But What About the Prostitutes?...

Today's bite-sized Headcovering thought...

Have you heard or perhaps been taught that the reason 
Paul shared about headcoverings in I Cor. 11 was because 
the prostitutes of the day were about the only ones
 who went about bareheaded and shorn?  

So the Christian women needed to look different than them?   

And I think the argument further goes that since this is 

no longer the case - we no longer need to practice headcovering.

Source

Well, interestingly - Paul never mentions the prostitutes, 

the culture of the day or anything remotely close for the reason 

for this teaching.  It would seem that should have been mentioned.

(He does mention 'traditions' - we'll have to look at that in another post.)

Also - according to R.C.H.Leske in his book

Source

The Interpretation of I and II Corinthians  "all the evidence that 

has been discovered proves that only a few of the very lowest 

types (of prostitutes) had shorn or shaven heads".

And according to Myron Horst -  "By the time 1 Corinthians 

was written, 200 years after the temple prostitute system was destroyed,

 Corinth was a thoroughly Roman city. Life in the Roman Empire, 

during this time in the first century AD, was in many ways more like 

society today than any other time in history."  He also states from 

his research that there were other nonChristian women - 

not just the prostitutes - of this time that did not cover their heads.

For a further in depth study of dress and

 headcovering customs of the day - check out 

Headcovering Customs of the Ancient World by Michael Marlowe.

May the Word of God be our guide for life ~ Joyce