Head Coverings
Question:
I was raised in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and in my experience (or at least my impression of it) was that head covering was an issue of personal conscience. My mother wore a kerchief quite inconsistently, usually to take communion. My current parish (Carpatho Rusyn) is quite similar, although wearing head covering consistently seems to be most prevalent among converts. I might be wrong but my understanding of St. Paul's admonishment to the Corinthians was a response to the practice of head shaving among pagan women who were playing at rebellion and gender bending. St. Paul wanted do make a clear distinction between practices of pagan women and Christian women. Since cultural norms regarding hair are not what they were at the time of St. Paul, i.e. cut hair which is uncovered carries no suggestion of rebellion or gender bending, is it preferable (or even possibly necessary) for women to cover their hair in order to to heed St. Paul's words?
Answer:
Dr. Alexander Roman alex.roman@unicorne.org
You raise a fascinating question!
In 1 Corinthians 11:1-16, St Paul makes a number of comments. With respect to shaving women's heads, there may be a link to pagan practices, but it seems much more likely that he is simply presenting a situation in which a woman, in his time, would be totally dishonoured if she shaved her head. For St Paul, it is dishonourable for a woman not to have her hair covered in Church and bears the same stigma (verse 6).
St Paul goes to to say two things that appear contradictory. He affirms that women should have a "symbol of authority" on their heads to show their "subjection' to man. This he takes from the Old Testament tradition based on the Book of Genesis. Then he goes on to interpret that same tradition in the Light of Christ: "Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman, but all things are from God." So the old way of determining male-domination in terms of Eve coming from Adam's rib is nullified in Christ and it is to be noted that man comes from woman as well. Ultimately, we are from God alone.
But St Paul insists that women have their heads covered when they pray. He affirms that when women have long hair, it is a glory to them and their hair is their covering in the first instance. So the idea of covering hair as a sign of subjection to man has been altered in Christ as a sign of subjection to God alone. Although man is the image and glory of God, and therefore should keep the head uncovered, women have their own glory, apart from men, that is given them directly from God. Therefore women's headcoverings represent their indepedence from man as a result of their Life in Christ. Moreover, man is the image of God, whereas woman is given a token of her glory from God directly.
So rather than see the headcovering as an antiquated sign of subjection, Christian women should see it for what it really is - an actual token of glory from God which is something they have that men don't. Only men who are specially ordained and consecrated to God as higher clergy and bishops may cover their heads in Church!
Headcoverings really are a sign of the freedom and independence from man that women have in God through Christ by the Holy Spirit. With respect to what is done in your parish, you should consult your parish priest about the rules and what the practice is in your parish. If I were a woman, I'd openly flaunt my headcovering to the men in the parish as if to say, "See, you poor fellows, you can't have this!"
