This is the second post in my series about modest clothing and we're going to tackle head coverings.
This is a topic that, rather like male headship, has a tendency to really draw lines between God's people. And I'm not sure that that's healthy, frankly. Debate, yes. Dissention, no. Now, I'll admit that many, many people have done a much better job at handling this topic than I will. I will stumble over my words and mis-quote and all sorts of stuff. It won't be pretty. So, for everyone's sake, I'm not going to discuss my personal opinions about headcoverings, nor am I going to talk about whether I wear one or even if the Bible directly says I should. I'm hoping to just present the facts, as many as I have gathered, and leave the discernment to each person's conscience.
Covering the hair is an ancient custom. There are some excellent articles discussing the historical roots of headcoverings in Judaism at http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/426,2506/Why-do-married-women-have-to-cover-their-hair.html and again at http://covermyhair.com/ Wikipedia also has an alticle on Tznuit (Jewish modesty laws between the sexes) here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzniut. Essentially, Jewish head coverings are worn only by married women as a symbol of reserving their hair, seen as sensuous, for their husbands.
Once you have an idea of where Jewish converts to Christianity would have come from you can start to look at the New Testament verses which describe head coverings. Saint Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians, chapter 11 is the place to start.
" 1Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. 2Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. 3But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. 4Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. 5But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. 6For 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. 7For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. 8For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. 9Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. 10For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. 11Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. 12For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God. 13Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? 14Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? 15But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
16But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God. "
Some have interpreted those verses to mean that woman should cover her head as a reminder to herself that she is under the headship of her husband. There is an excellent sermon here: http://bible.org/seriespage/headship-and-head-coverings-1-cor-113-16 that handles this passage in a tactful way while lending voice to the 'male headship' debate. Others have focused on the idea of female choice and power, especially in section that discuss a woman having power over her head because of the angels, as the following quote shows:
"He looked up I Corinthians 11:10 in Greek: “Therefore the woman shall have exousia [right, power, authority] on her head for the sake of the angels.” The word exousia, said Håkon, also occurs in John 1:12: “As many as received Him, to them He gave exousia to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” (from http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/headcoverings.aspx)
There is quite a bit out there to support a variety of Biblical interpretations on this text, so I would urge you to do your research and keep in mind that when reading Paul you are, essentially, reading someone's mail. This letter was written to the Corinthians, it no doubt addressed specific concerns of that church. We also should keep in mind that nothing in the Bible was written in a vacuum. While these verses were being written, society swirled around the writer and the reader alike. In other words, culture cannot be ignored when you are discovering meaning behind scripture. Don't assume that the women and men of Corinth lived as you do today, thought as you do today or faced the same society when they left their homes in the morning that you do today.
As we look beyond the scriptures to the early church fathers, we see that they had a lot left to say about the whole thing, as did the philosophers of the day. Check out the quotes here: www.freetocover.blogspot.com/2009/02/early-church-fathers-quotesagain.html just to get an idea of what some were saying in the early church years.
Now we'll skip a lot of church history, because this could become a very loooooonnnnngggg post otherwise, and go right to the modern era. Who is covering their heads in the Christian church today, why are they doing it and what are they using?
Christians who cover their hair are more common than you may think. Orthodox and Roman Catholic women will cover during Mass, personal prayer, and sometimes just as a daily pleasure and devotion. Mennonite and Amish women cover as well, and even women in the Southern States would, until quite recently, never be caught dead inside a church without a hat on. I found myself attending a service in a Dutch Reformed church where half of the congregation wore lace mantillas. Quite lovely, actually.
As for why this women feel called to cover their heads, the reasons and testimonies I've found were endless. Headcoverings.com has a testimony page that gives a variety of answers from women around the States in different denominations as to why they cover their heads. This blogger (a man, no less) has a clear arguement about how he interprets the scriptural passages and why Catholic women might therefore chose to wear a veil - I found him clear and concise.
How women cover their hair is as varied as their reasons for doing it. Christians should be careful not to misrepresent themselves as someone they're not, but that being said a certain style might just resonate with you. Head coverings include hats, scarves, wigs, headbands, snoods, veils, mantillas and all of their numerous variations. While for some, a headband is enough of a symbol, Orthodox Jewish women will sometimes wear a wig that covers their hair completely and then a further head covering to cover their wig! And then there's everything in between.
Even if head coverings are not your thing, I think it's interesting to read through the Bible passages that deal with modest dress in all of it's facets. Learning more about our shared Christian heritage is never a bad thing!
Further Reading:
www.//catholicknight.blogspot.com/2007/12/chapel-veil-veiling-or-head-covering.html
http://www.freetocover.blogspot.com/
http://modestus.stblogs.com/head-covering-reference/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_headcovering
Head Covering Resources:
http://www.haircoverings.com/
http://www.veilsbylily.com/
http://www.garlandsofgrace.com/
http://www.thekingsdaughters.com/ladiesveils.html
http://www.prayercoverings.com/
http://www.christiancoverings.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment