Therein lies the problem, says this young man. How is this verse a reason for removing a hat in worship? And isn't there a more appropriate Scripture? Reading the whole essay at the title link above, and notice his concluding remarks:
Malone University [Ohio] has mandatory Chapels. That is to say, there are gatherings twice a week in a room that used to be a sanctuary in a building that used to be a church where we go to sing Contemporary Christian Music and/or listen to speakers with varying degrees of spirituality and sports metaphor in their content, and we are expected to go to twenty of these throughout the semester.
Chapel has always requested that we remove our hats, hoods, and other head coverings while in Chapel. I have no issue with this. They also ask that we have our cell phones set to silent. This is no issue, either. Both are signs of respect, and I do my best to give respect where it is due.
Last school year, I noticed that the overhead displays asking us to remove our hats weren't just asking for their removal. They were asking us to remove our hats as Moses removed his shoes before the Lord (a reference to Exodus 3:5).
I make no judgments about Women who do not cover their heads while praying. It could well have been contextual. The references to the created order clearly require some sort of separation or distinction, though. The options are: in the context in which Paul wrote, the specific sign that was necessary was Women covering their heads and Men having their heads uncovered, but those specifics are no longer necessary, OR Paul was writing for all time and Women ought always have their heads covered, men, uncovered. I personally feel convicted by this passage of scripture, and so I always remove my hat to pray, even if I am only praying for a few seconds.
My response to the claim that we are neither Man nor Woman in Christ is simple: this is true. Neither sex nor gender has any bearing on our salvation. However, it is ignorant to think that this means we are no longer distinct. Just as Christ's sacrifice did not physically remove differentiations between Man and Woman, it has not changed the way in which we relate to the world either. Eve was a helper to Adam. A "helper" is not one who does the same exact thing as the one they help. Neither is the helper a slave or even a servant. A helper fulfills a role separate from but not inferior to the one being helped. And there is nothing to suggest the removal of this distinction, especially in light of the many New Testament references to the differing roles of Men and Women.
Malone is right to tell us to remove our hats (at least, the men). I respect their rules. However, to use the example of Moses and not Paul disrespects the passage in Exodus for using it to support what it was not intended to, the passage in First Corinthians for not using it to support the very thing it was explicitly written about, and us as students for not considering us smart enough to notice or respectful enough to follow the rules for their own sake.
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And if you are considering Christian men in head coverings during worship and are wondering about why some men in the clergy do wear caps while they serve the church, when you have the time, please read the "St. Mary the Protectress" blog, November 6, 2008: "Phiro d’Kohnutho - THE FRUIT OF PRIESTHOOD - The Skull Cap of the Syrian Priesthood", an essay by Kuriakos Tharakan Thottupuram, Ph.D., D.D., including history and information on the Jewish tradition, as well as of the early Orthodox and Roman traditions. [Since I wonder about these things myself and had always read the passage in 1 Corinthians the way the young man above read it, I did find a few answers. It has to do with working in the traditions and understandings of the Jewish ways and the culture of the Roman Empire. If I am reading this right. what do you think?]
On many occasions I was asked about the significance of the skull cap worn by the priests of the Syrian Church, both in the Middle East and in India. Recently there were some inquiries about it by our readers. Hence we are trying to educate our readers about the relevance of skull caps worn by our clergy.
In the Syrian Church this skull cap is called Elbishto d’Kurobo, the cap for offering the sacrifice, and it is also called Phiro d’Kohnutho, the Fruit of Priesthood (one may find different spellings for these terms in other publications).
Clergy of other churches also wear the same or similar caps or skull caps during their liturgical functions. But all these practices share the same traditions.
. . .
We have already explained that the Jewish priests and rabbis had been covering their heads during prayers and religious services. Christian priests and bishops also followed the same custom, because they considered themselves to be the ministers of a perfected Judaism, not as a separate religion. It was the same tradition of Jewish priests that the early Christian priests and bishops accepted when they celebrated the Eucharist, which is the mystical Paschal sacrifice of the New Covenant. Thus the black skull cap became a common headwear for Christian clergy as a continuation of the Jewish priestly practice. The Christian clergy continued this practice even after the separation of the Church from Judaism.
. . .
In the Syrian Church the bishops and chorepiscopi take off their linen/velvet crown (bathrashil) or black biretta (miter) when they sing the prayers of Eucharistic consecration, when they read the Gospels, and when the Eucharistic elements are exposed. The skull cap for the Syrians is a symbol and the fruit of priesthood and it symbolizes the crown of Jesus while He was offering the eternal sacrifice; and hence it will remain on the head of the priest even during the most important moments of the liturgical services. On the other hand, crowns and birettas are objects signifying authority, and therefore are to be taken of when the Sovereign of the universe is present sacramentally or through the Word of God in the Gospels. Moreover, it is logical to think that priests are slaves before the King of kings, and have to cover their heads before their Master like the Roman slaves did.
9 comments:
I really don't understand this... people will find any excuse not to do what the Bible says about covering but they will make wildest explanation for their practice which is against God's word... if Paul says: men, remove your covering... then they should remove it no matter if they feel like slaves of Christ.
I think I agree with you, Natasa. The essay above does reason more about how supposedly, Roman slaves would cover their heads before their masters. Even so, are we to obey the laws of men or of Christ? It seems to me and to many others that Paul did give a good explanation in 1 Corinthians that "went against" with the culture of the times for covering the human head, both for men and women, when they appear before God and their Christian family in order to pray and speak the words of God. As you imply, Christians would do better to follow the words we read, than to make huge explanations of why we think the words don't mean what they say.
Could St. Paul have been addressing the laity? (I don't know, I'm just speculating). Perhaps clergy wearing caps for reasons unmentioned in the epistle was already known within the community to which the epistle was written and no further explanation or hair splitting was needed.
That's the trouble with removing the Scriptures from the Ecclesial context in which they were birthed and then reading them with a different lens.
I guess we wear the head covering because we always have. I don't always wear it, but do most of the time. Some priests forget that there are times for it to be removed. It's off for the consecration, the Gospel, and that also means when I preach. I posted the original article on our blog because I found it interesting, certainly to some priests who seem to never take it off. It would be better to leave it off. And thanks for finding our blog. I was wondering until I read your profile how you ever found it. our parish has some other blogs. Check my profile to find them. And I invite your comments. Your comments are important for all to read.
Alana,
when Paul was writing his epistle separation on clergy and laity didn't exist.
I'm still trying to figure out why some men like to say women ought to keep their heads covered all the time, yet they are not willing to keep their heads UNcovered all the time. Either take off the baseball cap, or let your wife go without the scarf once in a while.
Kat, from what I've learned over the years, women who cover all the time, do so because of their understanding of the combination of the two scriptures: one to cover when praying, and the other to pray all the time. Hence, they cover all the time, so as to always be ready. Most women's coverings are not so easy to take off and put on, and there is also our mantle of hair to consider, while it is fairly simple for a man to doff his hat when he wants to actively pray, especially when his hair is very short (and not easily mussed). I believe it is a matter of expediency and practicality, as well as overall daily reminder of the symbolism of the headcovering for women to cover all the time. And really isn't that big of a deal. As for men putting something on, consider sun and cold protection, and hard hats too. Sometimes a man's head must be covered, and sometimes, as in bed or the shower, a woman's is not. The Bible doesn't mandate 24-7 headcovering or uncovering. And incidentally, this is part of the reason that many do not believe that the headcovering refers to hair - because it cannot be put on and taken off at prayer time like an "artificial" covering can.
I welcome any other personal testimony or thoughts on this from those who do cover (or whose wives cover) "all the time". I personally only cover "a lot" of the time, especially for prayer and teaching the words of God.
If a man decides to pray with his hat on, then who is anybody but God to judge him. People are obsessed with the details that they miss the big picture. Please don't turn these simple acts into idolatry.
Thank you for the reminder, Christopher - in anything we do, we must all be careful not to make a created thing an idol, that is, something that takes the place of God in our hearts and minds and lives. It is important to study and give diligence to make sure that we are ourselves approved before God, and hence it is important to everyone of us not to become "Pharisaical" about - or to take too lightly - any aspect of the Word of God.
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