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Why do girls have to cover their hair in the Altar?

MeeMzMeeMz
edited September 2008 in Faith Issues
Why do girls have to cover their head in the Altar?

Comments

  • coptic youthcoptic youth
    Girls do not enter the Holyt Altar, but when they are in church they Must cover their hair. Reason being that their glory is their hair, they cover their glory as a sign of humbleness inforont Of the King of Glory (this answer i got from sunday school), besides there i sa verse in the bible by St. Paul saying that girls must cover their hair.

    Pray for my weakness,

    Coptic Youth
  • clayclay
    Firstly, it's ALTAR! lol. I always read this. Alter refers to change. Altar refers to the Meal table, in which our Holy Lord, is shed for us. It is where we renew our commitment to Christ- to live in Him, and He in us. To abide in Him, and Him to abide in us. For Him to make His home in us. To enrich us. To become our nourishment, our strength, our energy, our integrity, our joy. Adam defiled himself with the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, and he was forbidden to take the fruit from the tree of life. Our Father so found His children hungry for life, that He given us our own Creator as flesh, so that we will have the life that we so forsook. The Altar is the focus of the Church- the whole congregation- it is at this spot that our Christian life has renewed purpose.

    But, why do women have to cover their hair when the approach the Altar. The answer to this is in the St. Paul's first personal letter to the Corinthians:
    2 Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you. 3 But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 4 Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonors his head. 5 But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved. 6 For if a woman is not covered, let her also be shorn. But if it is shameful for a woman to be shorn or shaved, let her be covered. 7 For a man indeed 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 is not from woman, but woman from man. 9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man. 10 For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, neither is man independent of woman, nor woman independent of man, in the Lord. 12 For as woman came from man, even so man also comes through woman; but all things are from God.
    13 Judge among yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? 14 Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him? 15 But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her[a] for a covering. 16 But if anyone seems to be contentious, we have no such custom, nor do the churches of God. (1 Cor. 11:2-16, NKJV)

    For the sake of the Angels!
  • MeeMzMeeMz
    so then should women have their hair covered all the time? why is it only when they go into the Altar?
    Also, as you mentioned above, its wrong for men to grow their hair... then how come Monks and Bishops do it?
  • socoolbishoysocoolbishoy
    saint Paul clearly says... "But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, for that is one and the same as if her head were shaved." so the woman does not have to cover her head at all times!

    there is a deference between the ascetics, and the regular men! for when a person takes the vow of the ascetic life (doesn't have to anymore), does not touch his hair with razor, does not drink, and remains away from the unclean (the dead, sick animals, and etc...) and that could be found in the old testament!

    "All the days of the vow of his separation no razor shall come upon his head; until the days are fulfilled for which he separated himself to the LORD, he shall be holy. Then he shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow."

    so monks and bishops that took that vow will not touch their hair with a razor... period!

    I took the blessing of your question... thank God!
  • gregorytheSinnergregorytheSinner
    Just a small note:
    HG Bishop David stresses the idea that women should keep their heads covered even when they are praying alone at home.

    Secondly: Monks were their consola (the head piece) beacuse it is a part of their uniform, that has been passed down since St.Anthony's time.  Although it was for some time abandoned, HH Pope Shenouda brought it back when he first sat on his Papal chair, hence if you take notice of older pictures of monks, you can see them wearing a hat that resembled a modern day priest's hat.  It is also to be noted that the modern monks in St. Macarius's monastery usually do not wear these consolas either.

    Lastly, not all monks, grow their hair, they are given a choice of either shaving it or growing it depending on their prefrences. As mentined before the monks at St. Macarius's tend to shave their heads.  I personally know a bishop who likewise shaves.  However HH the Pope (like many other monks) grows his hair out. 
  • anbaabraamanbaabraam
    monks have died from tthe world they can't use razors or other stuff it also commemerates when all the copts in egypt had to  were thos heavy crooses and tattood crosses and grow a beard for every 1 2 no the r copts
    just like the jews had to wear a gold star of david to tell every 1 thst they r jews at the time of the houlocaust
  • gregorytheSinnergregorytheSinner
    well monks take a sorta nazartic vow, thus growing their beards, like the apostles did.
    the tattooed crosses came about (from what i hear) during the times of the pagans, who were persecuting the Copts, and thus the parents would tattoo a cross ionto the hand of a child so that he/she may grow up knowing they were Christian (in case the parents were killed).
  • Unknown
    i think of it as covering your beauty.  LOl because hair makes  up what a girl looks like. And when we go to church, its not about our apperance but about God.  So, it is covering your beauty and thinking about God.  Do i make sense or did i lose you?....

    +mahraeel+
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