Paul
has just finished talking about avoiding Pagan religious services.
Paul
now begins a discussion that will go up through chapter 14 concerning Christian
religious services.
It
is worth noting that very little is actually known about first century
Christian worship. Most people make
assumptions and these assumptions are based in what they are currently familiar
with. We do not know accurately:
1) The time or
frequency of gatherings (we assume it was Sunday but history tends to say Saturdays
until around 325 AD)
2) The places of gathering (we assume it was homes)
3) The kinds of gatherings (in these chapters we are going to see them meeting for meals, for prayer, for some kind of service. Were these the same gathering or separate?)
4) The leadership’s role (We are used to a pastor leading the service. But these chapters are very different than a liturgical service with a bulletin)
These
are the next three sections concerning church gatherings:
1) head
coverings, praying, prophesying (11:2-16)
2) treatment of the poor at the Lord’s supper (11:17-34)
3) the abuse of speaking in tongues in the assembly (12-14)
The
tongues issue of chapter 12 begins with “now about” which indicates Paul was
responding to a concern in one of their letters.
But
the first two seem to be Paul’s correction of practices that are unfamiliar
with the churches “traditions”
These
verses are difficult because:
1) the flow of
logic is difficult
2) uncertainty about
culture, historical setting and customs which both Paul and the readers understand.
3) Uncertainty
about church services and church systems of this time
4) Uncertainty
about certain words that are very important in the text:
a. Head (3-5)
b. Having down
the head (4)
c. Uncovered (5,
13)
d. Glory (7)
e. Authority over
her head (10)
f.
Because of the angels (10)
g. In the place
of a shawl (15)
h. Such a custom
(16)
11:2
“holding to my teachings, just as I passed them on to you.”
1) “I passed them on” is a translation for is “paredoka”
which means “to deliver over, to pass on.
It is often used to refer to a teacher passing on material which he had
learned.
2) “teaching” is from the word “paradosis” and is a technical term in Judaism for the oral transmission of religious instruction. This word probably does not refer to doctrine but to worship practices.
“I praise you for remembering me in
everything” is setting up 11:17, “In the following directives I have no
praise for you. . .”
The
problem with these words is there is not one example of praise for the
Corinthians. They probably refer to a
general reference to their general structure of their church system and church
service. Some have thought these words
to be sarcastic or a contrast to the covering issue Paul is about to address.
11:3-6 Part
One
“Head”
is used here both metaphorically (HEAD) and literally (head)
“But
I want you to understand that
the HEAD of every man is Christ,
The
man the HEAD of woman
God the HEAD of Christ.
Every
man praying or prophesying having down/against the head
Every woman praying or prophesying uncovered as to the head.
For it is one and the same thing for her to be one who is
shaved.
For if a woman will not be covered, let her also be shorn.
But
if it is disgraceful for her to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered.”
This
is saying the man would shame his “HEAD” if he covered his head.
A
woman is to have her head covered to honor her “HEAD”
“Uncovered”
according to the LXX may refer to “loosed hair”. So to let her hair down in public was a
disgrace. Hair styles were elaborate in
There
was some covering the woman was wearing which is literally called “a
wraparound”
The
traditional answer to this is woman were being
insubordinate to their husbands because of their new-found freedom in Christ.
Thus,
through out these verses Paul is assumed to be telling woman to get back in
line with social order.
The
problem may be more refined and aimed at the “eschatological” woman addressed
in Chapter 7 who were refusing their husbands.
These
same woman were participating in worship with men because in the church they
were seen as equal
11:7-12 Part
Two
11:13-16 Part
Three