Christian Pure

Christian Head Covering: What 1 Corinthians 11 Says and Which Churches Keep It

Christian Pure Team

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Published

Summary

  • In 1 Corinthians 11:2–16 Paul says a woman who prays or prophesies should cover her head, and a man should not.
  • His reasons are headship, the creation of Eve in Genesis 2, “because of the angels,” nature and the practice of the churches.
  • Early writers such as Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian and John Chrysostom took the passage as a rule for their own churches.
  • The 1917 Code of Canon Law required Catholic women to cover their heads at Mass; the 1983 Code has no such rule.
  • Amish women and the Mennonites who keep the 1963 confession treat the covering as lasting, and United Pentecostals teach that a woman’s uncut hair is her covering.
  • A 1976 Vatican declaration says the veil rule was “probably inspired by the customs of the period” and no longer binding.

Christian head covering comes from one passage, 1 Corinthians 11:2–16, where Paul tells the Corinthians that a woman should cover her head when she prays or prophesies and a man should not. Christians disagree over whether the rule binds every age or reflected the customs of Paul’s day. Many Orthodox, Amish and Mennonite women still cover their heads. Halfway through the passage Paul does what few teachers do and hands the question to his readers: “Judge for yourselves: is it…

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Bibliography (Click to show)
  • Scripture quotations from the English Standard Version (1 Corinthians 11:2, 3, 4–5, 6, 7–9, 10, 11–12, 13, 15, 16). Other passages described: Hebrews 1:12. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+11%3A1-16&version=ESV
  • 1 Corinthians 11:3–16 in the King James Version, the New International Version and the Revised Standard Version. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+11%3A3-16&version=KJV;NIV;RSV
  • Blue Letter Bible, Strong’s G435 anēr, G1135 gynē, G2619 katakalyptō, G177 akatakalyptos and G4018 peribolaion. https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g4018/kjv/tr/0-1/
  • John Chrysostom, Homily 26 on First Corinthians, New Advent. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/220126.htm
  • Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus), Book 3, chapter 11, New Advent. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/02093.htm
  • Tertullian, On the Veiling of Virgins, New Advent. https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0403.htm
  • “Clement of Alexandria,” Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04045a.htm
  • “St. John Chrysostom,” Catholic Encyclopedia, New Advent. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08452b.htm
  • “Tertullian,” Encyclopaedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tertullian
  • United Pentecostal Church International, Articles of Faith, “Holiness” (Europe Region). https://www.upci.eu/positions/articles-of-faith/
  • David K. Bernard, Practical Holiness: A Second Look, chapter 9, “Hair.” https://s3.amazonaws.com/mychurchwebsite/c2279/hair_-_practical_holiness_david_bernard_1.pdf
  • Mennonite Confession of Faith (1963), “Ceremonies and Practices.” https://skylinemennonite.org/beliefs/confession-of-faith/full-1963-mennonite-confession-of-faith/
  • Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Inter Insigniores, 15 October 1976. https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19761015_inter-insigniores_en.html
  • “Head Coverings for women,” Question and Answer, Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 29 April 2007. https://opc.org/qa.html?question_id=244
  • Matt Fradd, “What Happened to Head Coverings at Mass?,” Catholic Answers, quoting canon 1262 of the 1917 Code of Canon Law. https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/what-happened-to-head-coverings-at-mass
  • Code of Canon Law (1983), canon 6. https://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib1-cann1-6_en.html
  • “Catholic Re-Veiling,” Religion and American Culture, Indiana University Indianapolis, 23 October 2025. https://raac.indianapolis.iu.edu/programs/congregations-and-polarization/cap-news-publications/catholic-re-veiling/
  • Bishop Alexei of Sitka and Alaska, “Modesty, History, Veils, and Head-coverings,” Diocese of Sitka and Alaska, Orthodox Church in America, 18 October 2022. https://odosa.org/news/article-on-headcoverings
  • “Do women need to cover their heads in Orthodox churches?,” St. Michael Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, Beaumont, Texas, 17 December 2025. https://stmichaeltx.org/orthodox-101/worship-services/do-women-need-to-cover-their-heads-in-orthodox-churches/
  • Erik Wesner, “Comparing Amish Women’s Head Coverings,” Amish America, 16 January 2019. https://amishamerica.com/amish-womens-head-coverings/

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