John Knox's View: Head Covering P/6

                                                      Read Part One HERE

 In this post I will continue to discuss the subject of head covering since today there is a movement  called the Head Covering Movement base on 1 Corinthians 11:5 and beyond

And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head - it is just as though her head were shaved....

 In this post I will share the viewpoint of well know Scottish Protestant Reformer John Knox (1505 - 1572 A.D.)

In 1558 John Knox penned "The First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstruous Regiment of Women."  This work which he published anomymously was a fiery case that female rule is contrary to Biblical teching. In his writing he quotes extensively from the Bible and appeals to various leaders throughout church history. He does this to demonstrate that women having a subordinate position is Biblical and has been taught  by Christians throughout the ages. In his work he briefly stops in 1 Corinthians 11 and also quotes from a defence of head covering by Roman Catholic Church Father John Chrysostom.

First, Knox quotes 1 Cortinthians 11:8-10 for support that a woman should not rule over a man as follows: "First, I say, that woman in her greatest perfection was made to serve and obey man, not to rule and command him. As St. Paul does reason in these words, "Man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man.And man was not created for the cause of the woman, but the woman for the cause of man; and therefore ought the woman to have a power upon her head."                  Knox understood that "power upon her head" referred to a covering, which is a sign of subjection.

My Comment

As for John Knox  writing that woman in her greates perfection was made to serve and obey man, not to rule and command him, he is obviously referring here to the Creation Acount in Genesis 1:26-28 where we read that God made the man to rule over creation but this rulership did not including ruling over the woman.However, likewise, God made the woman to rule over creation, which is confirmed in Genesis 2:18 where we read that God made the woman as the man's equal partner, or "ezer kenegdo".

As for the words in 1 Corinthians 11:8-9, these words are not Paul's words but are words of some of the religious leaders in the church in Corinth that Paul quoted and later on in the chapter corrected.

As for John Knox understanding that 1 Corinthians 11:10 "and, therefore, ought the woman to have a power upon her head" refers to a overing, which is a sign of subjection, this is a misunderstanding of the text since the original text makes it very clear that the woman has "exousia", which means "authority" or "power",  on her own head. This relates to her own power or authority and does not relate to any covering as a sign of her subjection.

P.S. In my next post I will deal with John Knox's referral to Roman Catholic Church Father St John Chyrsostom.

Read Part Seven HERE