I CORINTHIANS 11:2-16 02/07/94
WOMEN IN THE CHURCH II
Introduction
Things that have changed their meaning over the years, some things even begin to mean almost the opposite of what they intended.
- Oh Canada - booed in Montreal on Ste. Jean Baptiste Day. - It was commissioned by the by the Ste. Jean Baptiste Society years ago because the Maple Leaf Forever was much too British - Oh Canada, now booed by Quebec Nationalists was written by a nationalist to be a nationalist song!
This passage will often get the equivalent to boos by liberated women, but it was written, not to keep women down, but in order to give women freedom to lead in worship, prayer and prophesy.
Review
Cultural situation: Extremely low view of women
Biblical teaching: High view of women - created in God’s image - Gen 1:27, Jesus inclusion of women, the Spirit coming upon women, "Neither male nor female" - Gal 3:28
Problem: Women speaking without veils - appeared immoral may have been temptation to lust for men
Main concern in the passage is irreverence in worship - Women obviously take part fully in the worship - otherwise Paul would not have set out these prescriptions on how it should be done!
Return to the passage to deal with the "theology"
Reasons why to keep the veils on
Reason #1
"Head" vs. 3
Confusing, because Paul uses "head" literally, and metaphorically in this passage, also confusing because the meaning od metaphors change throughout the years.
we use the word to denote leadership - "head of state", head waiter, head of a company - as far as we can see, the word was never used this way in Bible times. The functions of the brain were not known to people when this was written, and many people felt that we thought with our midriff, not our head - the head was thus not the controlling factor.
We have put the wrong meaning onto this word for generations and thus taught wrongly that the husband is the lord of his wife, or that man is the lord of the woman - this verse does not say this.
What did it mean then?
"source", not "lord", but the "origin of her being." Reference is to the creation of humanity - Eve was created from a rib of Adam’s - he was her source of life
To translate the meaning rather than the literal words, would sound like this
"But I want you to realise that Christ is the source of every man, and the husband is the source of his wife, and God is the source of Christ."
We cannot see Christ as separate from God, nor can we see humanity as separate from Christ, because in him all things find their being, in the same way we should not see the wife as separate from her husband, or the woman separate from women.
In fact Paul teaches that we cannot see the husband as separate from his wife either, because in Christ they are not independent of each other (verse 11)
When we speak in the church, we speak in relationship with those who listen, not separate from them. Some men may have had a problem with lusting after an unveiled woman, some men would have been greatly offend by seeing an unveiled woman. Paul is saying that when you speak, you can’t just forget the men in the crowd - they are your source, so keep the veil on.
Today - speak to in relationship with the people in the church - do nothing that will offend, or draw them away from God, but things that will draw people to God.
Reason #2
Disgrace vvs.4-6, 13-15
We talked about this last weak - moral women wore veils, immoral women did not - to not have a veil on was disgraceful - in their culture for a woman to shave her head was also disgraceful - it often meant that she had been caught in adultery, or could mean that her children were rebellious - Paul is saying that if you are going to be a disgraceful as to take off your veils, why not go all the way and shave your heads.
13-15 "nature"
Some people think that in the temples to the fertility gods, the female prostitutes had their hair short, and the male homosexual prostitutes had their hair long, so Paul’s appeal to nature had to do with the unnatural acts that these people were involved with.
Today - veils do not mean the same thing - but we should dress modestly, especially when we speak in the Church, so that peoples eyes are not taken off Jesus, or so they do not get the wrong idea.
Reason #3
"Glory" or "reflection" vvs. 7-9
Paul continues his argument from creation by saying that men should not cover their heads because they are the image and reflection of God, but that women are the reflection of men, and so they should cover their heads.
What it does not say is that women are created in the image of men - that would contradict Gen 1:27 - both are created in the image of God. But for some reason, because Eve was created out of Adam, and after him, Women are the glory of humanity. Women, just by being women, give glory to humanity. And thus, in order not to take away glory given to God in worship, they should remain veiled.
The veil was a sign that she was not giving glory to the creature, but to the creator when she spoke. And so that angels present in worship would understand that this is the intention.
Today: give Glory to God when you speak, never to humans.
Reason #4
"Authority" vs.10
Badly translated verse! - historically
Most literal translation is this "Therefore the woman ought to have authority on her head because of the angels."
It has been translated and understood in the past that she must wear a veil as a sign of her husband’s authority over her. - W.M. Ramsay says this interpretation as "a preposterous idea which a Greek scholar would laugh at anywhere except in the NT."
It actually means almost the opposite - if we take the simplest meaning of the words - the woman should wear a veil when she speaks to show that she has the authority to speak - authority given to her by God, not authority over by her husband.
In the culture of the day women were not even to be seen, never mind heard, but in the Kingdom, there is neither male nor female so woman can speak and should be heard, and her veil represents the new authority given to the woman under the new way to do things which formerly had not been permitted her.
Today - if there are people who the world do not respect those who have been called by God to speak, we should give the a symbol of God’s given authority to speak.
Conclusion:
This passage is not written to keep women down, but as a passage to describe how women are to be involved with the public ministry of the church. Just like men - in right relationship with the church, dressed modestly, giving Glory to God, and perhaps with a sign of authority if need be.
