In this passage, Paul tells the Church that a man who prays with his head covered dishonors his head, which is Christ, and a woman who prays with her head uncovered dishonors her head, which is man. In addition to telling who should cover and uncover, Paul tells the Church when and why. Was this command rooted in the culture of Paul's day? Was this teaching specific to the Corinthian Church? How did most Christians understand this passage for the first 1900 years since this passage was penned? Should men uncover and women cover today when they pray? We will tackle all these questions in our study of this passage.
For further study:
- Bruce Terry, No Such Custom (an exposition of 1 Cor. 11:2-16)
- Bruce Terry, thesis dissertation on 1 Corinthians (see Chapter 2 for customs on Corinth)
- Michael Marlowe, Headcovering Customs of the Ancient World
- David Bercot, What the Early Christians Believed about the Headcovering
- Tertullian, On the Veiling of Virgins