1 Cor 11:7 Question

Aimz

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Sorry if this is the wrong place to post.
Also this is about men not women head covering.
In reference to 1 Corinthians 11:7
A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

Could someone please explain this custom and history to me why Jewish men head cover but Christian men are discouraged?

Thank you.
 

faroukfarouk

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Sorry if this is the wrong place to post.
Also this is about men not women head covering.
In reference to 1 Corinthians 11:7
A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

Could someone please explain this custom and history to me why Jewish men head cover but Christian men are discouraged?

Thank you.
The answer is really in the passage in 1 Corinthians 11. Christians believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed as head. Elsewhere in the NT He is spoken of as head over all things to the church (Ephesians 1.22); head of all principality and power. (Colossians 2.10).
 
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Aimz

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Yes that much I understand I just wondered if there was more to it then that. Like a distinction or something similar to how it says do not do this because the pagans do it I wondered if there was something like that in it too or do not do it even though the Jews do or something. I know in Christ there is no Jew or Gentile I am just used to there being things between the lines.

The answer is really in the passage in 1 Corinthians 11. Christians believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is revealed as head. Elsewhere in the NT He is spoken of as head over all things to the church (Ephesians 1.22); head of all principality and power. (Colossians 2.10).
 
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faroukfarouk

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Yes that much I understand I just wondered if there was more to it then that.
We may remember also that Jewish prophets wore an ephod.

Now in Christ and with the Scriptures, however, there is fulness of revelation and the dignity of the divinely appointed head is not, and does not need to be, veiled.
 
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Drick

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I think it's important to examine this whole section of the chapter, not just verse 7:

3: But I want you to understand that Christ is the head (authority over) of every man, and man is the head of woman, and God is the head of Christ.
4: Every man who prays or
[The references to men or women prophesying (here and v 5) indicate that Paul has church meetings in mind, where the speaker is leading the congregation in prayer or addressing them.] prophesies with something on his head dishonors his head [and the One who is his head].
5: And every woman who prays or prophesies when she has her
[In public, respectable women wore their hair done up in a modest style. In the Greco-Roman-Jewish culture of the time, hair worn down and loose would suggest a woman of questionable morals.] head uncovered disgraces her head; for she is one and the same as the [In public, respectable women wore their hair done up in a modest style. In the Greco-Roman-Jewish culture of the time, hair worn down and loose would suggest a woman of questionable morals.] woman whose head is shaved [in disgrace].
6: If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and
[There is little doubt that this would appear disgraceful and embarrassing, but Paul is essentially providing his readers a simple way to determine for themselves if a woman should cover her head while prophesying or leading prayer in church.] if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, she should cover her head.
7: A man ought not have his head covered [during worship], since he is the image and [reflected] glory of God; but the woman is [the expression of] man’s glory.
8: For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man;
9: for indeed man was not created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man.
10: Therefore the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head,
[This may be an indication that angels are present at gatherings of believers.] for the sake of the angels [so as not to offend them].
11: Nevertheless, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
12: For as the woman originates from the man, so also man is born through the woman; and all things [whether male or female] originate from God [as their Creator].
13:
[This verse acknowledges custom as another, separate argument for a woman’s head covering (v 5).] Judge for yourselves; is it proper for a woman to offer prayer to God [publicly] with her head uncovered?
14: Does not common sense itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him,
15: but if a woman has long hair, it is her ornament and glory? For her long hair is given to her as a covering.
16: Now if anyone is inclined to be contentious [about this], we have no other practice [in worship than this], nor do the churches of God [in general].


~Amplified Bible
 
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Hidden In Him

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There was a pagan component relevant to the commandment. The covering was a sign of authority, identifying the female to be a married woman. This was the Jewish custom.

headcoverings.jpg


However, the Roman men occasionally wore head coverings, against the Jewish tradition.

8590567081_9ef414419b_b.jpg


Since Paul was writing to the Corinthians, the teaching was not to follow the Roman custom but the Jewish one, because of what it represented. In Paul's mind, for a man to wear a covering or for a woman not to represented a subversion of the marriage relationship, which was supposed to reflect the church submitted to Christ's Lordship.

Not sure if that helps, but thought I'd make sure just in case you didn't know that already.
 
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Aimz

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I did not that was helpful thank you!

There was a pagan component relevant to the commandment. The covering was a sign of authority, identifying the female to be a married woman. This was the Jewish custom.

headcoverings.jpg


However, the Roman men occasionally wore head coverings, against the Jewish tradition.

8590567081_9ef414419b_b.jpg


Since Paul was writing to the Corinthians, the teaching was not to follow the Roman custom but the Jewish one, because of what it represented. In Paul's mind, for a man to wear a covering or for a woman not to represented a subversion of the marriage relationship, which was supposed to reflect the church submitted to Christ's Lordship.

Not sure if that helps, but thought I'd make sure just in case you didn't know that already.
 
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paul1149

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In reference to 1 Corinthians 11:7
A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

Could someone please explain this custom and history to me why Jewish men head cover but Christian men are discouraged?
A good parallel passage to this one is at 2Cor 3:

unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly at the outcome of what was passing away.
But their minds were hardened. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted at the reading of the Old Covenant. This veil is done away with in Christ.
Yes, even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil is upon their hearts.
Nevertheless when one shall have turned to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Lord, the Spirit. -2Cor 3:13-18​

The entire chapter is pertinent. What I get from this is that in Christ, distance between man and God is erased. in Christ's incarnation, death and resurrection, He became the first of many brothers, a new creation never seen before. God has taken up residence in man. Twice, once on the individual level and once on the corporate, Paul tells the Corinthians that they are the Temple of God. Revelation says, "They will have no need of a temple, for God will be their Temple".

There are other passages that corroborate this as well.

Let no one cheat you out of your reward, delighting in humility and worship of angels, preoccupied with things he has not seen, vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh,
and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, being nourished and joined together by joints and ligaments, increases with the increase coming from God.
If then you died with Christ to the elemental principles of this world, why, as though living in the world, are you subject to regulations -
"Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle",
which all concern things which perish with the using - according to the commandments and doctrines of men?
These things certainly are having an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed worship, excessive humility and severe treatment of the body, but have no value against the indulgence of the flesh. -Col 2:18-23​

The Jews showed their respect for God by covering their head. But because of the astounding price that Christ, the very Son of God, paid on our behalf, we can have intimacy with God, and now the head covering is an obscuration of that truth, an example of the "false) humility" Col 2 refers to. This is why it grieves me that so many Christians adopt Mosaic ways and won't even type out "God", when we actually have the right to address the Father as Abba. It's a completely different perspective from the old Jewish way, reflecting a new reality, and I think that's what Paul was getting at in the verse you quote from 1Cor 11.
 
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Randy777

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Yes that much I understand I just wondered if there was more to it then that. Like a distinction or something similar to how it says do not do this because the pagans do it I wondered if there was something like that in it too or do not do it even though the Jews do or something. I know in Christ there is no Jew or Gentile I am just used to there being things between the lines.
Nor male and female- I think it all comes down to customs and traditions of that day and age. Which they supported with man being created first. I think God humbled that kind of thinking with Deborah and all of Israel received the word of the Lord from the prophetess Deborah who remained faithful to God. What is male and female to God who looks at our hearts and innermost thoughts not our gender?

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
 
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dayhiker

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All the thoughts above reinforce what I'd thought for years that these things are customs and if they aid someone in their relationship with God than God says wear a hat or not then don't wear a hat. God is concern with being in a loving relationship with us more than what we are wearing or not wearing.
It also helped me a lot to understand that purity laws were one of the ways people were to identify as a with their clan was to obey a set of cultural laws. The books of Acts, Galatians and Hebrews among others passages is that we don't need to obey some local cultural law/purity law because Jesus is our purity our culture. Or we can obey any local culture as long as we keep Jesus as our way to God. Thus missionaries often live by local customs so they can win people to Jesus.
There are things we have to do to love one another and to love God. Whether we wear a head covering or not doesn't effect if they love God or not.
 
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Randy777

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All the thoughts above reinforce what I'd thought for years that these things are customs and if they aid someone in their relationship with God than God says wear a hat or not then don't wear a hat. God is concern with being in a loving relationship with us more than what we are wearing or not wearing.
It also helped me a lot to understand that purity laws were one of the ways people were to identify as a with their clan was to obey a set of cultural laws. The books of Acts, Galatians and Hebrews among others passages is that we don't need to obey some local cultural law/purity law because Jesus is our purity our culture. Or we can obey any local culture as long as we keep Jesus as our way to God. Thus missionaries often live by local customs so they can win people to Jesus.
There are things we have to do to love one another and to love God. Whether we wear a head covering or not doesn't effect if they love God or not.
It is what comes out of the heart that makes one unclean.
For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”

Randy
 
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iEye

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Now Absalom happened to meet David's men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom's hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going.—2 Samuel 18:9
 
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Andy centek

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Sorry if this is the wrong place to post.
Also this is about men not women head covering.
In reference to 1 Corinthians 11:7
A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

Could someone please explain this custom and history to me why Jewish men head cover but Christian men are discouraged?

Thank you.
1Co_11:15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
 
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mark kennedy

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Let's bear in mind Paul isn't being absolutely dogmatic about this:

If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God. (1 Cor. 11:16)
I think it reflects customs from the time. It's an interesting cultural key hole to the first century church I think.
 
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mark kennedy

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Hello Mark K:
Interesting comment. Where is the line drawn between contention and truth?

Andy Centek
Well those are Paul's words not mine but I think he is saying if they want to argue about it, drop the subject. The point is that it's not a point of contention Paul is offering a personal conviction, not a formal doctrine.
 
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V37

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Sorry if this is the wrong place to post.
Also this is about men not women head covering.
In reference to 1 Corinthians 11:7
A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

Could someone please explain this custom and history to me why Jewish men head cover but Christian men are discouraged?

Thank you.
Some say that the ish (male human) reflects God’s glory by reflecting his image (Gen.1:27), whereas the ishah (female human) reflects the glory (completion) of the male. To some extent this is putting a dividing line between ish/ishah, even though we have Gen.5:2 where the term adam is a corporate designation. The argument goes that in a worship setting men’s heads are uncovered to glory in God, while women’s are covered so as not to reflect their husbands’ glory—some therefore exempt singles. (Some even suggest that angels can lose their heads over beautiful blondes, which I think overplays blondes and underplays angels.) But 1 Cor.11:14 speaks of ‘nature’ (phusis), and IMO that means what Roman society thought proper (social convention), and Corinthian worship was at that time wide open to non-Christians casually dropping in. Rome would soon enough suspect cannibalism among these Christians who spoke of eating someone’s body and drinking his blood.

In short, I suspect his meaning was not to needlessly fling aside cultural norms, and that even angels would weep to see messiah’s people needlessly offending cultural sensibilities—Rome expected wives to reflect their husbands’ glory and Paul affirmed that Rome actually had some divine justification for that, though counterculturally Paul also affirmed husband/wife spiritual interdependence (v11). I think the intricacies of Paul here are difficult millennia later and culturally far different, but I don’t buy into the idea that mechanical head covering really scratches a deep theological itch. Angels might weep in congregations where women insisted on hats and men on short hair where their cultural norm viewed shaved men as inappropriate contentographers and hatted/shawled women as wantons.

By 'Jewish men' you mean 'Judaic men', in that Judaism is a religion composed majorly of ethnic Jews, and Christianity is a religion that is composed minorly of ethnic Jews. Ie, Jewish men who are Christians probably don't head cover, while Jewish men who are Judaics probably do, and for Jewish men who are Muslims I haven't the foggiest! Judaism was established way back in 70 AD, and has been preserved in a closed society, as such less flexible to the flow of wider society. It probably started much where Paul & Rome were, though of course it has developed variants.
 
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Doulos 7

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Yes that much I understand I just wondered if there was more to it then that. Like a distinction or something similar to how it says do not do this because the pagans do it I wondered if there was something like that in it too or do not do it even though the Jews do or something. I know in Christ there is no Jew or Gentile I am just used to there being things between the lines.[/QUOT Paul is simply wanting them to keep distinctions between male and female. Modern example: nail polish
 
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