Headship, head coverings, and glory – what was Paul thinking in 1 Cor. 11? (Part 4: How I understand it)

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My best guess for explaining the passage

I think – but do not teach – that Paul was probably responding to things the Corinthians wrote to him here. (See 1 Cor. 7:1 for evidence Paul was speaking, in the latter part of 1 Corinthians, of some things they wrote to him about.)
He is probably quoting the contradictory views among them, views they probably argued (see “contentious” in vs. 16) about. And then, at the end of stating (mocking?) the way their views contradict each other, Paul gives this message: “Women should have authority on their own heads … Decide for yourself… I say this to anyone who wants to argue.”

In my view, Paul’s message (after quoting the Corinthians) is:

10 It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own head, because of the angels.

Because all your contradictory arguments come to no conclusion, and believers will judge angels one day, sure women could decide for themselves what to wear on their heads.

Headship, head coverings, and glory – what was Paul thinking in 1 Cor. 11? (Part 2: Why this may have been an issue, and one mistake to avoid)

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How the culture(s) of Corinth probably made head coverings a dilemma for women:

I read elsewhere that men had these 2 messages about head wear: Jewish men wore something on their heads when praying as a sign that their sin stands between them and God. The Christian message is about Jesus forgiving sin, nothing standing between us and God, so Christians should not follow their example for headgear under prayer. Male temple prostitutes in Corinth had long hair, and obviously Christians should show their religion is not like those religions. That made it pretty clear what men in that world should have on their heads when going to church: Short hair, no extra head wear. Anything else sent out the wrong message.

Women, on the other hand, allegedly got mixed messages in that multicultural society. One message said women are more respectable covered up.

Headship, head coverings, and glory – what was Paul thinking in 1 Cor. 11? (Part 1: Apparent contradictions)

A woman writes to a columnist at a Christian magazine, which hosts an advice column called Wisdom from the Word.

Dear Wisdom from the Word

I read in the Bible that women should cover their heads. I also read that the husband is the head of the wife. How should I live out this passage?

From Christian Wife

The columnist at Wisdom from the Word answers her: