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Maybe you have run across the “prostitution” position?
The argument is that Greek prostitutes went around with their heads uncovered. Therefore, the Christian women in Corinth were told to wear a covering to avoid looking like prostitutes.
This position is yet one more sliver of the cultural objection used by those who oppose the covering directives for women.
The “prostitution argument” seems to have originated with Adam Clarke (1762 – 1832) who wrote a commentary on the Bible.
Clarke did not document the source for his information that the typical attire for a harlot in Corinth involved some aspect of head covering or being uncovered.
Having personally read Adam Clarke’s commentary on 1 Corinthians Chapter 11, I can verify that his commentary does not document the source of his information. He was certainly not alive in ancient Corinth, thus he had no direct personal knowledge.
Christians as a whole have been heavily impacted by the restoration movement – we are members of a body that “speaks where the Bible speaks and silent where the Bible is silent.”
If we apply the principle to 1st Corinthians Chapter 11, the scriptures do not mention prostitution or prostitutes. There is no suggestion that the head covering instructions for a woman are given to avoid her looking like a harlot.
Ultimately, we must decide whether to speak what Adam Clarke speaks (including those who make the same argument as Clarke) or to remain silent about any consideration that 1st Corinthians Chapter 11 deals with the dress of prostitutes.
As I already mentioned, I hold to the belief that the Bible is sufficient and that no other outside source is necessary to understand what is needed for eternal life and Godliness.
Those who press the prostitution argument attempt to cure the Bible’s silence about prostitution by adding to the scriptures to prove Paul was concerned about the appearance of a harlot. Thus, the prostitution excuse reduces the command to nothing more than a cultural matter that no longer applies to us.
The Bible is not silent about the reasons behind the requirement for a woman to cover her head with a scarf or shawl.
Paul lists specific reasons in his explanation for head covering. Personally, I am going to go with Paul’s list of reasons since he was inspired by the Holy Spirit who has the mind of God.
We will explore these reasons a little later including the explanation that the basis for proper head covering goes back to creation, i.e., Adam and Eve.
[Rabbit trail – Since Paul goes all the way back to the creation of mankind, the prostitution position quickly falls apart. In the beginning, Adam and Eve were the only two people alive. With no women other than Eve, there were no prostitutes.]
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