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Analyzing Pauline Traditions

Paul of Tarsus and the Origins of Syncretism in the Christian Church

—  Page 8  —

Does YHWH Uphold Paul's Teaching On Praying And Prophesying
With One's Head Covered?

In 1 Corinthians 11:4 Paul says that every man praying or prophesying with his head covered dishonours his head. Does YHWH uphold this tradition of Paul? Leviticus 16:1-34 reads,

¹ YHWH spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they drew too close to the presence of YHWH. ² YHWH said to Moses: Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come at will into the Shrine behind the Curtain, in front of the Cover that is upon the Ark, lest he die; for I appear in the Cloud over the Cover. ³ Thus only shall Aaron enter the Shrine, with a bull of the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. ⁴ He shall be dressed in a sacral linen tunic, with linen breeches next to his flesh, and be girt with a linen sash, and he shall wear a linen turban. They are sacral vestments; he shall bathe his body in water and then put them on. — ⁵ And from the Israelite community he shall take two he-goats for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. ⁶ Aaron is to offer his own bull of sin offering, to make expiation for himself and for his household. ⁷ Aaron shall take the two he-goats and let them stand before YHWH at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting; ⁸ and he shall place lots upon the two goats, one marked for YHWH and the other marked for Azazel. ⁹ Aaron shall bring forward the goat designated by lot for YHWH, which he is to offer as a sin offering; ¹⁰ while the goat designated by lot for Azazel shall be left standing alive before YHWH, to make expiation with it and to send it off to the wilderness for Azazel. ¹¹ Aaron shall then offer his bull of sin offering, to make expiation for himself and his household. He shall slaughter his bull of sin offering, ¹² and he shall take a panful of glowing coals scooped from the altar before YHWH, and two handfuls of finely ground aromatic incense, and bring this behind the curtain. ¹³ He shall put the incense on the fire before YHWH, so that the cloud from the incense screens the cover that is over the Ark of the Pact, lest he die. ¹⁴ He shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger over the cover on the east side; and in front of the cover he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times. ¹⁵ He shall then slaughter the people's goat of sin offering, bring its blood behind the curtain, and do with its blood as he has done with the blood of the bull: he shall sprinkle it over the cover and in front of the cover. ¹⁶ Thus he shall purge the Shrine of the uncleanness and transgression of the Israelites, whatever their sins; and he shall do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which abides with them in the midst of their uncleanness. ¹⁷ When he goes in to make expiation in the Shrine, nobody else shall be in the Tent of Meeting until he comes out. When he has made expiation for himself and his household, and for the whole congregation of Israel, ¹⁸ he shall go out to the altar that is before YHWH and purge it: he shall take some of the blood of the bull and of the goat and apply it to each of the horns of the altar; ¹⁹ and the rest of the blood he shall sprinkle on it with his finger seven times. Thus he shall cleanse it of the uncleanness of the Israelites and consecrate it. ²⁰ When he has finished purging the Shrine, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, the live goat shall be brought forward. ²¹ Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat and confess over it all the iniquities and transgressions of the Israelites, whatever their sins, putting them on the head of the goat; and it shall be sent off to the wilderness through a designated man. ²² Thus the goat shall carry on it all their iniquities to an inaccessible region; and the goat shall be set free in the wilderness. ²³ And Aaron shall go into the Tent of Meeting, take off the linen vestments that he put on when he entered the Shrine, and leave them there. ²⁴ He shall bathe his body in water in the holy precinct and put on his vestments; then he shall come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people, making expiation for himself and for the people. ²⁵ The fat of the sin offering he shall turn into smoke on the altar. ²⁶ He who set the Azazel-goat free shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may reenter the camp. ²⁷ The bull of sin offering and the goat of sin offering whose blood was brought in to purge the Shrine shall be taken outside the camp; and their hides, flesh, and dung shall be consumed in fire. ²⁸ He who burned them shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may re-enter the camp. ²⁹ And this shall be to you a law for all time: In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall practice self-denial; and you shall do no manner of work, neither the citizen nor the alien who resides among you. ³⁰ For on this day atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you of all your sins; you shall be clean before YHWH. ³¹ It shall be a Shabbath of complete rest for you, and you shall practice self-denial; it is a law for all time. ³² The priest who has been anointed and ordained to serve as priest in place of his father shall make expiation. He shall put on the linen vestments, the sacral vestments. ³³ He shall purge the innermost Shrine; he shall purge the Tent of Meeting and the altar; and he shall make expiation for the priests and for all the people of the congregation. ³⁴ This shall be to you a law, for all time, to make atonment.

Aaron the priest had his head covered with a linen turban — part of the holy garments he was wearing in serving as per YHWH's Commands on the Day of Atonement. Part of his service, as seen in Leviticus 16:21, involved confessing, or praying, or prophesying over the live goat. This he did with his head covered, and under YHWH's command. Was Aaron dishonouring his head or authority, YHWH, by obeying YHWH in praying with his head covered by the linen garment that YHWH had commanded him to wear in that service? Was Paul right when he saud the opposite?

YHWH's Word On Men Praying Or Prophesying With Their Heads Covered
Contrary To Paul's Tradition

Seeing that Aaron was honouring YHWH by abiding by his Commands, he could not have been dishonouring YHWH in this service. Yet Paul, in 1 Corinthians 11:4, opines that EVERY man — including the high priest serving as per YHWH's instructions — dishonours his head by praying or prophesying with his head covered. It is therefore concluded that Paul's words are contrary to YHWH's Instructions and Words!

Does YHWH Uphold Paul's Tradition On Women
Praying Or Prophesying With Their Heads Veiled?

In 1 Corinthians 11:5 Paul says that every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonours her head, and that it is one and the same for her to be shaved as it is to pray with her hair unveiled. Does YHWH uphold this tradition of Paul? Numbers 6:1-21 reads,

¹ YHWH spoke to Moses, saying: ² Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "If anyone, , explicitly utters a nazirite's vow, to set himself apart for YHWH, ³ he shall abstain from wine and any other intoxicant; he shall not drink vinegar of wine or of any other intoxicant, neither shall he drink anything in which grapes have been steeped, nor eat grapes fresh or dried. ⁴ Throughout his term as nazirite, he may not eat anything that is obtained from the grapevine, even seeds or skin. ⁵ Throughout the term of his vow as nazirite, no razor shall touch his head; it shall remain consecrated until the completion of his term as nazirite of YHWH, the hair of his head being left to grow untrimmed. ⁶ Throughout the term that he has set apart for YHWH, he shall not go in where there is a dead person. ⁷ Even if his father or mother, or his brother or sister should die, he must not defile himself for them, since hair set apart for his Elohim is upon his head: ⁸ throughout his term as nazirite he is consecrated to YHWH. ⁹ If a person dies suddenly near him, defiling his consecrated hair, he shall shave his head on the day he becomes clean; he shall shave it on the seventh day. ¹⁰ On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. ¹¹ The priest shall offer one as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, and make expiation on his behalf for the guilt that he incurred through the corpse. That same day he shall reconsecrate his head ¹² and rededicate to YHWH his term as nazirite; and he shall bring a lamb in its first year as a penalty offering. The previous period shall be void, since his consecrated hair was defiled. ¹³ This is the ritual for the nazirite: On the day that his term as nazirite is completed, he shall be brought to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. ¹⁴ As his offering to YHWH he shall present: one male lamb in its first year, without blemish, for a burnt offering; one ewe lamb in its first year, without blemish, for a sin offering; one ram without blemish for an offering of well-being; ¹⁵ a basket of unleavened cakes of choice flour with oil mixed in, and unleavened wafers spread with oil; and the proper meal offerings and libations. ¹⁶ The priest shall present them before YHWH and offer the sin offering and the burnt offering. ¹⁷ He shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of well-being to YHWH, together with the basket of unleavened cakes; the priest shall also offer the meal offerings and the libations. ¹⁸ The nazirite shall then shave his consecrated hair, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, and take the locks of his consecrated hair and put them on the fire that is under the sacrifice of well-being. ¹⁹ The priest shall take the shoulder of the ram when it has been boiled, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and place them on the hands of the nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated hair. ²⁰ The priest shall elevate them as an elevation offering before YHWH; and this shall be a sacred donation for the priest, in addition to the breast of the elevation offering and the thigh of gift offering. After that the nazirite may drink wine. ²¹ Such is the obligation of a nazirite; except that he who vows an offering to YHWH of what he can afford, beyond his nazirite requirements, must do exactly according to the vow that he has made beyond his obligation as a nazirite.

It Is Not Shameful For Women To Abide By YHWH's Word

In Numbers 6:18 it is YHWH who commands that Nazirites shave their heads at the conclusion of their nazirite vows, irrespective of whether they are male or female, as seen in Numbers 6:2. Is it shameful to abide by YHWH's command? If it is shameful for men to be shaved, then it is likewise shameful for women to be shaved, for YHWH's command applies to them both. But if there is no shame in serving YHWH in the manner that He has commanded, why should anyone — including Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:5 — suggest that it is shameful if a woman is shaved, and equating this to praying with her head uncovered? If there is no shame in a woman being shaved, then there is no shame in her praying with her head uncovered, notwithstanding Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 11:5.

It Is Not Shameful For Men To Abide By YHWH's Word

In 1 Corinthians 11:14 Paul suggests that it is a dishonour to a man for him to have long hair. Nevertheless, as just observed in Numbers 6:5, YHWH required all Nazirites, including men, to let the locks of their hair grow long, and not to shave their hair during the days of their nazirite vow. Is it a dishonour to a man to abide by YHWH's Word?

It is evident that the traditions that Paul was delivering to the Corinthian congregation were just his own traditions, without justification from YHWH's Word. For YHWH's Word contains contrary instructions.

Does YHWH Agree With Paul On Forbidding Women
From Speaking In The Assemblies?

In 1 Corinthians 14:33b-34 Paul arrogantly forbids women to speak in the assemblies, suggesting that if they do so they are being insubordinate to their husbands. Does YHWH agree?

In Miriam's Day Women Did Not Keep Silent In YHWH's Assembly

Exodus 15:19-21 reads,

¹⁹ For the horses of Pharaoh, with his chariots and horsemen, went into the sea; and YHWH turned back on them the waters of the sea; but the Israelites marched on dry ground in the midst of the sea. ²⁰ Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her in dance with timbrels. ²¹ And Miriam chanted for them: Sing to YHWH, for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.

Here it is evident that women did not keep silent in YHWH's assembly. For both Miriam and "all the women” sang, played the tambourine and danced before YHWH, in praise and acknowledgement of the great victory he had wrought on behalf of his entire assembly, of which they were a part. In all this we find no suggestion that the women were insubordinate to their husbands, nor is there any notion that it was shameful for them to so open their mouths in YHWH's Assembly.