Head Coverings and Scripture Part One

At the beginning of this new series of posts, I will argue for the Biblical understanding of head coverings. Frequently, many need to pay more attention to 1 Corinthians 11 with no intention of what the passage is saying. Ignored by many present Christians, all women wore head coverings, in light of the mentioned passage, until the feminist movement of the 1960s. Nevertheless, traditional Roman Catholics, many Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Amish, Mennonites, and some Reformed Baptists and Anglicans still believe that 1 Corinthians 11 is relevant for the churches of today. 

Many theologians would now argue that 1 Corinthians 11 was only about commands for the Corinth Church in light of female prostitution. Whether or not this is the case, I will address it later. For now, I want to more precisely focus our attention on why Catholic and Orthodox priests traditionally wear head garments when it is claimed that 1 Corinthians 11 forbids men from covering their heads.

I have heard the charge before that if women should wear head coverings in church (1 Corinthians 11: 3-4) and men should not wear hats, why do priests wear hats in church? Of course, this question deserves our attention in both the Old and New Testaments. 

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew priests wore head garments (Exodus 29: 9, Baruch 5: 1-4). While the New Testament, on the other hand, does not tell us explicitly whether or not the apostles wore such garments when conducting church with believers, we should not assume that they separated themselves from Old Testament thought and practice except where the New Testament gives us reason to think otherwise. While many Evangelicals would argue against the idea of a Catholic or Orthodox priesthood, the debate of the priesthood itself has been addressed in other past posts that I have written. For now, the reader should ask themself, broadly speaking, if any church clergy are allowed to wear head garments in light of 11 Corinthians 11? After all, if the chapter prohibits men from wearing garments on their heads, does that not only mean that priests are bound to not wear any mites, etc.? 

We need to remember that 1 Corinthians 11 only requires head coverings for women and no head coverings for men in the context of Holy Communion. The passage never binds believers into Christians, always following its examples of men and women in corporate worship. 

Because of this, women are not technically bound to cover their heads except when praying, prophesying, or receiving the Eucharist. Likewise, no man commits sacrilege wearing a hat as long as he is not rating, prophesying, or receiving the Eucharist. 

The misunderstanding comes from those who think walking into a church building is the equivalent of receiving the Eucharist. But that is what 11 Corinthians is about. When Christians do not pray or receive the Eucharist, they sin by disregarding 1 Corinthians 11. 

Indeed, again, let me reiterate that it should be noted that in Scripture, the command for men to have uncovered heads is, of course, in the context only of communion, not the church in general. That is why Eastern Orthodox priests, for example, uncover their heads when praying. 

Take the Latin Mass, for example. Though the Catholic priest enters the Church building wearing a biretta on his head, he removes it before proceeding to the altar. During the thanksgiving of the mass, he wears no hat on his head. Thus, he is not sinning as 1 Corinthians 11 only binds him to keep his head uncovered under certain Biblical conditions. 

Likewise, I have seen several girls at mass not wear head coverings the entire time. While some certainly do, much of this is due to piety and their prayers. Men and women pray during mass and, therefore, follow the prescription of 1 Corinthians 11, but that does not mean that men and women have to follow these precisions the entire time. 

Read 1 Corinthians 11. The chapter is in the context of the Eucharist, saying nothing about the attire that men and women must always wear. Those saying that women have to wear head coverings everywhere they go are like those who say that priests can never wear a hat (which no priest wears while consecrating the Eucharist). 

Secondly, Paul does not describe the office of presbyters or deacons in 1 Corinthians 11, as in 1 Timothy or Titus. Thus, it is not easy to discern if his instructions in 1 Corinthians 11 even concern anyone among church clergy, but even if it does, Christians are only bound by the teachings of 1 Corinthians 11 when prophesying, praying, or partaking in the Eucharist. 

Thirdly, Clement of Rome was a first-century Christian who was actually consecrated as a bishop of Rome. Thus, Clement was not one of the obscure church fathers centuries later. However, having known the apostles directly, he is a witness of early Christian practice. Clement and Ignatius of Antioch referred to the New Testament church leaders known as presbyters as having a distinct priesthood. Indeed, it is strange that anyone today would think they know Peter's writings better than one ordained by him*1. 

Notes:

*1-https://www.beholdthetruth.com/early-church-writings-on-the-papacy