re-read sections of the bible. Each time I find more that I did not see before. This time I am in 1 Corinthians 11. I am concerned that I need to cover my head when I worship or pray. This chapter speaks about honoring your head (authority over you). It says men should be uncovered and women covered. I know that women used to wear hats etc. to church on Sunday’s but that’s no longer the case anymore (at least in my church). Can you expand on what this chapter is referring to?

A. I believe that Paul was using a local custom to illustrate a timeless truth, and that is that our God is a God of order. He has established a hierarchy in His creation that begins with Him, then goes to Jesus, man and woman in that order. In the society of the day, a woman going out in public with her hair uncovered was a demonstrating her rebellion against that hierarchy. It was a sign that she was available, and therefore an insult to her husband. Paul was reminding them that our worship services are regularly attended by angels and out of respect for them we should be careful to adhere to the established order while in worship.

Today the head covering for women is not customary, but we should still be careful to act in a manner that pleases the Lord and is acceptable in His sight, especially in worship. For instance how many people routinely show up late for worship, or fail to demonstrate the proper reverence while there, or in other ways by action or appearance distract other worshipers? Would they look or act this way if they could see their angelic visitors, or even the Lord Himself in their midst? Worship is not a time for musicians to show how talented they are or for worshipers to call attention to themselves by the way they act or look. It’s a time to pay homage to the Lord, to focus on Him, and to express our gratitude to Him. It’s not about us, it’s about Jesus.
http://gracethrufaith.com/ask-a-bible-t ... in-church/

 

[Pard]

My Study Bible says this was a custom in Corinth that a woman keep her head covered. Much of what Paul said was based on cultural matters and not Divine matters. He suggested that all woman cover their heads because it was cultural and one should rather conform to cultural standards than become a stumbling block for another because one refuses cultural standards. If one were to become a stumbling block than that is a sin against your fellow man, and thus a sin against the Lord.

 

[Lewis]

My Study Bible says this was a custom in Corinth that a woman keep her head covered. Much of what Paul said was based on cultural matters and not Divine matters. He suggested that all woman cover their heads because it was cultural and one should rather conform to cultural standards than become a stumbling block for another because one refuses cultural standards. If one were to become a stumbling block than that is a sin against your fellow man, and thus a sin against the Lord.

Thank you

 

[Vic C.]

Yes, they should...


With hair!

Anyway, Pard nailed it. It was dealing with the culture of the times. Since Paul dealt with the Corinthians and their odd customs and practices they adopted from neighboring pagans cultures, I'm sure they gave him many a headache. :D

 

[GodspromisesRyes]

funny thats not where paul said covering heads came from, nor the reasons he gave that we should...


i guess people in our modern day just know what it was but paul didnt really know what he himself meant

 

[Lewis]

funny thats not where paul said covering heads came from, nor the reasons he gave that we should...


i guess people in our modern day just know what it was but paul didnt really know what he himself meant

Here we go again.

 

[GodspromisesRyes]

1Cr 11:5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with [her] head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

1Cr 11:6 For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered.

1Cr 11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.


1Cr 11:10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on [her] head because of the angels.


1Cr 11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.


1Cr 11:10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on [her] head because of the angels.




hmm no culture here, no time period reasons, no because of pagans. but instead

1Cr 11:9 Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.


1Cr 11:10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on [her] head because of the angels.

 

[jasoncran]

so godspromisesryes are gonna don that burqua? the ot jews and the muslims women wore headcovering to keep them selves clean, and also the later to keep the men from temptation.

man over there aslo wear head coverings to keep the sun of their eyes.

intersting things when one goes to a arabic culture and see this stuff.

perhaps mujahid can eleborate on the purpose for the burqua for the muslim.

but jewish woman did wear headcovers. see those pics of mary.

looks a lot like the more moderate muslim woman dress to me.

 

[Tina]

.

On 1 Corinthians 11:5-6


A woman who shaved her head in Greco-Roman culture did so to appear as a man. This resulted in the blurring of the relationship between men and women, particularly the sexual distinctions. Men typically wore their hair shorter, and women wore theirs longer. If a woman cut her hair short, it indicated that she wanted to be regarded as a man. Not covering her head made the same statement in that society.

The prostitutes wore their hair very short, and they did not wear a head-covering in public. Their hairstyle and manner announced to others just what they were and what they were offering. . . . In Jewish law, a woman proved guilty of adultery had her hair cut off (Num. 5:11-31).

It was a shameful thing for a woman not to cover her head in the early New Testament churches. Such an act made a statement that she was repudiating her position as a woman or that she was an immoral woman. It was not so much a repudiation of her submission to her male authority as it was a repudiation of her origin as being a woman who had come from man (v. 3). The issue is primarily origin throughout the passage, not primarily authority. Obviously a woman who repudiated her origin as a woman might also repudiate her authority to function under her male head. However in this passage Paul seems to have been dealing with the more fundamental issue of origin.

Today it is not shameful for a woman to have short hair, but it was in Paul's day. There are many short hairstyles that no one regards as disgraceful. However in Paul's culture short hair for a woman represented rebellion, and people considered it shameful. Paul used the common reaction to women's short hair in his day to urge his female readers to wear a head-covering. His point was that since it was shameful for a woman to have short hair it was also shameful for her to have her head uncovered when she prayed or prophesied.


Must a Christian woman cover her head in church meetings today?

Covering the head and wearing short hair do not normally mean the same thing in modern times, at least in the West, as they did in Paul's culture. If he were writing to a western church today, for example, I do not believe Paul would have said it is a shameful thing for a woman to have short hair. Therefore I do not think he would have said she ought to cover her head. Covering the head was a sign of acknowledgement of origin in Paul's day, which implied some acknowledgement of authority, but it is not today typically. Today there is no item of clothing that makes such a statement, nor does the length of a woman's hair. Perhaps her willingness to take her husband's family name when she marries does, or her willingness to wear a wedding ring might, or the way she speaks about her husband to others, or her modest dress, but not necessarily. A woman's whole personal demeanor, especially how she views herself as a woman, reveals this about her.


Although various Christian groups have fostered the practice of some sort of head covering for women in the assembled church, the difficulties with the practice are
obvious. For Paul the issue was directly tied to a cultural shame that scarcely prevails in most cultures today. Furthermore, we simply do not know what the practice was that they were abusing. Thus literal 'obedience' to the text is often merely symbolic. Unfortunately, the symbol that tends to be reinforced is the subordination of women, which is hardly Paul's point. Furthermore, it would seem that in cultures where women's heads are seldom covered, the enforcement of such in the church turns Paul's point on its head.



Source :-- Study on 1 Corinthians


:nod

 

[Tina]

.
The same Apostle Paul who wrote 1 Corinthians 11, also wrote 1 Timothy 2 some 9 years later, ... and in the following passage that he addressed to the Church, he only specifically said for women to come ... "not with braided hair" ... so as not to attract attention.

Doesn't sound like he commanded or expected women to cover their heads ...

Otherwise, how would he know or why would he care if the women had their hair braided or not ?


1 Timothy 2:9
.. in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing.

 

[Lewis]

May God bless you Tina. :amen

 

[Mysteryman]

.
The same Apostle Paul who wrote 1 Corinthians 11, also wrote 1 Timothy 2 some 9 years later, ... and in the following passage that he addressed to the Church, he only specifically said for women to come ... "not with braided hair" ... so as not to attract attention.

Doesn't sound like he commanded or expected women to cover their heads ...

Otherwise, how would he know or why would he care if the women had their hair braided or not ?


1 Timothy 2:9
.. in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing.

Hi

I Corinth. 11 is not talking about her literal head and her literal hair ! Paul had a way with words, and in this case Paul was emphasising her head, which was her man/husband. For the head of the woman is the man.

In verse 6 Paul is talking about the submission of a woman. This verse starts out by saying this - "For if the woman be not covered" STOP ! This means, if she is not married.

Then it goes on to say this - "let her be shorn" STOP ! This means, that she is to allow the man of God to be her head. This comment here by Paul is dealing with humility.

Then the end of the verse says this - "let her be covered" STOP ! This means that she is to allow herself to be submissive unto the man of God !

Then comes verse 7 , which states, that the man should not have his head covered, because he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. Which means, that a man of God is the image and glory of God, and the woman who comes in submission, then becomes the glory of this man of God.

Then comes verses 8 and 9 which brings our memory back to the book of Genesis. "For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man" --- "Neither was the man created for the woman, but the woman for the man" (helpmate)

Then comes verse 10 which is talking about a woman who also can receive the gift of the Holy Spirit upon, because of the angels. Because God is no respector of persons. The gift was not just for men, but a woman also. So she as well as a man, can manifest the 9 manifestation of the Spirit.

In verses 14 and 15 and 16 Paul is clarifying that in the church there is no custom of long or short hair. Here , Paul is speaking literally, not spiritually. For it is not about an outward appearance. But it is about a spiritual appearance in the church. Paul is trying to restore order in the church. Spiritual order.

Lets go back to verse 5 for a moment, but also remember that Paul is speaking spiritually here and not literally. In this verse, Paul is stating that if a woman prophesy or prayeth having her head uncovered ; Paul is saying that the women who prays or prophesieth without the permission of the man of God , dishonoureth her head. And if she is married, and portrays as being an unruly wife, she also dishonoureth here husband as well. She then would be out of order is she prayed or prophesied without permission from either of her heads.

Bless

 

[GodspromisesRyes]

so godspromisesryes are gonna don that burqua? the ot jews and the muslims women wore headcovering to keep them selves clean, and also the later to keep the men from temptation.

man over there aslo wear head coverings to keep the sun of their eyes.

intersting things when one goes to a arabic culture and see this stuff.

perhaps mujahid can eleborate on the purpose for the burqua for the muslim.

but jewish woman did wear headcovers. see those pics of mary.

looks a lot like the more moderate muslim woman dress to me.

jason i have wore a headcover for a few years now and am very blessed by it. Gods ways are always right. the Word of God tells us the right reason to do things. Many may do similar things but they do so outside of Christ so to no profit and not for the same purposes. I also know many many faithful believers who cover their heads.

 

[GodspromisesRyes]

There is no discrepency with the word of God if we will just believe what it says.

1Cr 11:5 But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with [her] head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

Women only needed to cover their heads while praying and prophesying. Because of this it makes sence for us to also not braid our hair as we can see that when we are not praying or prophesying it is likely we may not be covered.

Besides that the word of God tells us the purpose for this for " every woman" (vs 5) not just women at corinth, The history of women in the church- and Israel wearing headcovers shows forth that until recently this was a widely practiced blessing and still is by many even today- just not the majority. It is funny that believing women for centuries have embraced these scriptures as being relevant and applying to themselves but now that we have " enpowered" women in our " modern" day cultures the scriptures have changed and now this was just for some pagan cultured women in one city.

 

[jasoncran]

to be honest that verse when you pray with thine head covered, by jewish tradition is the prayer shard, aka the flag of isreal.

 

[Pard]

You know, I asked my pastors about this. They all agreeded that there was Biblical and secular evidence to show that this was simply a cultural issue. In fact if we take 1 Corinthians into context, instead of nit picking line for line, they said that we see much of what Paul said was not only advice to keep one another from stumbling, but he actually announced, before giving it, that this came from him and not the Holy Spirit.

 

[tim-from-pa]

Paul knew something that a lot of Christians fail to realize today. The women were not told to cover their heads because of cultural issues (for the Lord and His Word is above that). It was not because of being sexist. Everyone missed the reason in verse ten:

For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels.

Yes, this gets back to Genesis 6 incidents again that everyone does not want to believe, but like it or lump it, the fallen angels found human women attractive. I'm not sure why the covering deters them, but Paul says this out of practicality. The order is God, the man, and woman created after the man which is what Paul was saying. Women are a higher order of creation than the angels and therefore not to be degraded by them, and thus having power over her head.

There is a story (I'll see if I can find it somewhere) that a young lady was having abduction experiences in her bedroom at night. When she covered her head, they stopped, and merely followed the instruction book. Maybe that's where the legend comes from that kids often say that nighttime monsters can't get thru the covers.

Perhaps this sounds off the wall, but then again what better explanation for this statement of Paul? The result is mass confusion and debate that we see here if we try to invent the meaning of it.

 

[Tina]

.
The Bible nowhere states that God only answers the prayers of women whose head are covered. I have been prayed for by women in church without head coverings and have been very blessed. I have short hair and wear no hats in both my megachurch and home church, and people have testified that my prayers were answered, sometimes instantly.

God looks at the heart and true humiliity and submission comes from the heart, not from outward appearances. That's what Scriptures say ....


1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees ; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.â€

1 Peter 3:1-6
Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward — arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel — rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

 

[jasoncran]

tim point that verse out to me in corinthians on that.

 

[Pard]

Yes, this gets back to Genesis 6 incidents again that everyone does not want to believe, but like it or lump it, the fallen angels found human women attractive. I'm not sure why the covering deters them, but Paul says this out of practicality.

May have to do with the fact that a woman's hair was considered the more attractive a woman's features back in the day.

And here is the verse Jason:

Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. -- 1 Corinthians 11:10

I'd have to say that I totally disagree with Tim's view. Why? If an angel is to lust after the hair of woman, or their heads or what have you, what is to stop them from lusting over woman outside of the church? It only says to wear a head covering in prayer and in prophesy, not at all times, less the angels steal you away...