About covering the head, or Is it obligatory for women to pray in a headscarf? Women's head covering.

12.10.2019

The tradition of covering one's head in church, this is not a law, but a persistent recommendation of the Holy Apostle Paul. According to his Epistle to the Corinthians, a man should pray with his head uncovered, and a woman with her head covered. Since ancient times, women's hair was considered one of the most expressive elements of female attractiveness, and this was a counterbalance to modesty, one of the signs of which was covered hair.

Even in the pre-Christian era, hetaeras in Greece walked with uncovered hair, and married women had to express their belonging to their husband by covering their heads, thereby showing that they belonged to their husband.

Where did the tradition of covering women's heads in church come from?

In accordance with the instructions of the apostle, the appearance of the believer, regardless of gender, should be restrained and modest, and cannot be a source of temptation or embarrassment. must be in the mood for prayer, express through his appearance respect and reverence for the holiness of the temple and the Liturgy taking place in it. Thus, the Christian tradition is the inadmissibility of male believers wearing a headdress in church, and female believers not wearing a headscarf.

This tradition is based on the Apostle’s statement that Christ is the head of every husband, but the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. For a man who prays with his head covered disgraces his head, and a woman who prays with her head uncovered disgraces her head, equating it to a shaved head. Man is the image and glory of God, and woman is the glory of man, since “the man is not from the wife and for the wife, but the wife is from the husband and for the husband.” The scarf is a sign of power over her, this is for the Angels.

The opposite statement is not based on a misunderstanding of the principle of equality of men and women before God. Jesus never drove away women during his sermons, the same, by the way, also applies to the pagans, whom Jesus never discriminated against. In practice, Mary Magdalene was the first to observe the Risen One, and here she has an advantage, for example, over the Apostle Peter. Before Christ, in the matter of achieving salvation and liberation, acquiring the Holy Spirit and the eternal, men and women are completely equal.

However, the mistake of some amateur theologians is that equality in Christ is not identical to equality in the flesh. In Christ, in fact, there are no gender or national characteristics, however, in nature we will all differ, until the very moment of transition into eternity. It is precisely these specific signs that the Apostle Paul is trying to draw the attention of the Corinthians when discussing head covering. He is not talking about covering or not covering the head of the “spiritual man” who is in Christ; he is specifically talking about human flesh, and it is certainly not yet in Christ.

The idea is that God subordinates all the elements of both the material and spiritual world, and they (this is the main thing) are ordered among themselves and are in a harmonious system, with a number of levels and subordination. This system is harmony, and the claims of individual elements of this system for functions that are not characteristic of them lead to disharmony, disturbances and imbalance, and as a result, to its disorder.

With Christ the idea of unity came to earth, and not the idea of equality, it is this that gives coherence, like-mindedness and the absence of discontent, and while preserving the individuality of each person, there must be mutual subordination - subordination and a certain system of hierarchy.

The Apostle Paul finds an illustration of this interdependence in the human body, in which each is in a state of subordination to the other members, having equal rights, but also unequal opportunities. The body functions successfully when not the equalization of all members takes place, but the coordinated interaction and unity of each in its place and with its functions. Consequently, equality in a certain respect does not exclude, but presupposes hierarchy, that is, inequality. Paul writes: not the whole body is an eye or an ear. A married sister, covering her head, shows the outside world her submission to the position established by God. And this is a testimony not only for others, but also a sign for the Angels. By observing people, Satan and the fallen angels discover that God has received obedience from people that was not received from them, and this shames them. Satan is ashamed not only of Jesus, who submitted to the Father, but also of ordinary handkerchiefs, that is, people who voluntarily submitted to God’s regulations. This is also the wife’s obedience to her husband, and covering the head is a sign of this state. Satan is trying to convince weak-willed women that it is not necessary to cover their heads.

But at the same time, Paul points out that covering the head is a voluntary act. This is where the shame of the angels is manifested, in voluntariness, when women, equal to men in terms of grace, submit to them in the flesh, giving a sign of their submission to God’s regulations. Therefore, there should be no forced church law on head covering for sisters.

This tradition dates back to deep Christian antiquity, namely to apostolic times. At that time, every married, respectable woman covered her head when leaving the house. The head veil, which, for example, we see on the icons of the Mother of God, testified to the woman’s marital status. This head covering meant that she was not free, that she belonged to her husband. To “bar” a woman’s crown or loosen her hair meant to humiliate or punish her (see: Isa. 3:17; cf. Num. 5:18).

Harlots and vicious women demonstrated their special occupation by not covering their heads.

The husband had the right to divorce his wife without returning her dowry if she appeared on the street bare-haired, this was considered an insult to her husband.

Girls and young women did not cover their heads because the veil was a sign of the special status of a married woman (which is why, according to tradition, an unmarried virgin can enter the temple without a head veil)

So, at home, a married woman would take off her veil and always put it on when leaving the house.

Men did not have to cover their heads when leaving the house. In any case, if they covered it outside, it was because of the heat, and not because it was supposed to be so. During worship, Jews also did not cover their heads, except on special occasions. For example, they covered their heads during fasting or mourning. Those excommunicated from the synagogue and lepers were also required to cover their heads.

Now imagine the situation: the Apostles herald the coming of new times. The old has passed, the world has approached the line beyond which everything new will begin! People who have accepted Christ experience a truly revolutionary mood. It is no wonder in such a state to reject the old, the former and strive for the new. This is what happened among the Christians of Corinth. Many of them are beginning to teach that traditional forms of behavior and decorum must be abolished. About this Ap. Paul expresses his opinion and says that such disputes are extremely harmful, because they discredit Christians in the eyes of others. Christians appear to people outside the Church as brawlers, violators of generally accepted decency and norms of behavior.

In order to confirm his words, the Apostle Paul, as he loves and does quite often, unfolds a whole theological proof that there is no need to violate accepted standards of behavior.

Here is a passage in which Paul speaks on this topic:

1. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
2. I praise you, brothers, because you remember everything I have and keep the traditions as I handed them down to you.
3. I also want you to know that the head of every husband is Christ, the head of every wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
4. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered disgraces his head.
5. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is the same as if it were shaved.
6. For if the wife does not want to cover herself, then let her cut her hair; and if a wife is ashamed to be shorn or shaved, let her cover herself.
7. So the husband should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; and the wife is the glory of the husband.
8. For man is not from woman, but woman is from man;
9. And man was not created for wife, but woman for man.
10. Therefore, a wife should have on her head a sign of power over her, for the Angels.
11. Yet neither is man without wife, nor wife without husband, in the Lord.
12. For as the wife is from the husband, so is the husband through the wife; yet it is from God.
13. Judge for yourself whether it is proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?
14. Doesn’t nature itself teach you that if a husband grows his hair, then it is a dishonor for him,
15. But if a wife grows hair, it is an honor for her, since hair was given to her instead of a covering?
16. And if anyone wanted to argue, then we do not have such a custom, nor do the churches of God.
17. But in offering this, I do not praise you because you are planning not for the best, but for the worst.
18. For, firstly, I hear that when you gather for church, there are divisions among you, which I partly believe.
19. For there must also be differences of opinion among you, so that the wise may be revealed among you.
1 Corinthians 11, 1-19

In Rus', the pious custom of a woman praying in a temple with her head covered was preserved. By this, the woman pays respect and respect to the early Christian church tradition, to the opinion of the Apostle Paul. However, let's not forget that we are not talking about a female representative in general, but about a married woman. For her, a scarf can be a “status” thing, a sign of her marriage. Or, say, a sign of widowhood or simply venerable age. Young girls should not be required to cover their heads.

Father Konstantin Parkhomenko

Harlots and vicious women demonstrated their special occupation by not covering their heads.

The husband had the right to divorce his wife without returning her dowry if she appeared on the street bare-haired, this was considered an insult to her husband.

So, at home, a married woman would take off her veil and always put it on when leaving the house.

In order to confirm his words, the Apostle Paul, as he loves and does quite often, unfolds a whole theological proof that there is no need to violate accepted standards of behavior.

Here is a passage in which Paul speaks on this topic:

1. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
2. I praise you, brothers, because you remember everything I have and keep the traditions as I handed them down to you.
3. I also want you to know that the head of every husband is Christ, the head of every wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
4. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered disgraces his head.
5. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is the same as if it were shaved.
6. For if the wife does not want to cover herself, then let her cut her hair; and if a wife is ashamed to be shorn or shaved, let her cover herself.
7. So the husband should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; and the wife is the glory of the husband.
8. For man is not from woman, but woman is from man;
9. And man was not created for wife, but woman for man.
10. Therefore, a wife should have on her head a sign of power over her, for the Angels.
11. Yet neither is man without wife, nor wife without husband, in the Lord.
12. For as the wife is from the husband, so is the husband through the wife; yet it is from God.
13. Judge for yourself whether it is proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered?
14. Doesn’t nature itself teach you that if a husband grows his hair, then it is a dishonor for him,
15. But if a wife grows hair, it is an honor for her, since hair was given to her instead of a covering?
16. And if anyone wanted to argue, then we do not have such a custom, nor do the churches of God.
17. But in offering this, I do not praise you because you are planning not for the best, but for the worst.
18. For, firstly, I hear that when you gather for church, there are divisions among you, which I partly believe.
19. For there must also be differences of opinion among you, so that the wise may be revealed among you.

1 Corinthians 11, 1-19

Father Konstantin Parkhomenko

Why does a woman need to cover her head in church, but a man does not?

This tradition is based on the words of the Holy Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Corinthians, where he says that a man should pray with his head uncovered, and a woman, on the contrary, with her head covered. In ancient culture, women's hair was considered the most striking element of female attractiveness, and covering it was a manifestation of female modesty. Greek hetaeras walked bare-haired, while respectable family women covered their heads, thereby showing that they belonged to their husbands.

But there is another reason, connected specifically with spiritual practice: during pagan zeal, when priestesses or soothsayers fell into a frenzy, they often turned out to be bare-haired, as if demonstrating by this that they were so overwhelmed by mystical ecstasy that they did not worry about social conventions at all. The Apostle is careful that Christians in no way imitate such behavior - as he writes elsewhere, worship should be performed “with decorum and order.”

We live in a different culture where open hair does not evoke such associations, but it is important for us to remember the general meaning of the apostle’s instruction - the clothing of a believer (whether male or female) should be modest, discreet and not serve as a source of embarrassment or temptation to anyone. In addition, keeping the customs established in the Church helps us tune in to prayer and express our reverence for the holiness of the temple and the Liturgy performed in it. Therefore, traditionally, religious men consider it inappropriate to wear a headdress in church, and women without a headscarf.

How, in an Orthodox country where suicide was considered a sin, was it possible for officers to shoot themselves in the temple to preserve their honor?

From the fact that Russia is an Orthodox country, it does not follow that all the customs and traditions that existed at different times in certain social circles were Orthodox. Some of these customs are not only not associated with the Church, but were directly condemned by it - for example, the custom of duels. An even worse sin is suicide; a person who has committed a shameful act must repent, where possible, compensate those who suffered, and move on without doing anything similar in the future. Suicide, which in some circles was seen as a way to “preserve honor,” is actually a manifestation of pride and cowardice, an unwillingness to accept an unpleasant or humiliating situation. As the Church teaches, our life belongs to God, and we do not have the right to stop it arbitrarily.

In Corinthians 11, Paul addresses themes that became relevant to the young church of the first century.

The first part of the chapter is dedicated to a woman: should she cover her head or not in church?

In his discussion, Paul compares the woman's covered head with her long hair.

As Paul says in verse 15:

but if a wife grows hair, it is an honor for her, since hair was given to her instead of a veil?

In our congregation, a woman grows her hair and wears a veil - there is no violation.
Some women attend the meeting wearing a headscarf, which is also permitted and there is no violation.

I propose to expand the study of the topic and now consider the issue more closely.

SHORT REVIEW

1 Cor. Chapters 11 and 14

Chapters 11-14 present perhaps the greatest difficulty for the modern Christian to understand. But they are also among the most interesting in the entire Epistle, because they deal with the problems that arose in the Corinthian church in connection with church services.

We see in them a nascent church, busy solving the problems that arose in the struggle against sacrifice and related to the creation of true worship. We will understand this section more easily if we identify its various components from the very beginning.

11,2-11,16 is considering whether women can attend services with their heads uncovered.
11,17-23 discusses the problem that arose in connection with the feast of love, that is, the communal meals or agape, which were celebrated every week by the Corinthian Christians.
Verses 24-34 concern the correct observance of the sacrament of the sacrament in the Corinthian church.
In Chapter 12 Paul considers the problem of merging into a single harmonious whole people endowed with different talents. In this chapter, Paul portrayed the church as the Body of Christ and Christians as components of that Body.
Chapter 13 is a great hymn of love, showing people the most excellent path in life.
14,1-23 are devoted to the problem of “tongues”, various gifts of communication with God and people.
14,24-33 are devoted to the problem of order and organization in the church and in worship; here Paul is trying to bring order and discipline to the vibrant enthusiasm of the newborn church.
14,34-36 the place of women in church worship in Corinth is discussed.

ABOUT THE NECESSARY HUMILITY

(1 Cor. 11:2-16)

This is one of those passages that has no universal meaning.

At first glance, they may seem to be of only historical interest, because they deal with problems and situations that are not relevant to us. But, nevertheless, such places are of great interest to us, since they shed light on the internal problems and affairs of the early Christian church; they are also of great interest to a person who looks at things closely: after all, the principles applied to solve them are immutable.

A controversial issue in the Corinthian church was whether a woman could take part in worship with her head uncovered. Paul answers directly and unequivocally: the veil is a symbol of subordination, worn by an inferior in the presence of a superior. Since the man is the head of the house, the woman is subordinate to him, and therefore cannot appear at church services without a veil; a man should not appear in church with his head covered.

It is unlikely that we in the twentieth century could so easily accept this view of the dependent and subordinate position of women. But this chapter should not be read in the light of the twentieth century, but in the light of the first century, and the following points should be kept in mind:

+ 1) What was the significance of the veil in the East?

And today, women of the East wear a veil - a long veil that covers it almost to the toes, leaving only the forehead and eyes open.

In Paul's time the eastern veil was even more closed. It covered the head, leaving only the eyes open, and went all the way to the toes. A respected and self-respecting Eastern woman could not even think of appearing somewhere without a veil.

T. W. Davis writes in the Hastings Dictionary of the Bible:

« Not a single decent woman in an eastern village or city leaves home without it, and if she does, she risks ruining her reputation. Indeed, English and American missionaries in Egypt told the author that their daughters and wives were forced to wear a veil when going out.«.

The veil had two meanings:

a) It expressed subordination,
b) It provided the woman with strong protection.

Verse 10 is very difficult to translate. In the Synodal Edition of the Bible this verse is given as follows:

“Therefore, a wife should have on her head a sign of authority over her...”

But the Greek text literally means that a woman should have " your power on your head«.

William Ramsay explains it this way:

« In Eastern countries, the veil represents the power, honor and dignity of a woman. With a veil on her head she can go everywhere in safety and deep respect. She is not visible; watching a woman dressed in a veil on the street is a sign of extremely bad taste. She's lonely. All other people do not exist for her, just as she does not exist for them. She stands above the crowd... And a woman without a veil is insignificant, anyone can insult her. The power and dignity of a woman disappears along with the veil if she throws it off«.

In the East, therefore, the veil is extremely important. It not only indicates the dependent position of women; it is also an indestructible protection of her modesty and chastity.

+ 2) We must also remember what the position of women was among the Jews.

According to Jewish law, a woman was much lower than a man. She was created from Adam's rib (Gen. 2:22.23) to be her husband's helper (Gen. 2:18).

There was one rabbinic interpretation, which we looked at here: . It sheds light on the Jewish attitude towards women.

The sad fact is that according to Jewish law, a woman was the thing and property of her husband, over which he had complete right. It is also regrettable that, for example, in the synagogue, women did not take any part in the worship service, but were completely isolated from men in a closed gallery or other part of the building.

According to Jewish law and custom, it was unthinkable that women could claim equal rights with men.

There is an interesting phrase in verse 10 that women should wear a veil “for the sake of the angels.”

There are no clear interpretations about the meaning of this phrase. Perhaps it dates back to ancient history.

A) angels are guardians of the world order established by God, in which
man and woman must be different from each other;
b) angels are people, messengers from other churches who might have been embarrassed by the appearance of the Corinthian women

+ 3) It should be remembered that this situation arose in Corinth, probably the most dissolute city in the world.

Paul took the position that it was better to go too far in the direction of excessive modesty and severity than to do anything that would give the pagans a reason to criticize Christians for licentiousness, or that could become a source of temptation for Christians themselves.

It would be entirely wrong to give this passage a universal application; it was closely associated with the Corinthian church, and is in no way connected with the issue of whether women should wear veils in church today. But although it is only local and temporary, it contains three immutable truths:

1) Strict standards of human behavior are always better than too loyal ones.

It is much better to give up your rights if they may become a stumbling block for someone else, rather than insist on them. It has become fashionable to openly condemn customs and conventions, but it is always better for a person to think twice before breaking them. Although he should never be a slave to conventions.

2) Even after Paul has emphasized woman's dependence on man, he insists on their mutual dependence.

Neither he nor she can live without each other. If there is subordination between them, it is only so that their life together will be more productive and more enjoyable for both.

3) Paul ends this passage with a rebuke of the person who argues solely for the sake of arguing and arguing.

No matter what disagreements may arise between people, there is no place in the church for deliberately picky men and women. Sometimes you do need to stand up for principles, but you should never be picky.

Can't people disagree and still live in peace?

HISTORICAL PICTURE

city of Corinth

Corinth was a special city in the ancient world. It was one of the largest trading centers, through which significant trade routes passed. It was the capital of the province and even for a time competed with Athens for control of colonies and trade. Every two years, an alternative to the Olympic Games, the Isthmian Games, was held there, which included gymnastic, equestrian, poetic and musical competitions.

The city had two ports, its own colonies and was very expensive to live in. It was filled with people of different nations and peoples.

The main temple of the city in the acropolis was the temple of the goddess of love and fertility Aphrodite, which housed more than a thousand temple prostitutes who served merchants and travelers. It is worth noting that women of the corresponding lifestyle walked with their heads uncovered, moreover, with their hair down.

“Biblical Encyclopedic Dictionary” by E. Nyström.

In it you can read that in Corinth there was a temple of the pagan goddess Aphrodite. The servants of this temple were ritual harlots, by entering into a relationship with whom, the person who came performed an act of worship of Aphrodite. The distinctive sign of these same harlots, by which everyone recognized them on the city streets, was their shaved head.

In the culture of the ancient world, Corinth was famous for its riotous lifestyle, as a city of the cult of fertility with its numerous feasts and debauchery. In connection with this, a new word even appeared in the Greek language - “ Corinthate", meaning an unbridled lifestyle. When a character from Corinth appeared on stage in Greek theaters, he was virtually always drunk, which clearly illustrates the image of this city in ancient Greek culture.

One can imagine the problems faced by the Christian community in such a context, consisting of inhabitants of this city who were accustomed to a certain way of life in Corinth. Therefore, it becomes clear why such problems as relationships with prostitutes (6 chapters), debauchery that does not cause any reaction from the community (5 chapters), drunkenness at the Supper (11 chapters), and participation in pagan fertility feasts (8 chapters) are relevant for Christians accustomed to living in such a city.

According to the custom of Greece and eastern cities, women did not appear in public with their heads uncovered, with the exception of women of low behavior. Corinth was overflowing with prostitutes, priestesses of the temple. Some Christian women, taking advantage of their newfound freedom in Christ, showed up to church meetings with their heads uncovered, which horrified more modest Christian women. Paul tells them not to neglect the opinion of the public in matters of women's apparel.

Angels are watching for Christian worship.

Hair was considered one of the most important manifestations of female beauty, therefore it was shameful for a woman to cut her hair or shave her head, as a result of which she became like a man.

Women cut their heads only as a sign of mourning.