Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Find the answers to all those questions you were too embarrassed to ask in Sunday School. Welcome to Weird Stuff in the Bible, where we explore scripture passages that are bizarre, perplexing or just plain weird. Hosted by Luke Taylor.
Dive deeper! Sign up for the newsletter (and catch up on past newsletters) at this link: https://weirdstuffinthebible.beehiiv.com/
“Because of the Angels” in I Corinthians 11:10
I Corinthians 11
Introduction
I Corinthians 11 is one of those really weird passages of Scripture that I would say 90% of Christians just kind of try to ignore.
It’s probably the most out-of-place chapter in the entire New Testament. It feels very counter-cultural, extremely outdated, and not super relevant to anything in modern church practice.
It’s a section that even the most conservative, Biblically faithful modern churches like to pretend isn’t there.
I’m talking about the chapter where Paul talks about head coverings.
He tells us in
I Corinthians 11:5
every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head
What are you talking about, Paul? Where is this coming from? Is this just a cultural thing, or is it a literal command for all believers anywhere, anytime?
And what’s even more strange is Paul’s reason for this statement, which he gives in
Verse 10
That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
Oh, ok then. Because of the angels. Great. Totally makes sense now.
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, PAUL?
Turns out, he’s talking about the Watchers. Those dudes we’ve been reading about this year in our book of Enoch study. Why is Paul referring to them in this section about head coverings, though?
I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible.
Turn to I Corinthians 11, and let’s get weird.
[theme music]
(Continued)
Welcome to Weird Stuff in the Bible, where we explore scripture passages that are bizarre, perplexing or just plain weird. This is Luke Taylor, and today we’re going to be talking about Paul’s use of the phrase “because of the angels” in I Corinthians 11:10.
Which, if you ever want to sound authoritative and mysterious, I guess this is a pretty good line to drop. Like, my wife comes downstairs with the credit card bill…
She’s like, “Luke, why did you spend $400 on theology books last month?”
I’ll just say, “Because of the angels, babe!”
OK, that didn’t really happen. One, we don’t get a credit card bill in the mail. Two, I’m not allowed to call her babe. That’s the b-word at our house. And three, I didn’t really spend that much on theology books. Not in just one month, anyway. But I have been reading a ton- and I mean a TON- of books on the Watchers. They have actually cost me quite a bit of money this year, because I’ve been studying about everything I can learn in regard to when the Watchers descended to the earth and married human women, as described in Genesis 6:1-4.
This historical event had ramifications throughout the rest of the Bible, as well as the shaping of world history- and the most shocking thing about that fact is that most people don’t know anything about it. Including most Christians.
Which is why I Corinthians 11- which was already weird enough on its own- gets extra bizarre with verse 10.
Revisiting This Odd Chapter
Now, if you’re feeling a bit of deja vu- yes, I have explored this thing about head coverings on the podcast before. It was one of the classic episodes- number 29. So that was 98 weird things ago.
And in that episode, I gave my take on why Paul seems to be instructing women there to wear head coverings.
Look- I’m a biblical fundamentalist when it comes to obeying God. If I thought the Bible was instructing women to wear literal head coverings right here, then I’d say that’s what we should be doing, regardless of how anyone feels about it. If the Bible says to do it, then do it.
However, I don’t think that’s what Paul was actually saying in this chapter. My take- if you don’t remember or if you haven’t heard it- is that Paul was talking about hair length.
Now, there are a number of interpretations out there about I Corinthians 11. Whether it’s just a cultural thing, or whether Paul is being serious or just sarcastic. Some Christians take this as literal- not usually in America, but that’s how some take it. And this is a really tricky section of the Bible to interpret, so if you don’t agree with my take, I’m not mad at you. I hold this chapter really loosely because it’s so unique.
I Corinthians 11:2-3
2 Now I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the traditions even as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.
This part is actually pretty clear and correlates well with other passages of Scripture, talking about how men have a responsibility to lead, and that’s important context for this section.
Verse 4 is where it takes a strange turn.
4 Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, 5 but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. 6 For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head. 7 For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man. 8 For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. 9 Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.
Well, even beyond just the head covering aspect, this feels really patriarchal and misogynistic and anti-19th-amendment.
But wait guys- before you go all Handmaid’s Tale on your wives- let me remind you all, as I said in episode 29, I don’t believe these verses are talking about wearing a cloth covering or some kind of bonnet or shawl. I believe this is talking about hair. It’s partially about hair length; it’s more-so about having gender distinctions.
Why do I think that? We’ll read about that in a minute. But I want to make special note of
Verse 10
10 That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
In that episode before, I didn’t even touch this verse with a 10-cubit pole. I told you back then: If I can ever find enough material on this verse to do an episode someday, I will, but I couldn’t back then. All I can say is: God is good, because I didn’t think I’d ever find an answer, but I have one for you today. It’s so clear to me now, I’m not sure why I didn’t see it before. But let me finish up our verses real quick.
Why do I think the head covering thing is actually about hair? The chapter says in
Verses 13 and 15
13 Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a wife to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears long hair it is a disgrace for him, 15 but if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her for a covering.
There you have it right there. A woman doesn’t have to wear a head covering; her hair is given to her for a covering. Again, I’ll be humble about Christians who interpret this passage differently, but as far as I’m concerned, case closed. Head coverings are unnecessary.
Now, my application from this would be that men should have short hair and that women should have long hair. The problem with that is: who judges how long is long? That starts to become very subjective. And so here’s a different way I would phrase it that I think gets more to the heart of this passage: men should look like men, and women should look like women- and that’s going to include in the way they style their hair.
I am not the hair police. And honestly, I don’t judge anyone for how long their hair is. I saw this commercial for the He-Man movie that’s coming out. You know, his hair isn’t too short. But I’m like, at least he doesn’t look like She-Man. He’s clearly a He-Man. He also clearly can’t find a shirt that fits. But hey; I’m not confused about what gender I’m looking at here. And that’s the main point of I Corinthians 11:2-16; I think that’s a safe takeaway from this chapter, even if not all Christians see eye-to-eye on how to interpret head coverings.
Don’t Blur the Lines
And one more thing I’d mention: this is not even necessarily about what’s sinful, but about what’s shameful. Now, you might say: isn’t that the same thing? Not necessarily. My love affair with animal crackers might be shameful, but it’s not sinful. And what’s going to be shameful in your culture is going to be largely subjective.
But in a more objective sense, we do need to show wisdom in how we present ourselves to others, as Christians. For example, let’s say you live in a culture that worships the duck god Marduck. And in your culture, people regularly get tattoos of ducks on their wrist as an act of devotion to the duck god. Then I would say, as a Christian, you should not get a tattoo of a duck. And that is not saying anything about the morality of tattoos in general. I’m simply saying, as a Christian, you would not want to present yourself as the follower of another religion; you would not even want to inject confusion as to whether you followed that religion. You want to be clear about where you stand in regard to your god.
Some will say that in ancient Corinth that Temple prostitutes had shaved heads, and that this is the impetus behind these commands around women not having short or shaved hair. Whether that’s accurate or not, the heart behind this command is clear. Spiritually, you don’t want to confuse people as to what god you follow. Culturally, you don’t want to confuse people about what gender you are.
This is one of those chapters kind of like the “dry and waterless places” quote from Jesus where, even if we might struggle with the interpretation and details of it, the application is quite clear. God likes to set clear boundaries. God wants us to be clear about where we stand and who we are.
My pastor just recently preached through this chapter, and it was a great series of messages. I don’t quite know if he would agree with my interpretation about head coverings, but that really wasn’t the point; he got right to the heart of the issue: his sermons were called Don’t Blur the Lines. That is the key takeaway from these verses: don’t blur the lines.
So I’m sorry to spend half the episode here on a recap, but that’s what you have to understand to understand verse 10.
Let me read it again:
That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
What angels is Paul talking about? Paul is speaking of the Watchers- the Sons of God who descended in the pre-flood world and, to quote Syndrome in The Incredibles, got busy with human women.
But wait- what is Paul saying here- is Paul saying that if women don’t cover their heads or have long hair, that the sins of Genesis 6 might happen again?
Well, obviously, if that was something that we needed to worry about, I think we would have noticed by now. I mean, there are quite a few women who have had short hair or shaved hair or uncovered heads in the past 2,000 years. I’ve never heard of a single one getting abducted by angels. I haven’t seen GI Jane, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t end with Demi Moore getting proposed to by Azazel. So ladies, I don’t think you have to be concerned with angelic visitations just because you didn’t keep a bonnet on.
That is actually how some pastors try to teach this, and I’m just like: have you ever heard of this happening to someone before? Why are you even saying that? I think we can rule that out.
So why is Paul bringing up the sins of the Watchers? He’s not saying that it’s gonna happen to our women again. He’s not even changing the subject. Paul is making a pop culture reference. He’s referring to something else that goes with this idea of transgressing boundaries.
Paul is saying, “if you blur the lines, you’re repeating the same kinds of sins as the Watchers of the pre-flood world.” Because that is exactly what they did. And if you’ve got kids listening, don’t worry, I’ll keep it PG- or whatever The Incredibles is rated.
First of all, these were spiritual beings who left heaven to come to earth and get busy with human flesh. That was a transgressing of two boundaries- two things that God had wanted to keep separate.
One, this was crossing the boundary between earth and heaven. Look at how Jude 6 frames the sin of the Watchers:
(Jude 6)
And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—
They left their proper dwelling. They transgressed a boundary that God had set up. Let me continue with what it says next in
Jude 7
7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise [KEY WORD! “likewise”] indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
We all know what Sodom and Gomorrah were up to. I’ll just call it what Jude calls it: they pursued unnatural desire. They blurred a line that God had set up. They didn’t just blur it; they crossed it. Sodom and Gomorrah crossed the line. Sexual immorality. Unnatural desire.
But notice this word “likewise.” Jude is saying Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin was the same type of sin as the angels of Jude 6. Sexual immorality. Unnatural desire. Crossing the line.
So the second way the Watchers cross the line was the boundary between the spirit and the flesh.
And then according to the Book of Enoch and other historical sources- and how much you want to believe any of them is up to you- the Watchers also mixed the animals. Genetic experimentation. Hybrids. Jurassic Park kinda stuff. And I mean that pretty literally; some theorize that dinosaurs- since they have both reptilian and avian features- may have been hybridized monsters created by the Watchers. I have no idea how much of that could be true, but here’s what the Bible says in Genesis 6, that “all flesh had corrupted its way on the earth.” Not just humankind. All flesh.
And when God told Noah to bring the animals on the ark, God said in
Genesis 6:19-20
19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive.
Of their kind. Which could perhaps be understood to mean: don’t bring any animals that are one kind mixed with another.
So the sins of the Watchers were centered around this idea of blurring the boundaries. Of creating confusion. Of merging that which God had created to be separate.
And this is also the basis of the idea of clean and unclean in the Old Testament. To be unclean meant to be a mixture. It was this idea of being impure. Two things that aren’t supposed to go together that are put together.
Remember that as we get into next week’s episode, because we will be talking about the phrase “unclean spirits.” We are mostly done talking about the Watchers now. They will probably come up again someday, but after this message of condemnation in Enoch 15 which we actually read last week, we’re basically done with them now. For the next two weeks, we’ll be talking about their kids. The giants.
Make sure you’re subscribed so you can get it!
Ancient Pop Culture References
So in closing: is it random that Paul would make a reference to the Book of Enoch story right here in this passage about head coverings? No, not at all, because thematically, Paul was talking about the same thing. Not blurring the lines between two things that God has separated. Paul is saying, “We have to follow rules like this because of the angels. You don’t want to do things like what the Watchers did.”
When Paul brings up the angels, he isn’t changing the subject. He’s simply making an ancient pop culture reference. For example, in this episode, I’ve referenced Handmaids Tale, the Nineteenth Amendment, He-Man, Jurassic Park and GI Jane, and The Incredibles.
Now, one, that’s probably way too many pop culture references for one episode. Two, I don’t care; I’ve got one more coming before we’re done today. Three, I should probably go outside more. And four, you understood that when I said those things, I wasn’t being random or changing the subject. When I said “the 19th Amendment,” you didn’t say, “Oh, I guess we’re talking about politics now.” No, you knew I was just referencing something that had relevance to the topic at hand.
And that’s all Paul was doing as well. And this shows how well-known this incident of the Watchers was in ancient culture. And not just Jewish culture. Corinth was predominantly Gentile. And yet all ancient peoples knew and had stories of when the quote-unquote “gods” descended to the earth and got busy with women, creating the race of giants or titans. That was just as much of a familiar dark moment in their past as it would be for us today to reference 9/11, Pearl Harbor, or that time Rian Johnson was allowed to direct a Star Wars movie.
Boom: there was your seventh pop culture reference. But sorry not sorry; if I couldn’t create a Bible study without a bunch of shoehorned pop culture references, I wouldn’t be here. It’s why I do this podcast.
Well, that, and because of the angels.
Thanks for listening, God bless you for sticking around until the end, and we’ll see you next time on Weird Stuff in the Bible.