Verse 10 and the phrase “a woman ought to have power on her head” is at the centre of 1 Cor. 11:2-16. It’s the crux of the passage. What did Paul mean here? And what does “because of the angels” mean?
In Part 3, I focus on 1 Cor. 11:7-9 and corresponding verses. Why did Paul say man is the image and glory of God, and woman was made for man?
In Part 2, I continue looking at 1 Cor. 11:2-16, especially at 1 Cor. 11:4-6. Was Paul’s concern head coverings or hairstyles?
This is Part 1 of a talk I gave in August on 1 Cor. 11:2-16. This passage includes the phrase, “the head of woman is the man.”
A short discussion on the adjective akatakalyptos and the verb katakalyptō (“cover”) used in 1 Corinthians 11:2–16.
In his book, The Bible vs. Biblical Womanhood, Philip Payne outlines 3 reasons why Paul’s concern in 1 Cor. 11:2–16 was not head coverings for women, but hairstyles.
In part 2, I look at the two texts Troy Martin uses to support his “testicle” idea, at ancient Jewish texts that mention the Watchers, and at what Paul meant by “nature teaches” (1 Cor. 11:14).
With some trepidation, I critique Troy Martin’s idea that peribolaion means testicle in 1 Cor. 11:15 and his idea that Paul thought hair is a conduit of semen.
In this article, I provide an overview of how Paul uses the word kephalē (“head”) in his letters, and I give a brief note on each verse that contains the word.
Here are some first-century Greek texts that use the word kephalē (“head”). They show how the word was used in Paul’s day.
Here are a few excerpts from a chapter written by Judith Gundry that are helpful in understanding Paul’s arguments and use of creation in 1 Cor. 11:2-16.
Paul said in 1 Cor. 11:10 that a woman should have “authority on her head.” Whose authority is it?
in 1 Cor. 11:14-15, Paul says that nature is a teacher of hair lengths or hairstyles for men and women. What did he mean by “nature”?
In this article, I give a brief overview of how I read 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. This passage includes the phrase, “the head of woman is man.”
Here are six 30-minute videos where Kenneth Bailey discusses the topic of women in the New Testament. Dr Bailey was a scholar of the New Testament in its Middle Eastern context.
Do women need to cover their heads in church meetings? What does Paul say about this in 1 Cor. 11:2–16? What were the customs of head coverings in Corinth?
The creation order given in Genesis 2 is often brought up in discussions about ministry and marriage. What significance did Paul place on man being created first?
Does 1 Corinthians 11:7 express superiority of men over women. Is this what is meant by “man … is the image and glory of God but woman is the glory of man”? Here’s a different interpretation.
Here are interpretations of 1 Corinthians 11:7 (man … is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man) from past & present scholars.
The Greek word for “head” rarely, if ever, meant “leader” in works originally written in Greek in Paul’s time. Here are four facts that support this claim.
Was Paul concerned about women’s hair or veils in ancient Corinth? Would he be concerned about it in 21st-century Sydney? I wrote this piece in response to teaching at the Equip 17 women’s conference.
In this very short post, Matthew Malcolm shows that Paul has a keen interest in setting up hierarchies of human honour and then subverting them by subjecting all humans to God.
How are we to understand “man was not created for woman, but woman for man”? Does 1 Corinthians 11:9 indicate that service or submission is the role of women and not men?
Ignoring or highlighting the word “likewise” makes a big difference in how we understand certain New Testament passages that affect women.
1 Corinthians 11:2-16 is a difficult passage to understand, but it makes more sense when read as a chiasm. What are Paul’s concerns and instructions here?
Does Paul’s statement in Ephesians 5:23, “the husband is the head of the wife,” mean that the husband has leadership or authority over his wife? And what about 1 Corinthians 11:3?
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© 2022 Marg Mowczko