Expert: Dr. Ronald E. Shultz - 12/31/2008

Question
I have been very much enjoying your answers, especially the one on birth control and the one concerning women keeping silent in the church.  So my question to you follows your statement of 1 Co 14:34-35 "It is all for you and every Christian everywhere. We must keep it in context but it is all for us. "  1 Cor 11:13 seems to say that women should have their head covered during prayer and prophesy.  Some say that her hair is her covering, but then if you replace covering with the word hair it doesn't always make sense (if she has no hair then let her be shaved?)  What say you?!

Thanks,
Sarah

Answer
Thank you for your kind words.  I was out of town and just getting to this.

It would appear that there was a problem with men and women misunderstanding their new found freedom in Christ and were challenging every aspect of their life while picking up some of the styles and actvities of the culture around them. In casting off the law, like many today, they went a tad overboard in some areas in an effort to be free and under grace but redefining what grace meant.

Whatever the initial motive, Paul was correcting the Corinthians on this issue as unfortunately he had to do in many areas in his two epistles to them.  They had many gifts but were really messed up in almost everything and certainly not the church to emulate.  They were carnal almost to the core.

After spending sixteen verses and using analogies of relationships that are universal and eternal it is hard to believe that he was only speaking to the Corinthian Church or that particular culture.  Indeed, verse 16 clearly states that all churches were to follow the same custom. It was how things were supposed to be done.  If you were contentious, we might say, oh well or take it up with God.

The Greek does say that the long hair was given to act as a veil. It was not saying you could not wear one but it was not needed if a woman had long hair as the phrase primarily means to replace or substitute not add to something.  In the culture she might be out of place or even accosted without one but the scenario is prayer not walking downtown.

NT:473
anti (an-tee'); a primary particle; opposite, i.e. instead or because of (rarely in addition to):
KJV - for, in the room of. Often used in composition to denote contrast, requital, substitution, correspondence, et
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright (c) 1994, Biblesoft and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Some might argue that the custom he was mandating for all believers was that women could not pray unveiled rather than the long hair BUT it is not logical.  Since the long hair was given to replace the veil or act as a veil then you had to have the long hair or else it would not really matter.  He could have just said to wear a veil when you pray and be done with it and the hair issue would not have to be addressed including the men's short hair rule.  To have a long discourse on hair would make no sense if it did not matter or the real issue is the veil.  Cutting or shaving would not be mentioned.  

Some say it was because male prostitutes wore long hair and female prostitutions cut their off. One pagan custom was that a women could offer her virginity at the temple or her hair.  If she chose her hair she would appear to be a prostitute until her long hair grew back whereas unless she became pregnant she could have hidden the fact that she had given her virginity.  Well, some of those things are still present with us today so that would not negate the hair regulations on male and female but rather be a vivid picture of why they were given and certify their continuation.  

The demons in Revelation have the hair of a women and the face of a man.  That clearly meant beards and long hair.  Hmm, sounds like the 60's. Ironically, long hair in the 60's on men was a symbol of rebellion much like short hair on women was started as a rebellious act by Mary Garden, an opera star, in 1929.  She said it was throwing off the last shackle of man dominance or in rebellion to God's order.  The first shackle thrown of was the dress by Marlene Dietrich who wore men's tuxedos because she was tired of the men having all the fun. Pants were also a symbol of authority. "Who wears the pants in your family?"  

Note that the hair was to be a symbol of power on her head or literally a symbol or token of submission to man and God. As Paul clearly laid out, the roles of man and woman did not change for they are eternal. God's relationship to angels never changes.  His relationship to man never changes and man's relationship to woman never changes.  

There is also a reference to angels and that this should be done because of the angels. What is the deal here?  Angels are in submission to God and they worship Him.  The context of the issue is not primarily about women being veiled to show their submission to man, though she is, but her prayer or worship life.   

Isa 6 shows the Seraphim worshipping God.  What is their way of showing submission to Him as they worship? They cover their feet and face with their wings.  Since the Ephesians 5 says that the role of man to the woman is to be as Christ is to the Church and the woman to submit to the man as unto the Lord then that makes her both the Church and in the Corinthian context, like the angels. Thus she has a pattern to follow in them.   

We are not told exactly why, but part of our obedience in this area is very important for angelic reasons as well as other reasons.  Angels must have a hard time understanding how God puts up with sinful man when they saw Him cast lucifer and the third of angels out of Heaven for basically one sin.  He tossed Adam and Eve out of Eden for one sin but He provided a covering of their sin and devised a plan of salvation for the race that He did not provide for the fallen angels.

They know the analogies well that Paul described and they know that God's righteousness cannot allow rebellion and yet He works in grace with a rebellious race because of Christ. They submit to Him without question for they know He is worthy and technically He has done more for man, out of love, than He has for them and yet we rebell even when we are saved and like to rewrite God's Word to suit us.  

Thus they are watching the whole thing and they know that woman is supposed to be submitted and have the long hair and yet when men grow theirs long and women cut theirs short, in essence reversing what God wants and having a part in confusing the roles thus working with satan, it must boggle their minds. They must marvel at why God doesn't just strike us down or why we are so dumb to keep rebelling and be a sucker to satan's deceptions when we have the complete Word of God and the Godhead within us if we are truly born again.  

Going back to Isa 6, if the woman has long hair and wears a katasole (modest apparel) as she is enjoined to wear in 1 Peter 2:9 she is actually ready to pray and worship anywhere at anytime throughout the day.  If the dress is long enough and loose enough when she kneels her feet are covered and when she covers/veils her face she is basically doing the same thing as the angels with their wings. She is approaching God in a completely humble stance with face and feet covered.  True, she can do this and be proud and haughty on the inside and God will see that. Yet, it would appear that the angels either need or rejoice when they see an outward attempt at the right attitude.  

We will never completely know until we get there but the reason why the angels are involved with this is not important. The real issue is obedience.  Will we allow theologins to say, "yea hath God said" or the culture tell us that it is a shackle to be thrown off or demand our preferences or comfort or just obey God?  That is pretty much the bottom line in all Scripture.  As I said, in context, but do we really believe that the Word is inspired and authoritative or do we pick and choose as we go?  We are under grace but then we are also bought with a price and we are not our own so why do we act like we own God instead of He owning us?  That is the downfall of the Church in the last 128 years.  We have decided to follow our culture and intellect instead of what God says.  

Keep studying!  May God grace you great grace and wisdom as you do so.