No I'm NOT Memphis, and the polygamy supposed link is apples and oranges...

No thanks. At our age, working around the wrinkles might be a tough canvas...

1 Cor. 11:3 - "The kephale of every man is the Anointed One, the kephale of every woman is man, and the kephale of the Anointed One is God."

First, it isn't a pattern of hierarchy.  Paul was a very intentional writer, and if it were a hierarchy he meant, he would have written it in hierarchy order.  Paul wrote them in order of man, woman, Christ.  Clearly, it is not a hierarchy pattern.  The picture being painted with Paul's words is not a pattern of hierarchy, but one of chronological order. Man, woman, Christ.  It also paints a picture of interconnectedness.

Second, kephale.  kephale has five meanings:

     1) the literal, physical head
     2) a wig/headdress
     3) source of something/someone
     4) the life
     5) sum or conclusion

Does NOT mean "head" as in "head over", which is the necessary meaning when interpreting this passage as you described.

In context, the meaning is "source", as in "source of life".  Paul defines the meaning for us spec. in vs. 8-9, 12:

"Man is not from woman but the woman from man, for in fact man was not created by means of a woman, but the woman was created by means of a man...It's a fact that just as the woman comes from the man, in the same way too the man comes through the woman!  But all things are from God."


"Head (over someone)"  is an incorrect translation of kephale.  You have created a theology based on a flawed understanding.  Correcting that will necessarily change much of your beliefs, teachings, and your way of life.

Ms P:

Which Bible translation are you quoting from?

You are right phebe. In this context it means a head covering which every decent person wore in those days along with a veil, the only people who didn't were prostitutes and they had their head shaved as punishment. This is mentioned in the passage.

So what did the women do, they wore a head covering as was the custom, otherwise it would have looked as though the man was going with a prostitute and that would bring shame on him.

See #62

Phoebe: okay sure let's discuss.

That entire argument depends on Paul being a "deliberate writer." I already showed how he was being quite deliberate, but the way you put forth suggests an order that makes no sense at all if it puts Christ and God third.

Christ existed before man and woman. Hebrews shows that Christ was also the "source of life" (among other things of course) long before he was incarnate on Earth.

Jesus was in no way shape or form "after" man and woman. Not in any way whatsoever, LEAST OF ALL, as a "source of life."

So there's really no argument left in what you put forth since that was the "deliberate writing" that everything depended on.

And what do the following words look like to you?

1 Corinthians:
11:9 for neither was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.
11:10 For this cause the woman ought to have authority on her head, because of the angels.

The cultural argument about prostitutes is also a lie from your sources. What I emboldened is unmissable--"For this cause" does not leave anyone an excuse to wonder what the reason was for that procedure.

I have no idea where you are getting your information, but here is what Vine's Dictionary of New Testament Words says about head/kephale - what concerns our situation starts at (b):
Head
 <1,,2776,kephale>
besides its natural significance, is used (a) figuratively in Rom_12:20, of heaping coals of fire on a "head" (see COALS); in Act_18:6, "Your blood be upon your own heads," i.e., "your blood-guiltiness rest upon your own persons," a mode of expression frequent in the OT, and perhaps here directly connected with Eze_3:18, Eze_3:20; Eze_33:6, Eze_33:8; see also Lev_20:16; 2Sa_1:16; 1Ki_2:37; (b) metaphorically, of the authority or direction of God in relation to Christ, of Christ in relation to believing men, of the husband in relation to the wife, 1Co_11:3; of Christ in relation to the Church, Eph_1:22; Eph_4:15; Eph_5:23; Col_1:18; Col_2:19; of Christ in relation to principalities and powers, Col_2:10. As to 1Co_11:10, taken in connection with the context, the word "authority" probably stands, by metonymy, for a sign of authority (RV), the angels being witnesses of the preeminent relationship as established by God in the creation of man as just mentioned, with the spiritual significance regarding the position of Christ in relation to the Church; cp. Eph_3:10; it is used of Christ as the foundation of the spiritual building set forth by the Temple, with its "corner stone," Mat_21:42; symbolically also of the imperial rulers of the Roman power, as seen in the apocalyptic visions, Rev_13:1, Rev_13:3; Rev_17:3, Rev_17:7, Rev_17:9.

Whatever my theology is based on - hopefully a sound exegesis of Scripture - I don't think it is based on a flawed understanding of head/kephale as used in 1 Cor 11.

I guess I must be using a different translation, I don't see any references to prostitutes having their heads shaved.

And the only reference to custom is in verse 16, which refers to verse 13. If anybody wanted to be contentious about women covering, there was no custom of women praying to God with their heads uncovered, it was common practice. To try and say that Paul is saying that there was no custom of women covering makes no sense at all. Paul has just gotten done giving one of his most theologically deep expositions of anything in Scripture, do you really think he would do that and then turn around and say "But if anyone wants to argue, nobody does it anyway."

Permit me to invent a word: "Un-Paulish." To argue that Paul might be saying something like that is totally "un-Paulish." Paul simply doesn't do stuff like that. Not that the Holy Spirit would allow it even if Paul wanted to, after all He is the One who inspires the Scripture.

And then consider church history: up until around 50 - 60 years ago, women covered in church. Just because the current generation has no experience with it, or memory of it, doesn't mean it didn't happen.