Runny nose

Why do women cover their heads in church? Why you can’t go to church with your head uncovered.

HEAD COVERING

Covering the head in public places was considered a common custom in many ancient cultures. For a decent woman to appear in public without a headdress was considered shameful and indecent. It was a similar disgrace for a woman to cut her hair. A woman had to grow her hair all her life and no haircuts were allowed.

This is quite understandable to the residents of Russia. In Rus' this custom also took place. Appearing in public or allowing yourself to be seen by a stranger without a covered head was shame and disgrace for a woman. This is well reflected in the well-known word expressing shame and disgrace - “to be a fool”, i.e. allow yourself to be seen without a covered head, with “bare hair.” Generally accepted standards of decency required a woman to have her hair uncut and to cover her hair whenever she went outside the home.

The Apostle, touching on this issue, also refers not to the texts of Scripture, but to the realities of culture and standards of decency. Paul writes: “Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is as if she had been shaven” (1 Cor. 11:5).

Today, women in most countries, including Russia, can walk down the street and be in public places without a headdress. This is not perceived as indecent behavior, since modern culture does not have such a criterion of decency.

Moreover, the apostle states that “if a woman does not want to cover herself, then let her have her hair cut; But if it is a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her cover herself” (1 Cor. 11:6)

Cut your hair and walk with bareheaded were equivalent indecent acts, so Paul connects them together. If a woman cuts her hair, then it is as much a shame for her as walking around with her head uncovered. Today we cut our hair and this applies to both men and women. However, if we want to literally observe the texts of this message, then we must also accept that it is indecent and shameful for a woman to cut her hair. Despite this, churches are full of Christian women with haircuts and no one thinks of condemning them for immorality. I want to emphasize once again that both of these actions (bare head and haircut), in equally are immoral and shameful from the point of view of ancient culture.

Therefore, Paul again and again makes “cultural” rather than divine arguments in favor of this practice: “Judge for yourselves, is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Doesn’t nature itself teach you ... if a wife grows hair, it is an honor for her, since hair was given to her instead of a veil?” (1 Cor. 11:13-15)

He refers to “decency”, “nature”, calls on the Christians of Corinth to “judge for themselves” and not oppose generally accepted practice.

At the conclusion of his argument, he relies on the tradition of covering the head as his final argument: “And if anyone wants to argue, we have no such custom, neither do the churches of God” (1 Cor. 1 1:16). Custom, decency, nature - these are the grounds for observing this practice, from the point of view of the Apostle Paul.

Reading his reasoning, we can come to the conclusion that in the community of Corinth, some women, as “free in Christ” from the customs of the world, decided to abandon the accepted standards of decency and not cover their heads. The Apostle is trying to convince them that Christians should not abandon all cultural norms and should be decent people in their society.

This Christian principle still applies today. Obviously, if from the point of view of the culture of the 21st century Christian women look indecent and immoral, then this is unlikely to correspond Christian principles. In those eastern countries, where the generally accepted standard of decency for a woman is to cover the entire body and head, Christian women must also comply with this, so that the name of Christ is not reproached and so that they and their faith are not perceived as immoral. That is, in all countries of the world, we, as Christians, must be decent people and not violate the moral norms of society, if this does not contradict the Word of God.

In conclusion, I would like to note that covering the head in ancient world there wasn't religious rule, and concerned everyday life in society. In all public places, a woman must have her head covered, and accordingly, the same in church. If today's standards of decency in our country required that a woman always cover her head and never cut her hair, then Christian women would need to adhere to this, since it would be decent.

Today, Christian women of all continents and countries should be a model of decency and morality for the entire society. But the thing is that in different countries These standards of decency are different. Therefore, Christians in different countries are different - faithful to God and faithful to the norms of decency of their society, if they do not contradict the first.

Should women cover their heads in church today? According to Paul, in a culture where this is a mandatory custom for all women, this must be done. In other cultures this is not necessary. There are women around you cutting hair and walking with bare heads and this is not considered immoral and indecent? If so, then you do not need to cover your head, either on the street or in church.

My somewhat militant mood began to soften as soon as I entered the small wooden church on Staronavodnitskaya, in close proximity to multi-storey buildings. Along the perimeter of the church there were... children's sofas and tables with toys, and a blue-eyed, smiling man in a beautiful cassock, even exquisite in cut and fabric, came out to meet me.

Father Oleg, the problems of the Orthodox Church, which prides itself on its orthodoxy, are known. Are they interfering with your mission?

They do not affect my ministry in any way and do not interfere with me at all. In the first minutes of meeting my interlocutor remains captive of the stereotypes that you have in mind, but then a conversation of heart and trust begins. I am used to judging myself, condemning myself and cultivating love and the ability to give. And I teach my assistants to work in our projects based on the main criterion - love. And love helps to destroy everything negative, including stereotypes. When I first came as a preacher to the maternity hospital, nurses and women in labor asked if I was a Baptist or a Catholic. Our projects are designed not only to help people in the name of the Lord, but also to rid them of stereotypes regarding our Church.

- Projects - modern concept, sounds a little strange coming from a priest.

And again the stereotype (smiles). But seriously, we don’t have many projects: a children’s club “ Sunday school", veterans' club "Connection of Generations", youth social service. Service in the maternity hospital occupies a special place among all social initiatives. In 2002, for the first time in Ukraine, a temple was created in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Helper in Childbirth” within the walls of the maternity hospital. It has become a place of spiritual and psychological assistance to pregnant women, women in labor and staff. At first it was my daily priestly service, and then the All-Ukrainian charitable organization “Mother and Nemovlya” was created. Its goal is to prevent early social orphanhood and create mother and child centers. This project has transformed into one of the areas of state humanitarian policy, and today there are already 16 such centers in Ukraine. After all, boarding schools are a relic of the past, a breeding ground for subjects of criminal law.
Our modest magazine “Dome” is also a project, but an educational, missionary one, in which we talk about God as a source of love. The motto of our pastoral and social ministry is “Take care of life for Happiness.” I will say exclusively for “PL”: “God” and “Happiness” are synonyms, so I always write the word “Happiness” with capital letter.

- It seems that you have a secular, in particular legal, education.

Yes, in addition to the Kyiv Theological Academy, I graduated from the Kyiv National University them. T. Shevchenko, majoring in jurisprudence. In general, I really like to study. And today there is a clear shortage of students in society; everyone wants to be a teacher (smiles). But, in essence, the point is not in education, but in the extent to which a person can hear the Creator and broadcast what the Lord dictates. After all, no matter how beautiful the donkey that carried Christ to Jerusalem was, it was not the donkey who was honored, but the Lord, it was to Him that the children shouted: “Hosanna!”
My modest knowledge of science is the discovery of the Lord in any field, based on the value system set out in the Gospels. Although I consider it very important to cooperate between the state and the church as subjects of law in social sphere. The church is separated from the state, but, being a social institution, cannot be abstracted from state institutions.

- However, the interaction between church and state should reasonably be considered in the context of “moral - immoral.” After all, any church, including the Orthodox, has always collaborated with the state. And this negative stereotype in public consciousness quite explainable.
- Just yesterday I was at the Ministry of Internal Affairs at a round table where they discussed the regulations on children's reception centers. I proposed making a number of changes to this provision: changing the name itself, since it is associated with coercion and violence, and organizing rooms for spiritual and psychological assistance in such reception centers. My proposal was supported unanimously, and now I am preparing a project for organizing these rooms. Here is an example of a completely moral interaction.

- Do you profess the theory of small things?
- This “small matter” has a deep conceptual justification: the unification of a variety of social institutions around the problem. If we unite around a problem, and not around religious beliefs, society can be changed for the better. I have spoken about this more than once, including at the official level.

Nevertheless, people do not trust anyone: the state cooperates with the church to strengthen control and obtain information, priests violate the secret of confession by collaborating with the administrative apparatus of power.

All sociological research they talk about the opposite - about trust in the church. In today's conditions, the state is obliged to interact with religious organizations in the matter of social service. None regulations are not able to change a person’s inner beliefs. We can regulate relationships in the social, political, public spheres with codes, but not in spiritual and intimate life. Of course, the state should not use the church for selfish purposes; a conscious, responsible government should ask the church to help it.

All this is correct, even axiomatic. But is the UOC-MP ready to become closer to people and move away from rigid orthodox canons?

Certainly. On one of the television talk shows I was asked how the church would treat a woman who was raped and became unclean, and I answered: if she comes to me, I will hug her, kiss her and tell her that I was waiting for her.

It would be strange if the priest pushed the victim away, because such a woman is a victim of violence. But what to do with the militant intolerance of the UOC-MP towards believers of other faiths? categorical prohibitions on trousers in church, refusal to remember in prayers those of other faiths, suicides, parishioners of the Kyiv Patriarchate, and even rebaptism?!

Today I forgot to take a scarf to cover my head, but you allowed me to go into the temple.

It is better to enter the temple with your head uncovered than not to enter at all! In our temple, a person should feel the spirit of love, not law. It is much easier to live by law than by love, because love is forgiveness, a kind attitude towards someone who has done you harm. This is compassion for the sinful state of another, prayer for him. But the most highest degree love is not compassionate, but co-rejoicing. I rejoice in the success of your magazine, but I pray that you can bear the weight of responsibility that comes with success. It is much easier to be public in front of people than in front of God.

Should you cover your head in church or not? Why is there a difference for men and women?

Apparently here we're talking about about the First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. In chapter 11, Paul spoke about the need for women to cover their heads when praying:

“Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her own head.”(1 Cor. 11.5).

The answer to a similar question has already been given earlier in the material. However, now we will approach this topic from a slightly different direction.

Today in many Christian churches they literally understand the words of the apostle and strictly follow his instructions. In a number of faiths, women do not wear headscarves, which raises questions among some believers: what is the right thing to do?

Let's look at the words of the Apostle Paul together.

First of all, let us remember that Bible verses often cannot be understood as separate independent phrases, that is, taken out of the context of the narrative. All messages are complete sermons of the apostles and prophets and consist of complete passages - parts of a sermon. Moreover, these passages (parts of the sermon) rarely correspond to the division into chapters, which was adopted centuries after the books of the Bible were written. Also, when interpreting Scripture, historical and geographical specifics must be taken into account.

In chapter 11 of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, from verse 2, Paul begins admonishing the Christians of Corinth about the inside church rules life and behavior. This topic will last until chapter 14 inclusive.

Paul began by explaining the “primacy”: the head of the wife is the husband, the head of the husband is Christ, and the head of Christ is God. Here we are not talking about leadership as such, but about who comes from whom, and who plays what role. Jesus the Son is from God the Father, a wife from the bones of her husband. In Hebrew, husband sounds ish, and wife ishsha, that is, having a common part with her husband. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that a woman is a “second-class” person. Vice versa, Scripture immediately says that both woman and man are called by God the same way - man:

“And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; He created THEM man and woman” (Gen. 1:27)

But the roles of people, as well as the faces of the Divine, are different. Christ the Son descended to Earth, that is, he fulfilled the role assigned to Him... Among people, a woman has always been the keeper of the hearth, caring for the household and raising children. The husband was responsible for feeding the family and had a priestly function, since he had more relations with the outside world. However, this neither before nor now does not diminish or lower the status of a woman before God and her husband. According to the Bible, women enjoyed great freedom and respect. She acted not only as a wife, mother and housekeeper, but also as a judge (Deborah), a prophetess (Mariam), a wise counselor (2 Sam. 14:2; 20:16) and even the embodiment of heroism (Esther).

However, there must be order in everything. That is why God leaves a certain primacy to the husband. But this applies, I repeat, to the roles that the Lord has provided for a full-fledged happy marriage. Today there are families where men lie on the sofa, and women take on the role of breadwinner... Also now there is a feminist movement in the world that advocates for the equality of women. If you are careful and look at the lives of such ladies, you will see that they often do not have happy life... Instead of being looked after by a beloved man, to bask in his arms, to hide behind his broad back... These ladies themselves play the role of men, but at the same time they lose the joy of being weak woman, that is, the advantages of the fairer sex. Although, probably, many feminists have more than once wanted to find a “real” man in order to become a “real” woman...

So, having understood the roles a little, we can return to the topic of covering the head. Pavel noted that “every husband, praying or prophesying with covered head, shames his head"(1 Cor. 11:4), and he had the opposite requirement for a woman... It is obvious that cause such instruction also lies in the roles.

If you carefully read the entire part of the sermon devoted to head covering and primacy, it is not difficult to notice that Paul never once referred to the Old Testament Scripture and did not even hint that this decree was from God and related to His law - the commandments. Instead, Paul seeks argumentation from nature (vv. 13-15), which is not typical for a theologian of this caliber... And he concludes by saying that he simply will not argue on this topic. It seems that this was due to the fact that he simply did not have theological arguments, but he felt that he was thinking correctly.

Indeed, in the entire vast Holy Scripture with its numerous commandments (the Jews count 613 commandments in God’s law), there is not a single word about prayer with a covered and, accordingly, with an open head, especially in relation to believers of different sexes. At the very least, it is strange that there is no commandment to cover the head, because if it were important, then the Lord would certainly have left such instructions for people. But in Scripture we find a description of the traditions that took place among those peoples.

“The Lord will strip the crowns of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will lay bare their shame.”(Isa. 3:17)

God, warning about punishment, uses here the traditions of the people to whom he is addressing in order to convey His thought to them in a language understandable to people.

A distinctive feature of life in the East is the modest clothing of women, covering almost the entire body. And a special role is assigned to the headdress. It was so before, and it remains so to this day. We are not talking about the hijab, but about covering the head. Decent women of the East could not leave the house with their heads uncovered, that is, with their hair down. And vice versa, hetaeras and public women at pagan temples, including Corinth, walked with their hair down. I would like to note that this was not only the case in Eastern countries. And in Russia, it was not decent for women to take off their headdress or let their hair down outside the home; they had to at least be tied up in a bun with a scarf or ribbon woven into it. Hence the expression “to make a fool of yourself” - to disgrace yourself, to disgrace yourself, being left in front of the people with your head uncovered.

Now, I think it is clear why Paul insisted on women wearing head coverings in the prayer meeting where they pray and prophesy (preach). Church meetings were public place, not a house. And therefore, when some ladies, dreaming of the preached freedom in Christ “there is no longer... male or female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28), began to neglect the moral norms accepted in society, and Despite the opinions of others, they began to take off their hats, but they met with opposition from Pavel! What was the apostle defending here when he forbade such behavior for women?

It's very simple. Paul preached to people of different nationalities and different religions, and in spreading the Gospel he tried to be closer to people, without violating their foundations, as much as this did not contradict the law of God. A little earlier than the passage we are studying, he wrote to the Corinthians:

“To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might win the Jews; to those under the law he was as one under the law, in order to gain those under the law; for those who are alien to the law - as someone who is alien to the law - not being a stranger to the law before God... This is what I do for the Gospel” (1 Cor. 9:20-23)

That is, Paul took into account the mentality of the people to whom he wanted to tell about God. Imagine the situation that today a young girl, wearing a light top and short shorts, with her hair down to her waist, comes to one of the countries of the East and walks the streets talking about Jesus Christ.

Such a picture can be seen on the streets of European cities... But in the East, trouble awaits this girl. And of course, her preaching about Christ will not be heard. Moreover, these people will harbor hostility toward Jesus for allowing young women to dress in such inappropriate ways. Such examples can be continued for a long time, recalling the peculiarities of life of the peoples of Africa, Asia, etc. Each locality has its own traditions and its own concepts of what is beautiful, decent, and what, on the contrary, is immoral. And of course, it is difficult for a person to quickly change his mentality - the views with which he grew up and lived for decades... Therefore, Paul called for taking into account the culture of the people when bringing the Gospel to them, but within the framework of the law of God “not being a stranger to the law before God”.

By forbidding the women of Corinth to remove their head coverings in the congregation, Paul shows that Christians do not need to reject the boundaries of social decency, even if they are not based on literally God's. That is, Christians are not free from moral standards and must be an example and example in the environment where they live, so that as much as possible more people lead to God and save. If Christians are perceived in society as “uncultured” people, rebels who trample generally accepted values, then neither the church nor God will benefit from this, nor will these people themselves. It is not difficult to understand that a person will then be listened to when, from the point of view of society, he sets a high example.

Now, as for covering the heads of men... When discussing these texts, one thing is clear - we do not have complete information about this situation. But, apparently, the readers - Christians of Corinth - understood the apostle well. Apparently, at that time, there was some kind of secular or religious dispute about this. Perhaps Paul was against the introduction by the Jews of the tradition, beyond those established by the Holy Scriptures, of praying, covering the head with a tallit or kippah. The problem with Judaism is that believers supplemented the written law of God with an oral law, which they placed on a par with the revelations of God Himself. Therefore, Paul, as Jesus and the prophets taught, was against traditions added to the Scriptures. And when Christians began to adopt such a religious cult from the Jews, probably considering the head covering God's law, Paul opposed this.

So, we can conclude: when speaking about the primacy and the difference between the attire of a man and a woman, the apostle meant order in the community and in the family of believers. Paul wanted Christians to be models for the surrounding pagans, particularly by promoting the biblical ideal of relationships in community and family. The apostle also explained that customs, traditions and cultural characteristics that do not contradict the commandments of God should not be rejected by believers, without, naturally, overshadowing the law of the Lord.

Konstantin Chumakov, Valery Tatarkin

Girls and girls did not cover their heads because the veil was a sign of special status married woman(which is why, according to tradition, an unmarried...

Going to the temple of God with a woman's head covered is an ancient Christian custom, based on the words of the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians: “... a wife should have on her head a sign of authority over her, for the Angels.” The Apostle Paul argues in his letter that a woman who prays with her head uncovered disgraces her head, for it is also as if it were shaved. The idea that only a married woman should cover her head is clearly expressed by the apostle in the words: “So, a husband should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God; and the wife is the glory of the husband; and man was not created for the wife, but the woman for the man” (1 Cor. 7-9). The covering on the head of a married woman, says the apostle, is a sign for the Angels, that is, that she is married. Therefore, on all ancient icons only virgins are depicted with uncovered heads, which speaks of the custom of the Church to cover a woman’s head only after marriage.

HEAD COVERING

Covering the head in public was considered a common custom in many ancient cultures. For a decent woman to appear in public without a headdress was considered shameful and indecent. It was a similar disgrace for a woman to cut her hair. A woman had to grow her hair all her life and no haircuts were allowed.

The Apostle, touching on this issue, also refers not to the texts of Scripture, but to the realities of culture and standards of decency. Paul writes: “Every woman who prays or...

There is no obligation for a woman to enter an Orthodox church with her head covered.
This is not an obligation, but a historical tradition and recommendations of the Apostle Paul. Moreover, tradition can be the opposite. For example, in Greece Orthodox churches Women are required to enter without a headdress (!) This approach to a woman’s covered head was developed by the Greeks during the national liberation struggle against the Turks.
And moreover, in Ukraine there is a temple - in Akhtyrka (Sumy region) - where, according to their tradition, women enter the temple with their heads uncovered, since in this temple the image of the Mother of God with her head uncovered is kept.
— Priest Georgy spoke about all this today on radio “Era.”
— And when asked why women are not allowed into certain churches by grandmothers if she does not have a headscarf, Father George answered with some irritation: we know about this problem, that some ministers are trying to impose their vision of faith in God, and we are trying to fight it. And, in general, it is better to come to God uncovered...

The tradition of covering one's head in church is not a law, but a persistent recommendation of the Holy Apostle Paul. According to his Epistle to the Corinthians, a man should pray with his head uncovered, and a woman with her head covered. Since ancient times women's hair were considered one of the most expressive elements of female attractiveness, and this was a counterbalance to modesty, one of the signs of which was covered hair.

Even in the pre-Christian era, hetaeras in Greece walked with uncovered hair, and family women they had to express their belonging to their husband by covering their heads, thereby showing that they belonged to their husband.

Where did the tradition of covering women's heads in church come from?

According to the instructions of the apostle appearance a believer, regardless of gender, must be restrained and modest, and cannot be a source of temptation or embarrassment. A believer in a temple should be in the mood for prayer, express with his appearance respect and reverence for the holiness of the temple and what is happening in it...

11.09.2014

Since ancient times, a woman goes to the temple with her head covered - this is ancient custom, which originated from the words of the Apostle Paul. The apostle said that a wife should have a symbol on her head that signifies authority over her. This is necessary, first of all, for Angels.

This is where the tradition of covering one's head when entering a church arose. According to the apostle, if a woman prays with her head uncovered, it is shameful. An uncovered head is equivalent to a shaved head. With these words the apostle emphasized the shamefulness of clothing modern women who show their body. A man has the right to go to church with his head open.

By the way, in ancient culture the head was covered as a sign of modesty. Hair at that time was considered the most striking attribute of female attractiveness and beauty. Family women were not able to walk around with their hair down, and were required to wear a headdress such as a scarf. The headscarf was an indicator that the woman was busy and belonged...

From time immemorial, women wear headscarves to church. Even skirts are now considered not as important an attribute as a scarf on the head - they say that it is better to go to the temple in jeans, but with a headdress, than in a skirt and without it. Why do women cover their heads in church, and what is the tradition of wearing a headscarf in church connected with?

The legend of scarves and skirts in the church

There is a legend about scarves and long skirts in church. They say that in the ancient world people came to the temple in whatever they had to wear. And God wasn’t too pleased about it.

Therefore, God sent a vision to one of the young girls and said: “If you go to the temple with your head covered and long skirt, your prayers will be heard, because an Angel will be assigned to you to help. But how else will he recognize you if you are not different from other girls?

As was to be expected, the next day the girl came to the temple in a long skirt and a headscarf, and when her friends asked why she dressed up so strangely...

Why is it forbidden for a woman to enter churches and monasteries in trousers and with her head uncovered?

There is appropriate clothing for every task: evening dress you will not go to the stadium, and in a tracksuit to the theater. There is also a tradition of appropriate attire when visiting temples, and especially monasteries.

The purpose of visiting church is prayer. And according to the Holy Scriptures, a woman should pray with her head covered. It is very good that now in many churches and monasteries you can get a scarf at the entrance.

Regarding trousers, Scripture requires women to wear women's clothing, and men - into men's. Therefore, it is better for a woman who is specifically going to go to the temple to wear a skirt of the appropriate length.

In all cases, we must try to respect the pious traditions of our people and our Church, because, as they say, you don’t go to someone else’s monastery with your own charter.

But if a person came to the temple for the first time or suddenly had a...

This tradition dates back to deep Christian antiquity, namely to apostolic times. At that time, every married, respectable woman covered her head when leaving the house. Head veil, which, for example, we see on icons Mother of God, indicated the woman’s marital status. This head covering meant that she was not free, that she belonged to her husband. To “bar” a woman’s crown or loosen her hair meant to humiliate or punish her (see: Isa. 3:17; cf. Num. 5:18).

Harlots and vicious women demonstrated their belonging to their special kind activities without covering their heads.

The husband had the right to divorce his wife without returning her dowry if she appeared on the street bare-haired, this was considered an insult to her husband.

Girls and young women did not cover their heads, because the veil was a sign of the special status of a married woman (which is why, according to tradition, an unmarried virgin can enter the temple without a head...

Apparently, here we are talking about the First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians. In chapter 11, Paul spoke about the need for women to cover their heads when praying:

“Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered disgraces her own head” (1 Cor. 11.5).

The answer to a similar question has already been given earlier in the material “Can a woman pray with her head uncovered?” However, now we will approach this topic from a slightly different direction.

Today, many Christian churches take the words of the apostle literally and strictly follow his instructions. In a number of faiths, women do not wear headscarves, which raises questions among some believers: what is the right thing to do?

Let's look at the words of the Apostle Paul together.

First of all, let us remember that Bible verses often cannot be understood as separate independent phrases, that is, taken out of the context of the narrative. All messages are integral sermons of the apostles and prophets and consist of complete passages - parts...

According to various surveys, in Russia from 60 to 80 percent of the population consider themselves Orthodox. Of these, only 6-7 percent are churchgoers. Many Russians, unfortunately, do not even know how to behave in an Orthodox church.

1. Men are not allowed to enter church wearing a hat.
Apostle Paul 1 Corinthians 11:4-5: “Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered disgraces his own head.”

2. A woman, on the contrary, should not enter the temple with her head uncovered, and the headscarf should completely cover her hair and cover her ears. Apostle Paul's 1st Epistle to the Corinthians,
11:4-5: “And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered shames her head, for it is as if she had been shaven.”

3. A woman should not come to the temple with bright makeup. It is better not to use cosmetics at all before visiting the temple. The church should maintain attention to service and prayer. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov wrote: “Like a body...

Photo from the Internet

Somehow the day before Palm Sunday, getting ready for church, my wife and a friend argued: is it possible to wear a light jacket?

“Ladies,” I intervened in the conversation, “you’ll be late for service!”
You, Marina, have a beige autumn jacket, but you won’t wear a white winter jacket... What’s there to discuss?
In fact, in his letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul ordered you to dress “with modesty and chastity, not to adorn yourself with braided hair, gold, pearls, or costly clothing” (1 Tim. 2:9-10). He didn't talk about the color of the jacket. The main thing is “to come to church with a heart open to the Lord and prayer.”

- Who would speak? Godless! He started lecturing again... they didn’t ask you what to wear! It’s about God, you see... we’ll figure it out without any hints!

- So help them, believers! You quote the Gospel, and they...,” I muttered under my breath, “how can one not remember Theodor Behr: “The one who doesn’t even listen to anything has an especially strong ear...

Different nationalities living in Estonia adhere to their traditional religion. Among Estonians, the most popular is Lutheranism, which is accepted by 14% of people aged 15 years and older. 27% of Finns living in Estonia, 15% of Germans and 14% of Latvians consider themselves Lutherans. 47% of Poles and 33% of Lithuanians living in Estonia consider themselves Catholics. Islam is most widespread among the Tatars. 51% of Belarusians, 50% of Ukrainians, 47% of Russians and 41% of Armenians consider Orthodoxy their religion. Thus, the most widespread religion in Estonia is Orthodoxy. By the way, among Estonians aged 15 years and older, 19% consider themselves adherents of any religion, among non-Estonians - 50%.

Three times more religious people live in urban areas in Estonia than in rural areas. This is explained, first of all, by the national composition of the population. Most adherents of a particular religion live in Ida-Viru County - 49%, less...

The tradition of covering one's head in church, this is not a law, but a persistent recommendation of the Holy Apostle Paul. According to his Epistle to the Corinthians, a man should pray with his head uncovered, and a woman with her head covered. Since ancient times, women's hair was considered one of the most expressive elements of female attractiveness, and this was a counterbalance to modesty, one of the signs of which was covered hair.

Even in the pre-Christian era, hetaeras in Greece walked with uncovered hair, and married women had to express their belonging to their husband by covering their heads, thereby showing that they belonged to their husband.

Where did the tradition of covering women's heads in church come from?

In accordance with the instructions of the apostle, the appearance of the believer, regardless of gender, should be restrained and modest, and cannot be a source of temptation or embarrassment. must be in the mood for prayer, express through his appearance respect and reverence for the holiness of the temple and the Liturgy taking place in it. Thus, Christian tradition It is inadmissible for male believers to be in the temple wearing a headdress, and female believers to be without a headscarf.

This tradition is based on the Apostle’s statement that Christ is the head of every husband, but the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God. For a man who prays with his head covered disgraces his head, and a woman who prays with her head uncovered disgraces her head, equating it to a shaved head. Man is the image and glory of God, and woman is the glory of man, since “the man is not from the wife and for the wife, but the wife is from the husband and for the husband.” The scarf is a sign of power over her, this is for the Angels.

The opposite statement is not based on a misunderstanding of the principle of equality of men and women before God. Jesus never drove away women during his sermons, the same, by the way, also applies to the pagans, whom Jesus never discriminated against. In practice, Mary Magdalene was the first to observe the Risen One, and here she has an advantage, for example, over the Apostle Peter. Before Christ, in the matter of achieving salvation and liberation, acquiring the Holy Spirit and the eternal, men and women are completely equal.

However, the mistake of some amateur theologians is that equality in Christ is not identical to equality in the flesh. In Christ, in fact, there are no gender or national characteristics, however, in nature we will all differ, until the very moment of transition into eternity. Just for these certain signs and the Apostle Paul tries to draw the attention of the Corinthians by talking about head covering. He is not talking about covering or not covering the head of the “spiritual man” who is in Christ; he is specifically talking about human flesh, and it is certainly not yet in Christ.

The idea is that God has all the elements of both material and spiritual world, and they (this is the main thing) are ordered among themselves and are in a harmonious system, with a number of levels and subordination. This system is harmony, and the claims of individual elements of this system for functions that are not characteristic of them lead to disharmony, disturbances and imbalance, and as a result, to its disorder.

With Christ the idea of unity came to earth, and not the idea of equality, it is this that gives coherence, like-mindedness and the absence of discontent, and while preserving the individuality of each person, there must be mutual subordination - subordination and a certain system of hierarchy.

The apostle Paul finds an illustration of this interdependence in human body, in which everyone is in a state of subordination to other members, possessing equal rights, but also unequal opportunities. The body functions successfully when not the equalization of all members takes place, but the coordinated interaction and unity of each in its place and with its functions. Consequently, equality in a certain respect does not exclude, but presupposes hierarchy, that is, inequality. Paul writes: not the whole body is an eye or an ear. A married sister, covering her head, shows the outside world her submission to the position established by God. And this is a testimony not only for others, but also a sign for the Angels. By observing people, Satan and the fallen angels discover that God has received obedience from people that was not received from them, and this shames them. Satan is ashamed not only of Jesus, who submitted to the Father, but also of ordinary handkerchiefs, that is, people who voluntarily submitted to God’s regulations. This is also the wife’s obedience to her husband, and covering the head is a sign of this state. Satan is trying to convince weak-willed women that they don’t have to cover their heads.

But at the same time, Paul points out that covering the head is a voluntary act. This is where the shame of the angels is manifested, in voluntariness, when women, equal to men in terms of grace, submit to them in the flesh, giving a sign of their submission to God’s regulations. Therefore, there should be no forced church law on head covering for sisters.