For 2000
years in the Orthodox Church, the tradition has been for women and girls to
veil their heads during worship, whether at church for the liturgy, or at home
for family prayer time.
What is
the Scriptural and Patristic evidence for this tradition, and why is it
important?
In this
article, we will take a look at headcoverings in the Old Testament,
headcoverings in the New Testament, headcoverings according to the early
Church, headcoverings in icons, and headcoverings today. At the end of the
article there are links to additional resources for learning about Christian
headcoverings.
Headcoverings in the Old Testament
Centuries
before the birth of Christ, women’s headcoverings were an accepted practice for
God’s people. It was not merely an option for those who wished to be holy.
Rather, it was a matter-of-fact expectation that all women would cover their
heads.
When the
Holy Spirit inspired Moses to pen the first five books of Scripture, women’s
headcoverings were simply assumed to be the normal practice. In the book of
Numbers, when a unique ceremony is performed that requires an uncovered head,
Scripture makes a point to say that the woman’s headcovering needs to be
removed:
“the priest shall stand the woman before the
Lord, uncover the woman’s head, and put the offering for remembering in her
hands” (Numbers 5:18)
Of
course, such a requirement would make little sense, if women did not normally
keep their heads covered.
Even
earlier than this, in the book of Genesis, we read about Rebekah, on a journey
to meet her future husband, Isaac:
Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she
saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel; for she had said to the servant, “Who
is this man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my
master.” So she took a veil and covered herself. (Genesis
24:64-65)
Her godly
discretion is a model for women today. She did not flaunt her physical beauty.
Rather, she veiled herself, increasing her allure through an outward display of
modesty.
Women’s
headcoverings can also be found in the story of Susanna. It is the captivating
story of a beautiful, virtuous woman who was falsely accused, and later
vindicated by the wisdom of young Daniel. Susanna wore a veil that covered not
only her head, but her face as well. Scripture looks disapprovingly upon the
removal of her veil:
Now Susanna was exceeding delicate, and
beautiful to behold. But those wicked men commanded that her face should be uncovered,
(for she was covered,) that so at least they might be satisfied with her
beauty. Therefore her friends and all her acquaintance wept. (The Story of
Susanna / Daniel 13:31-33)
In this
passage of Scripture, virtuous people approve of women’s headcoverings and
veils, while ungodly men seek their removal.
Headcoverings in the New Testament
Women’s
headcoverings are one of the many points of similarity between Israel and the
Church. Godly women had covered their heads for thousands of years prior to the
advent of Christ. And when the New Testament Church was born, godly women
continued the practice.
In St.
Paul’s first epistle to the church in Corinth, he instructs everyone to follow
the holy traditions which have been received:
Now, I praise you, brethren, that you
remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. (1 Corinthians 11:2)
Women’s
headcoverings are one of the holy traditions which the Church had received, and
St. Paul spends the next several paragraphs discussing them. He says that
headcoverings manifest honor, in the context of worship:
Every man
praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. (1 Corinthians 11:4)
Every
woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head. (1 Corinthians 11:5)
The
message is pretty clear: It is honorable
for a woman to wear headcoverings during worship, but it is dishonorable for
men to wear them. This is why men remove their hats for prayer, even to this
day.
Not
content to make his point only once, St. Paul reiterates himself a few verses
later. Women are to cover their heads, and men are not to do so:
A man
indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but
woman is the glory of man. (1 Corinthians 11:7)
The woman
ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. (1 Corinthians 11:10)
The Old
Testament reveals that this holy tradition is ancient, but it only begins to
hint at the reasons.
Here in
the New Testament, we are given some reasons for the practice. According to 1
Corinthians 11, headcoverings manifest a woman’s honor. They also are important
“because of the angels”.
Angels
are present with us when we pray, and when we worship. While we may not fully
understand why headcoverings are important to the angels, it is sufficient for
us to know that this reason is given in Scripture. If Scripture says that
women’s headcoverings are important to the angels, then it is something we
should take seriously.
Headcoverings according to the Early Church
Fathers
St. John
Chrysostom (d. A.D. 407), in a sermon at the Feast of the Ascension, spoke both
of angels and the veiling of women:
“The angels are present here . . . Open the
eyes of faith and look upon this sight. For if the very air is filled with
angels, how much more so the Church! . . . Hear the Apostle teaching this, when
he bids the women to cover their heads with a veil because of the presence of
the angels.”
Origen,
another prominent teacher in the early Church, said,
“There are angels in the midst of our
assembly . . . we have here a twofold Church, one of men, the other of angels .
. . And since there are angels present . . . women, when they pray, are ordered
to have a covering upon their heads because of those angels. They assist the
saints and rejoice in the Church.”
The
Apostolic Tradition was written in the second century, and the author is
believed to be St. Hippolytus of Rome. This book has instructions for
catechumens, including this:
“And let all the women have their heads
covered with an opaque cloth . . .”
And St.
Cyril of Alexandria, commenting on First Corinthians, wrote:
“The angels find it extremely hard to bear if
this law [that women cover their heads] is disregarded.”
Headcoverings in Icons
Icons in
the Orthodox Church are a visual guide to the Faith, a sort of “picturebook” of
Christianity. Icons teach us about the life, death, and resurrection of Christ,
and about the lives of many Christians who have gone before us.
Icons
also teach us about headcoverings.
Virtually
every icon of an Orthodox woman displays her wearing a headcovering. As far as
I know, the only exception is St. Mary of Egypt, and she was a solitary saint
who lived alone in the desert, far away from any people.
Among the
female saints who participated in society, all of them wore headcoverings, and
their headcoverings are shown in icons.
Even Mary
the Mother of God–the most blessed woman in the entire universe–is shown in
icons, wearing a headcovering.
Can you
think of a better role-model for women?
Headcoverings Today
In our
church, all women and girls are asked to wear headcoverings, in obedience to
God’s command in Scripture, and out of respect for the holy traditions of the
Orthodox Church. Just inside the front door of the church, we keep a basket of
headcoverings, just in case a woman forgets hers at home and needs to borrow
one for the day. Headcoverings are also worn at home, during family prayer
time.
While
honoring God’s direction is a reward unto itself, there are many other benefits
as well. For example:
Headcoverings
manifest a woman’s honor. As St. Paul points out in Scripture, a woman brings
honor to herself by covering her head during prayer.
Headcoverings
encourage humility. Godly women come to church to focus on worship, not to draw
attention to themselves. A girl may be tempted to show off an attractive
hairdo. When a woman wears a headcovering, this temptation is removed. She can
focus on prayer, instead of on hair.
Headcoverings
save time. In today’s culture, it can be tempting to spend a lot of time and
energy on hairstyles. But headcoverings are quick and easy. It takes a lot less
time to put on a headcovering, than it does to prepare a hairdo for display.
Headcoverings
help us show love and consideration for our brothers. Godly men come to church
to focus on worship. But the flowing locks of beautiful woman can be
distracting. By veiling her hair, a woman can display her modesty, and remove
an unnecessary distraction.
A
mainstream theological journal recently published an article about women’s headcoverings.
Soon after, the author of the article became a member of the Orthodox Church.
In the article, she beautifully illustrates the iconic purpose of
headcoverings:
“My wearing a head covering is not only a
symbol or sign that I am in agreement with His order, but that I visibly,
willingly submit to it. With submission comes blessing.” (Christa Conrad)
In an
issue of The Handmaiden, a lady named Elizabet gives her testimony about
wearing headcoverings:
For twelve years I have worn a scarf
[headcovering] at all times. I now perceive that it has been—and continues to
be—essential for the pilgrim journey and salvation of my soul. The bottom line
for me—and a growing number of my sisters—remains obedience. And with it comes
a sense of being in our rightful place in God’s ordered universe, rejoicing
with the angels. Now I gratefully say, “I am!” in the presence of the great I
AM—at prayer and in church, surrounded by the angelic host, worshipping our
Lord and King. To God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be the glory, now and ever
and unto ages of ages. Amen!
By Fr Joseph Gleason
Source: https://theorthodoxlife.wordpress.com/2014/02/04/womens-headcoverings/
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