Long Hair as a Glory and as a Covering Removing an Ambiguity from 1 Cor 11:15

Abstract

Abstract This study addresses the issue of v. 15 in 1 Cor 11:2-16 from the perspective of a veiling custom. If veiling is in view (the position adopted here), then how does one confront the difficulty of reconciling the overall context with the exceptional statement in v. 15 that long hair for a woman is a glory. If, as the text argues, long hair is to be taken as a “glory,” by what logic could a woman understand that she should place a veil upon her head? This article provides a way out of the dilemma by showing how a veil can serve the double function of reflecting the hair’s beauty while at the same time preserving a symbol of female modesty.