1 Cor 11:2-16: A Theology of Beauty
HRISOSTOM CIUCIUABSCTRACT. This paper is an attempt to answer the question of the supremacy of men over women, as understood by some readers of the Apostle Paul, who relied on one specific fragment from the first epistle to the Corinthians. The pericope which this paper now addresses – 1 Cor 11:2 16 – is one of the stumbling blocks in this matter. We will argue that St. Paul, although urging the Corinthians to maintain the tradition, does so not to underline the natural differences between men and women, but to subdue them to the new order in Christ. Far from being a discourse about something so trivial as male supremacy, we think that this fragment is better understood as a grace-based point of view, not something social, but a real theology of beauty.
Keywords: 1 Cor 11:2-16; women’s veil; head-covering; men versus women in Paul; bridal love; theology of beauty