www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Veils/Headcoverings

Sundry Thoughts
The Meaning of the Veil (Part 2)
Theological meaning of the veil

The tradition of women wearing veils in church is based on the words of St. Paul: "For a man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. That is why a woman ought to wear a veil on her head, for the sake of the angels" (1 Cor. 11:7-10).

Now the first thing to notice is that this is a very mysterious passage that initially raises more questions than it answers. The reasoning appears to be as follows: woman is inferior or subordinate to man; she is his servant; she was made for him. Hence, she must wear a veil as a sign of her subjection and a reminder of her servant status. As one can see by thumbing through Evangelical writings and, at the opposite pole, modern feminist critiques, this is usually the way these verses, not to mention similar statements in other Pauline letters, are interpreted; and so interpreted, they do paint a rather unpleasant picture, not very flattering to women or to St. Paul. Many women today conclude: "Veils were a symbol of women's oppression, and Paul is showing himself to be a misogynist." This common way of reading St. Paul must be answered, not ignored, if the true meaning of this symbol is to be discovered. For a thoughtful Catholic woman the question arises: Is the veil still a meaningful religious symbol? Is it an antiquated tradition, or, worse, is the veil a sign of self-negation, a denial of a woman's identity, freedom, and equality? A careful reading of St. Paul's texts, understood in light of Scripture and Catholic tradition, will clear up confusion on this thorny issue.

Before attempting to interpret this passage's meaning, however, an obscurity in the text itself should be noted. As biblical scholarship has pointed out, Paul actually says nothing about veils as such. The Greek word he uses, which is usually translated as "veil," is exousia, meaning "power" or "authority." Thus, a very literal translation of the passage would read: "the woman should have a power [or: authority] over her head." One occasionally sees the text expanded into a paraphrase: ". . . a power over her head, symbolized by a veil." This is a good bit clearer, but still, why a veil? Having made a simple point about the word itself, modern scholarship has no more light to shed on the matter. We must turn to the tradition of the Church, our sure guide for an answer.

According to some of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, this passage refers to the angels who veil their faces before the presence of God, worshipping before his throne. "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory" (Is. 6:2). The angels cover or veil their faces as a sign of reverence before God's glorious power and majesty; they are under his authority. St. Paul is saying, then, that just as the angels cover their faces before the throne of God, so women ought to do likewise at worship.

But why only the women? Are not men likewise standing in the presence of God? The answer can be found in a series of analogies that St. Paul establishes earlier in the same chapter. "The head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God" (1 Cor. 11:3). That is, God the Father stands to Christ as Christ stands to the husband, and Christ stands to the husband as the husband stands to his wife (Father : Christ :: Christ : husband :: husband : wife). Notice how remarkable this analogy is: the Christian wife is being compared to the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of the Father, in his relation to the Father. Hence, the ultimate meaning of a woman's vocation as a wife and mother is to participate, imitate, and manifest the mystery of Christ's mission. Her self-giving is to mirror the self-giving of Christ.

To unfold the meaning of this teaching further, we should consider what St. Paul says in his Epistle to the Ephesians where, providing another analogy, he adds another dimension to the symbolism. "Wives, be subject to your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church, and is himself its Savior. As the Church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands" (Eph. 5:22-24). The husband stands to the wife as Christ stands to the Church. From this, we see that by the same token, a wife is called to imitate and participate in the work of the Church, who follows Christ; and Christ follows the Father. A great supernatural mystery is foreshadowed in earthly things: the obedience of wives is rooted in and flows from Christ's obedience to the Father and in the Church's submission to her Lord.

The feminist objections could arise here again. However, it is of utmost importance to see that the obedience to which a woman binds herself in marriage is a choice, a response from the heart to a vocation from the Lord, even as a nun vows obedience to her earthly Superior as part of her vocation to serve the one Lord. The obedience of the wife is given within the context of a sacrament; it is not a matter of some natural dependence or inferiority. A wife's freely chosen submission to her husband, who stands in persona Christi, does not jeopardize a woman's identity. Quite to the contrary, this sacrifice fulfils it: "the last shall be first." In the same way, the Virgin Mary's total obedience and humility is not her disgrace but her glory, the way to her innermost participation in her Son's work of redemption. A wife submits herself to her husband primarily for the love of God, in obedience to his call. Nor does this sacrifice of self, sustained by the grace of God and properly understood by her, endanger the status of the wife as equal to her husband.

The Son is co-equal with the Father (as Origen held, and as was afterwards defined), yet the Son is obedient to the Father. A thing so sweetly known in many relations of human love is, beyond imagination, present in the midmost secrets of heaven. For the Son in His eternal Now desires subordination, and it is His. He wills to be so; He co-inheres obediently and filially in the Fther, as the Father authoritatively and paternally co-inheres in Him. And the whole Three persons are co-eternal together - and co-equal. (Charles Williams, Descent of the Dove)

Within the Blessed Trinity, the distinction of Persons does not endanger the unity of the Godhead, essentially and equally shared by Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This hierarchy-within-equality in the Trinity is reflected in the order of salvation brought about through the Father's sending of Christ, in the bridal relationship of Christ and the Church, and again in the order of marriage.