1 Corinthians 11
11
1follow me in this attitude, my brethren, as I follow the Christ.
Paul’s views on woman in the church
2You do remember and mark my words, I know, and you do keep the rules and the instructions which I lay down. I commend you as an obedient flock, and therefore listen now to another rule, a tradition I wish to be observed in our churches. 3Let men be bareheaded at our meetings, but let the women still wear the head-covering, as has always been the custom, and not thinking themselves free, as they begin to do, appear bareheaded like to men. 4-9And why? There is a reason. If a woman is to appear bareheaded like a man, then let her cut her hair, and wear it in the way that men wear theirs. That would be ugly, you say, and I agree. There is then a difference between the man and the woman; and what is our interpretation of it? Mine is this. Man stands for God; but woman stands for man. The head of the man is the type of Christ governing the body, and the head of Christ is God. The man then in every way stands as the type of the divine, the image and likeness of God, and with unveiled head he stands in the presence of God. 10But woman represents the glory of man; and in the presence of the angels of God man’s glory should be veiled. A woman’s beauty is her modesty. Her long hair is her glory, because it clothes and covers her. 11The male comes first as the representative of God, and the female next as the representative of man. 12In the second chapter of Genesis the difference made between the creation of man and of woman lies, as I interpret it, in these two different types, the one of God, the other of man; 13-15and so I advise you to keep the old custom whereby men wear their hair short, and bare their heads in prayer or preaching, but women wear their hair long, and in praying or in preaching they keep their heads covered. 16I advise you, I say, to keep this rule, but if you intend to argue the point with me — then I declare I am ignorant of any such custom, and the churches of God know it not!
Divisions and abuses at the Lord’s table
17Now in this next point I cannot add any commendation to the advice I am going to give you, for the reason that things are far from well, and that you are receiving harm where you ought to get only good. 18It is an excellent thing that you assemble yourselves together that you may get mutual profit thereby, but not if thereby differences and divisions arise amongst you. This I have heard to be the case, and so in a measure I believe it to be; 19because these divisions, it would seem, have a part to play in our faith, whereby the false are separated from the true, and true faith is tried and tested. 20-21Similarly taking food and drink in common, arriving at this meal hungry and thirsty, is no part of our faith. To dine all together is not to eat the supper of the Lord, especially when some are far better provided than others, and there are great differences in the way you fare at this common feast, and excess even and want are found seated at the same table. 22I like not such customs as that. Why not take your meals in the ordinary way at home? To eat and drink in such a way is to hasten the doom that is coming on all flesh — that doom and judgment of the flesh which is seen in the sickness, the ill-health and the death that still is found amongst your numbers. Now through the eternal body and blood of the Christ we are released from that fate and judgment that come upon the flesh. We look forward to the appearance and coming of the eternal Christ, and we show forth that peculiar death of his which overcame death and releases us from it.
The last supper described
23That is what the Lord Jesus meant by his words at that last supper the night on which they took him, when he handed the cup to his disciples, and broke the bread for them. I taught you his words and his action on that occasion, as they were given me by those who were present. 24After taking the bread, he gave thanks, spoke the usual blessing, and handed it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is surrendered on your behalf. In future, when you break bread thus, and give thanks, remember my body, remember me.” 25-26In handing the cup after dinner, he said, “This is the new covenant, sealed in my blood. In future, whenever you take wine thus together, think of this new covenant, remember my blood.”
Its spiritual meaning explained
27Do you then my brethren, when you come together, eating and drinking, with the intention of carrying out his injunction, and recalling his words, do you really discern beneath this semblance and type of bread and wine the eternal body of Christ to which we belong? Do you really celebrate that wondrous death of his, which differed from all other deaths in that it is to be followed by his second coming and eternal presence in the world? 28Examine yourselves on these points, and assemble together in that spirit only. Otherwise you will only eat and drink the doom of all flesh, as it comes upon the whole world. 29But if you discerned that infinite eternal body, if you understood the meaning of Christ’s death in the flesh, and what is signified by the shedding of his blood, and the giving up of his mortal life and material body — 30-31then, my brethren, there would not be so much sickness and disease and death in your midst as there still is. 32-33You would not be bound up with the world in the common doom of perishing mortality, but by first judging yourselves, you would then escape the general ruin. 34Such feasts as you observe, where the eating and drinking predominate over the teaching, have little in keeping with the Lord’s supper and this can be avoided by eating first at home, and then when you come together, giving place to one another, and taking the bread and wine as it comes to you. There are other details in connection with this matter which I will arrange when I see you.
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Translated in 1916, published in 1937.
1 Corinthians 11
11
1Be yee followers of mee, euen as I am of Christ. 2Now brethren, I commend you, that ye remember all my things, and keepe the ordinances, as I deliuered them to you. 3But I wil that ye know, that Christ is the head of euery man: and the man is the womans head: and God is Christs head. 4Euery man praying or prophecying hauing any thing on his head, dishonoureth his head. 5But euery woman that prayeth or prophecieth bare headed, dishonoureth her head: for it is euen one very thing, as though she were shauen. 6Therefore if the woman be not couered, let her also be shorne: and if it be shame for a woman to be shorne or shauen, let her be couered. 7For a man ought not to couer his head: for as much as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. 8For the man is not of the woman, but the woman of the man. 9For the man was not created for the womans sake: but the woman for the mans sake. 10Therefore ought the woman to haue power on her head, because of the Angels. 11Neuertheles, neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man in the Lord. 12For as the woman is of the man, so is the man also by the woman: but all things are of God. 13Iudge in your selues, Is it comely that a woman pray vnto God vncouered? 14Doeth not nature it selfe teach you, that if a man haue long heare, it is a shame vnto him? 15But if a woman haue long heare, it is a prayse vnto her: for her heare is giuen her for a couering. 16But if any man lust to be contentious, we haue no such custome, neither the Churches of God. 17Nowe in this that I declare, I prayse you not, that ye come together, not with profite, but with hurt. 18For first of all, when ye come together in the Church, I heare that there are dissentions among you: and I beleeue it to be true in some part. 19For there must be heresies euen among you, that they which are approoued among you, might be knowen. 20When ye come together therefore into one place, this is not to eate the Lords Supper. 21For euery man when they should eate, taketh his owne supper afore, and one is hungry, and another is drunken. 22Haue ye not houses to eate and to drinke in? despise ye the Church of God, and shame them that haue not? what shall I say to you? shall I prayse you in this? I prayse you not. 23For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I also haue deliuered vnto you, to wit, That the Lord Iesus in the night when he was betrayed, tooke bread: 24And when hee had giuen thankes, hee brake it, and sayde, Take, eate: this is my body, which is broken for you: this doe ye in remembrance of me. 25After the same maner also he tooke the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the Newe Testament in my blood: this doe as oft as ye drinke it, in remembrance of me. 26For as often as ye shall eate this bread, and drinke this cup, ye shewe the Lords death till hee come. 27Wherefore, whosoeuer shall eate this bread, and drinke the cup of the Lord vnworthily, shall be guiltie of the body and blood of the Lord. 28Let euery man therefore examine himselfe, and so let him eate of this bread, and drinke of this cup. 29For he that eateth and drinketh vnworthily, eateth and drinketh his owne damnation, because he discerneth not the Lords body. 30For this cause many are weake, and sicke among you, and many sleepe. 31For if we would iudge our selues, we should not be iudged. 32But when we are iudged, we are chastened of the Lord, because we should not be condemned with the world. 33Wherefore, my brethren, when ye come together to eate, tary one for another. 34And if any man be hungry, let him eate at home, that ye come not together vnto condemnation. Other things will I set in order when I come.
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