Thomas Aquinas Commentary 1 Corinthians 11:8-16

"For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man: for neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man: for this cause ought the woman to have [a sign of] authority on her head, because of the angels. Nevertheless, neither is the woman without the man, nor the man without the woman, in the Lord. For as the woman is of the man, so is the man also by the woman; but all things are of God. Judge ye in yourselves: is it seemly that a woman pray unto God unveiled? Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a dishonor to him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering. But if any man seemeth to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God." — 1 Corinthians 11:8-16 (ASV)

Having stated that the woman is the glory of man, the Apostle now prepares to prove it. Regarding this, he does three things: first, he presents the proof; second, he assigns a reason for what he had said (verse 9); and third, he draws the intended conclusion (verse 10).

Regarding the first point, it should be noted that, as stated above, the woman is called the glory of man in a derived sense. Consequently, to prove this, he says: For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. For it says in Genesis 2:22: And the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man He made into a woman. About man, it is said that The Lord formed man of dust from the ground (Genesis 2:7).

Then, when he says, Neither was man created for woman, he assigns the reason for what he had said. To understand this, it should be noted that the relationship between the perfect and the imperfect is such that, in one and the same subject, the imperfect precedes the perfect in time; for one is a boy before he is a man. Absolutely speaking, however, the perfect precedes the imperfect in both time and nature, for a boy is produced from a man. This, therefore, is the reason the woman was produced from the man: because he is more perfect than the woman. The Apostle proves this from the fact that the end is more perfect than that which exists for the end, and man is the woman’s end. This is what he says: For man was not created for woman, but woman for the sake of man—specifically, as a helper in reproduction, just as the patient exists for the sake of the agent and matter for the sake of form. As it is written: It is not good for man to be alone; let us make him a helper like unto him (Genesis 2:18).

Then, when he says, That is why, he draws the intended conclusion, saying: For this reason—because man is the image and glory of God, but woman is the glory of man—a woman ought to have a veil on her head when she comes before God in prayer or prophecy. In this way, it is shown that she is not directly under God but is also subject to man, who is under God, for the veil on her head signifies this. For this reason, another translation says that the woman ought to have power over her head, but the sense is the same, for a veil is a sign of power, as stated in Psalm 66:4: Thou didst let men ride over our heads.

Then, when he says, because of the angels, he gives a third reason, this one related to the angels, saying: A woman ought to have a veil on her head because of the angels. This can be understood in two ways. In one way, it refers to the heavenly angels who are believed to visit congregations of the faithful, especially when the sacred mysteries are celebrated. Therefore, at that time, women as well as men ought to present themselves honorably and in an orderly manner out of reverence for them, according to Psalm 138:1: Before the angels I sing thy praise.

In another way, it can be understood in the sense that priests are called angels, in that they proclaim divine things to the people, according to Malachi 2:7: For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the angel of the Lord of hosts. Therefore, a woman should always have a covering on her head because of the angels—that is, the priests—for two reasons. First, as a sign of reverence toward them, which includes women behaving honorably before them. As it says in Sirach 7:30: With all your might love your maker and do not forsake his priests. Second, for their safety, lest the sight of an unveiled woman excite their concupiscence. As it says in Sirach 9:5: Do not look intently at a virgin, lest you stumble and incur penalties for her.

Augustine explains the above in another way. He shows that both man and woman are made in the image of God, according to what is said in Ephesians 4:23-24: Be renewed in the spirit of your minds and put on the new man, created after the likeness of God, according to the image of him who created him. Here, they are considered according to the spirit, in which there is no difference between male and female. Consequently, the woman is the image of God, just as the man is. For it is expressly stated in Genesis 1:27 that God created man in his own image; male and female he created them.

Therefore, Augustine says this must be understood in terms of a spiritual union within our soul, in which the sensory appetite or even the lower reason functions like the woman, while the higher reason, in which the image of God is considered to be, functions like the man. According to this view, the woman is from the man and for the sake of the man because the administration of temporal or sensible things, in which the lower reason is engaged, ought to be derived from the contemplation of eternal things, which pertains to the higher reason and is ordered toward it.

Therefore, the woman is said to have a veil or power over her own head to signify that in managing temporal things, one should apply a certain restraint, so as not to go beyond the proper limits in loving them. This restraint should not be applied to the love of God, since it is commanded in Deuteronomy 6:5: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart. No limit is placed on loving the end, although one is placed on the means to the end. For example, a doctor produces as much health as he can, but he does not give as much medicine as he can, but only a definite amount. Thus, a man should not have a covering on his head. And this is because of the angels, because, as a gloss says, “Sacred and pious signification is pleasing to the holy angels.” For this reason, Augustine also says in The City of God that demons are attracted by certain sensible things, not as animals to food but as spirits to signs.

Then, when he says, Nevertheless, he addresses a doubt that could arise from these statements. Because he had said that man is God’s glory and the woman is man’s glory, someone might believe either that the woman was not from God or that she should not have power in grace. He excludes the first possibility, saying: although the woman is the glory of man, who is the glory of God, nevertheless, in the Lord, neither is man created by the Lord without the woman, nor is the woman without the man.

Alternatively, the phrase can be read: neither is the man without the woman in the Lord—that is, in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ—nor the woman without the man, because both are saved by God’s grace, according to Galatians 3:27: For as many of you as were baptized have put on Christ. He then adds: There is neither male nor female, meaning they do not differ in the grace of Christ.

Second, he assigns the reason, saying: For as in the first condition of things, woman was formed from the man, so in subsequent generations, man was produced through woman, as Job says: Man born of a woman (Job 14:1). The history of human production has occurred in four ways:

1. The first production of a human was without man or woman, when God formed man from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7).
2. The second was from man without woman, when He formed Eve from Adam’s rib, as it says in the same chapter.
3. The third is from man and woman, as Abel was born from Adam and Eve (Genesis 4:2).
4. The fourth was from woman without man, as Christ was born from the virgin, as it says in Galatians 4:4: God sent forth his Son, born of woman.

Third, he shows that this reasoning is appropriate, saying: And all things are from God. This is because the fact that the woman was first from the man, and afterward man is from the woman, is the result of God’s action. Therefore, both man and woman belong to God. As it says in Romans 11:36: For from him and through him and in him are all things.

Then, when he says, Judge for yourselves, he submits what he has said to his hearers' judgment. In this regard, he does two things: first, he submits the judgment to his rational hearers; second, he rebukes the defiant ones.

Regarding the first point, he does four things:

1. First, he submits what he has said to his hearers to judge, like someone who is confident he has sufficiently proved his point, saying: Judge for yourselves. It is the role of a good hearer to judge what is heard. As it says in Job 6:29, Judge, speaking what is just, and in Job 12:11, Does not the ear judge words?
2. Second, he proposes in the form of a question what they should judge, saying: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? This is forbidden in 1 Peter 3:3: Let not yours be the outward adorning with braiding of hair.
3. Third, he shows from where they should draw their judgment, namely, from nature itself. This is what he says: Does not nature itself teach you? By “nature” he means the natural inclination in women to take care of their hair, which is a natural covering, but not in men. This inclination is shown to be natural because it is found in the majority of people. It is “taught by nature” because it is a work of God, just as one is instructed about the skill of an artist by looking at a picture. Therefore, Isaiah 24:5 says against certain people: They have transgressed the law, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant—that is, the natural law.
4. Fourth, he takes a reason from nature. First, he presents the case regarding the man, saying: That for a man to wear long hair like a woman is degrading to him. The majority of men regard this as degrading because it makes the man appear feminine. Therefore, it says in Ezekiel 44:20: They shall not let their locks grow long. It is not a valid counterargument that some in the Old Law grew long hair, because this was a sign related to the reading of the Old Testament, as it says in 2 Corinthians 3:14. Second, he presents the case regarding the woman, saying: But if a woman has long hair, it is her glory, because it is considered part of her adornment. As it says in Song of Solomon 7:5: Your flowing locks are like purple. He then assigns the reason when he says: For her hair is given her for a covering. Consequently, the same reason applies to growing long hair and to wearing an artificial covering, as in Song of Solomon 4:1: Your hair is like a flock of goats.

Then, when he says, If anyone is disposed to be contentious, he silences defiant hearers. He says: If anyone is disposed to be contentious and does not accept the reason given above but instead attacks the truth with loud and confident assertions—which is the essence of contentiousness, as Ambrose says—contrary to Job 6:29, Respond, I pray, without contentiousness, and Proverbs 20:3, It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife.

Then let this be enough to silence them: we do not have such a practice, nor do the churches of God. This means that we Jews who believe in Christ do not have a practice of women praying with their heads uncovered, nor do the churches of God scattered among the Gentiles. Therefore, even if there were no other reason, this alone should be sufficient: that no one should act against the common custom of the Church. As the Psalm says, He makes those of one outlook to dwell in their house (Psalms 68:6). For this reason, Augustine says: “In all cases where Sacred Scripture has not given a definite rule, the customs of the people of God and the decrees of our superiors must be regarded as the law.”