Two Basic Views Of The Covering: Paul Was Establishing A Positive Divine Law To Be Honored By All Christian Women, In All Places, For All Times Paul Commanded Christians To Avoid Any Conduct or Actions That Would Violate The Peculiar Customs Of Their Time And Place OROR

Three Possibilities Of The “Positive Law” View:  To Demand The Covering, But Say That The Only Covering In The Passage Is The Hair (v. 15). Problem: Men Not To Be Covered!  To Demand The Covering, But Only During The Age Of Spiritual Gifts (v. 5)  To Demand That An External Covering Is Mandated For Women Of All Ages

Reasons For Viewing The Covering As A Custom: 1.The shame of being shorn is compared to going without a veil (Where do the scriptures forbid the shaving of one’s head?) 2.The veil was a symbol that woman was subject to man (This connection is not recognized in many of today’s societies) 3.The lesson Paul taught could be learned from nature without the aid of revelation

Reasons For Viewing The Covering As A Custom: 4.The wearing of the veil was called a custom in verse 16 (sunatheia = “established custom, habit”) 5.The word prepo (proper, v. 13) refers to what is decent or proper in terms of the customs of man Paul appealed to the Christian woman to wear the veil because it was the prevailing custom, in Corinth, through which women acknowledged their subjection to man.

Problems With The “Positive Divine Law” View : 1)It perverts the meaning of propheteuo to make it mean something in addition to inspired teaching 2)It makes “praying and prophesying” mean one thing when applied to the man, and another thing when applied to the woman: MAN: Leading public prayers & teaching in the assembly WOMAN: Listening to public prayers & teaching in the assembly

Problems With The “Positive Divine Law” View : 3)Without any reason for doing so, this approach often allows any covering to be substituted for the veil: ??

Problems With The “Positive Divine Law” View : 4)The position will not allow the woman to do what Paul allowed the woman to do when veiled: (i.e., to publicly prophesy or pray in the assembly) 5)No clear definition has been given defining when a woman must wear the covering! During all public worship? During Bible classes & worship? Public worship, but only during prayer and preaching? Group prayer and teaching?

Which Practice Has Greater Contextual Evidence For Being A Custom? “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet” (Jn. 13:14). “Greet one another with a holy kiss” (Rom. 16:16). “But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head” (1 Cor. 11:5).

Concerning “Traditions” (v.2) (paradosis)  “A thing that is handed down, or passed on”  Paul had “received” certain things from the Lord (1 Cor. 11:23; 14:37; 15:3)  There are Authorized “Traditions” (2 Thess. 2:15; 3:6)  Christ handed down that women should submit to men, respecting the cultural symbols and gestures indicative of such

HEADSHIP – 1 CORINTHIANS 11:3 CHRIST OVER MAN EPH. 1:20-22 MAN OVER WOMAN 1 TIM. 2:12-15 GOD OVER CHRIST 1 COR. 15:27-28 By casting off the veil, Corinthian women had cast off the sign of their subjection to man.

“Praying & Prophesying” Men – NOT to be covered! (v. 4) Corinthian Women – MUST be covered! (v. 5) “covered” (kalumma) = “having down the head” “dishonor” (kataischuno) = disgrace, shame “proseuchomai” includes all forms of prayer (not necessarily inspired prayer) “propheteuo” “to speak forth by divine inspiration” (the idea of inspiration is inherent in the word)

The “Shaved” Head – vs. 5-6 If UnveiledBe Shaved If Being Shaven Is Shameful Be Veiled! Early cultures associated a shaved head with mourning, slavery, immorality, or mannishness.

The Basis of the Rule – vs The man is the glory of God (1 Cor. 11:7) 2.The woman is the glory of the man (1 Cor. 11:7) 3.The woman was made from the man (1 Cor. 11:8; Gen. 2:22) 4.The woman was made for the man (1 Cor. 11:9; Gen. 2:18) 5.The man was made before the woman (1 Tim. 2:13; Gen. 2:7-22) 6.The woman sinned before the man (1 Tim. 2:14; Gen. 3:6)

“Because of the Angels” – vs. 10 Two Basic Views: Concern should be had because of the fact that angels watch what transpires on the earth (Lk. 15:10; 1 Cor. 4:9). They would recognize the woman’s insubordinate demeanor. Paul was reminding the Corinthian women of the wicked angels who rebelled against God, refusing to accept the place that God assigned them (Jud. 6; 2 Pet. 2:4). OR

“Hair” As “A” Covering – vs. 15  Long hair was a shame to men and a glory to women  Women have generally worn their hair longer than men  The practice of men wearing long hair in specific societies for temporary periods of time are exceptions, not the rule  Woman’s hair given as “a” covering (peribolaion – article of clothing that wraps around a person)  Since God provided a natural covering, the woman should see no shame in wearing the artificial covering

The Covering “Custom” – vs. 16  Some Corinthian women had cast off their coverings  They “contentiously” maintained their right to be different from societal norms  Paul said he and other churches “had no such custom” (of casting off the veil)  “Custom” (sunetheia) is used in John 18:39 to refer to an established practice of the Romans releasing a Jewish prisoner at Passover as a gesture of good will  This is clear evidence that Paul considered the wearing of the external covering as custom of his day and time