Biblical Insight Into Headcovering (written by James Castleberry ~ November 27, 2005) (My wife Rebekah and our daughter Leah) For the first time ever, I have decided to put down onto paper my thoughts and interpretations regarding different passages found in the Bible. Before I begin, I would like to qualify my remarks by making a few definitive statements. First: The Bible is the true word of God. It was spoken by the actual lips of God and was whispered into the ears of men through the Holy Spirit, who in turn put Gods word to pen. Second: The word of God is true in all aspects, Man cannot choose which passages he feels is true or untrue. If one finds even one passage as “untrue”, he invalidates all other passages. Man must choose to believe the bible is either in whole perfect, or entirely invalid. One cannot choose one passage to be true, and then in the same sentence say that another verse is untrue. Third: The universe was created by God, and the laws of science were created by God. God however does not have to live within the laws of science that he created for man. Fourth: Many people, especially in this age, use their own “moral compass” to decide what is right and what is wrong, using societal cues to determine what fits morally within the societal mean, but Proverbs 14:12 says “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” so, the bible tells us that our “moral compass” or in other words our “conscience” that each of us feel inside us is flawed, and that any direction we travel using this “internal moral compass” will lead us from the straight an narrow road, and eventually to lead to death.. I am going to be examining 1st Corinthians 11, verses 1 through 15. The King James Bible reads as follows: Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you. But 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. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For 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. For 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. For the man is not of the woman: but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God. Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered? Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. This is a letter written by the disciple Paul to the church at Corinth. In this letter Paul teaches and admonishes the church in its behavior. The first issue that I will address is that of cultural preference. There are some who argue that head covering was a cultural anomaly during Paul’s time. Interestingly enough, a lot of those who use this argument are husbands who are embarrassed by their wife’s conviction, and through ignorance of the scripture, they attempt to dissuade their wife from obeying God's commandment. But clearly verse 2 above addresses this issue of cultural preference head on; when Paul says “I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them to you.” Paul is praising the Corinth church for keeping the “ordinances” that he delivered. The word "ordinances" is originally translated from the Greek word “paradosis”, meaning “tradition”- So Paul felt it important to keep certain traditions. In fact Paul writes to the Thessalonica in 2nd Thessalonians 2:15; 3:6, admonishing them to remember the traditions taught to them and pass them on to their sons, and to withdraw from those who do not remember and teach the traditions taught by the disciples. As we read above in verse 3, Paul instructs that the head of every man is Christ. And that the head of every woman is the man. In our age, this is a most unpopular concept. After all, women over the past 100 years have fought for “equality”. They have fought to be independent and outside any authority that their husband may assert. The idea of democracy, even within the bonds of marriage has unfortunately become the family model in America, but clearly God did not design the marital structure to be a democracy. It is a bitter pill to swallow for most American women, but 1st Corinthians 11, verse 3 unarguably shows us the structure which God designed for marriage. And with the uncomfortable feelings that we may feel at reading this seemingly unnatural reality, let us be reminded of Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death”. So, we are faced with the reality that God has created the way that things must be. We can attempt to rebel against Gods word, but Proverbs 14:12 shows us that line of thinking leads to death. The woman defers to her husband, the husband only defers to Christ, and Christ only defers to God. Keep in mind that this is not my opinion, or even my interpretation; It is written plainly for all to read. It is not cryptic or hard to understand. Verse 5 says something that many people have attempted to dismiss. It says that if a woman prays with her head uncovered, she dishonors her head; and who is the head of the woman? Her husband! So if a woman prays with her head uncovered, she dishonors her husband. Wow! There are some people who attempt to discount verse 5 by saying that the woman’s covering is her hair. But wait, if a woman’s covering is her hair; the verse wouldn’t make any sense either. For example, if a woman’s covering were her hair, why would it even be worth mentioning? Was 10 AD a timeframe in which women were running around with bald heads? Of course not! So why is it a point of contention? Is a woman “covered” simply by her hair? That is the question. The word for covering in verse 6 and 7 translates “katakalupto” which means "cover, veil", not hair. Look at verse 5 above and substitute the word “hair” in the place of the word “covering” This makes no sense at all. So, it is plain that God wants a woman to cover her head when she prays or prophesy, and that if a woman does not cover her head while praying, she dishonors her husband. She may as well shave her head in shame; after all, verse 15 says that a woman’s hair is her glory. Paul says in verse 6 that if a woman does not want to cover her head, she may choose to shave her head and not bring shame to her husband. He qualifies this statement with a clause that states that if the society that the woman lives in considers a bald woman shameful, she should cover her head so that she does not have to shave it and shame her husband. Ok, lets move on to what Paul says about men covering their heads. Again, many say that hair is the covering that verse 7 is referring to, but using this argument, verse 7 would mean that all men should be bald! So it is plain that by reading 1st Corinthians 11, verses 1 through 15 we can learn the following inarguable concepts: 1st The head of Christ is God (God is in authority over Christ) 2nd The head of man is Christ (Christ is in authority over a man) 3rd The head of a woman is man (a man or “husband” is in authority over the woman or “wife”) 4th A woman should cover her head when praying; or shave her head lest she dishonor her husband; if shaving her head brings shame to her husband, she must cover her head because she is the glory of Man. 5th A man should not cover his head while praying, lest he dishonor Christ, because he is in the image and glory of Christ. 6th Woman was created for Man. 7th Nature teaches us that if a man has long hair, it is a shame to him. 8th If a woman has long hair; it is a glory to her. Finally there is an inevitable question that is eventually asked is “when exactly is a woman to cover her head?” Verse 5 says that a woman must cover her head when she “prayeth or prophesieth”. Some quote 1 Peter 5:10, and 1 Thessalonians 5:17, in which these verses say to “pray without ceasing”. Many woman believe that they should wear a cover all of the time. If a woman truly does “pray without ceasing” she should clearly, by scriptural command, cover her head or shave it. Realistically, I don’t think that I have ever met a person who truly prays without ceasing. But considering that I, during the day, find myself praying briefly from time to time regarding my daily life. I can see why these women may choose to just wear a head covering all of the time, just so that it is not an issue. The head covering also serves as a symbol to the woman in order to remind her of the authority of the husband over her. This linked-concept is aparent in the verses above as Paul weaves the wife being under the authority of the husband with the issue of head covering. The covering serves as a constant reminder of God’s desire for her to submit to her husband. There are even some women who believe that they should cover their head while sleeping. By looking at 1st Corinthians 11, I do not see anything Biblically that would necessitate the wearing of a head covering while sleeping. In my own personal life, I have noticed that when my wife covers her head during the day, it helps to remind her of her place in our marriage which God has placed her into. It is a clear reminder that the covering on her head is a symbol of my authority as her husband. Not to say that I lord my authority over her; on the contrary, I am always asking her for her opinion in matters of the family, and I make my decision according to what I think is the correct path, always considering her feelings in matters. After all, God has commanded me to love her as Christ loved the church. It is important to note that there are far more important matters written about in the Bible toward which we all should strive. I do not want readers to think that this principal of head covering is critical to salvation. There are many concepts God wants us to learn, many of which are just as important as head covering. However, God has set forth his wishes, contained within a book that he has sent for us to learn from. He thought enough of head covering that he devoted 15 verses of the most holy book ever written to the subject. If you are interested in the details of the literal Hebrew and Greek translation of 1st Corinthians 11, there is a wonderfully thorough paper that was written on the subject by Bruce Terry entitled “No such custom” that I found to be fascinating and is based in Biblical fact. It examines the Greek and Hebrew words that describe “covering” vs. “hair”. I encourage you to read it. It was very insightful for me. ** Article by Bruce Terry ** I am sorry for being so long winded, James. A Few Words from Mrs. James (Rebekah) Castleberry I've been wearing a headcovering for awhile off and on during the past 5-6 years now. Not all the time but more and more lately. I'm now wearing it full-time whether at home or away. One night we were all having a family night of sorts and I'd taken my covering off earlier in the evening for whatever reason and James suddenly looked at me and said "You're not wearing your covering." It hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm not just wearing it for God but for him (James) also! When I'm not wearing it, the Bible clearly says I'm dishonoring my head (my husband!) and I wouldn't want to do that! When it's on my head I can feel a spiritual change come over me. I know that sounds strange but it's true. I feel spiritually 'covered' and protected. I recently shared this on a conservative group I'm on and the ladies there also agreed. They too feel that way. I know in this day and age most people feel covering is cultural and doesn't really apply anymore or is focusing too much on 'works' but for me personally I am truly blessed by wearing it. As is my husband. My whole attitude toward him is one of more respect and loyalty. Humility. I WANT that! What a blessing!!! It also keeps me in a more prayerful mood during the day. It's a constant reminder to keep my thoughts focused on God. It is also a constant reminder of where I am in the headship order. I don't wear it at night while I'm asleep (yet!) but have been doing a lot of study in that area as well. It actually makes a lot of sense. I've even been considering purchasing a mob cap-style for that very reason. When defending (yes, defending!) wearing a covering I've always used 1 Corinthinans 11 (specifically v. 5) I've always heard from people that the hair is the covering. My beloved and our old pastor went around and around on that point. It's always rather confusing to try to explain that if you aren't covered then you might as well be shorn, meaning two separate events. I just realized that if the hair is the covering and it's dishonoring a woman's husband (head) if she's uh...bald?!?...while praying or prophesying, then any man who prays or prophesys (vs. 4 & 7) with ANY hair (covering) on his head dishonors his head (Jesus). So where are all of the bald men?? There. Clear as mud?? It's kind of hard to argue with that! ~ by Rebekah Although our girls are a bit to young yet to cover, Hannah is becoming more interested in it and understands why mama does it. There have been many times where she has asked me to put a cover on her as well. Here are some pictures of her with her "scarf-type" coverings. (Hannah with our chickens) ♥ ♥ back home ♥ ♥