it true that there is no such thing as the veil in the Judaeo-Christian tradition?

Question

The Jewish woman in Rabbinic literature, it was the custom of Jewish women to go out in public with a head covering which, sometimes, even covered the whole face leaving one eye free. Rabbinic law forbids the recitation of blessings or prayers in the presence of a bareheaded married woman since uncovering the woman's hair is considered "nudity".

Jewish women in Europe continued to wear veils until the nineteenth century when their lives became more intermingled with the surrounding secular culture. The external pressures of the European life in the nineteenth century forced many of them to go out bare-headed. Some Jewish women found it more convenient to replace their traditional veil with a wig as another form of hair covering. Today, most pious Jewish women do not cover their hair except in the synagogue. Some of them, such as the Hasidic sects, still use the wig.

Catholic Nuns have been covering their heads for hundreds of years, but that is not all. St. Paul in the

made some very interesting statements about the veil:

"Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonours his head. And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonours her head - it is just as though her head were shaved. If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or shaved off, she should cover her head. A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head" (I Corinthians 11:3-10).

St. Paul's rationale for veiling women is that the veil represents a sign of the

of the man, who is the image and glory of God, over the woman who was created from and for man. St. Tertullian in his famous treatise 'On The Veiling Of Virgins' wrote, "Young women, you wear your veils out on the streets, so you should wear them in the church, you wear them when you are among strangers, then wear them among your brothers..." Among the Canon laws of the Catholic church today, there is a law that requires women to cover their heads in church. 82 Some Christian denominations, such as the Amish and the Mennonites for example, keep their women veiled to the present day. The reason for the veil, as offered by their Church leaders, is that "The head covering is a symbol of woman's subjection to the man and to God", which is the same logic introduced by St. Paul in the New Testament.

So why are Christians so against Muslim women wearing a veil (hijab) too

Answer 1

As a Jewish woman, I can tell you that there's been LOTS written about the headcovering that some Jewish women choose to wear. Some choose a small lacy headcovering or hat similar to the yarmulke (kippah) that a man would wear in synagogue, worn during prayer, while the more Orthodox choose to shave their heads and don a wig, or wear a scarf or hat with all the hair tucked in. Jewish women with this latter degree of observance wear their headcovering all the time - not just when they pray. Traditionally, a woman doesn't wear a headcovering until she's married. Women and men also pray separately in an Orthodox setting - so as not distract each other from prayer. Real prayer requires focus. But that's a whole different discussion.

Since there have been literally VOLUMES written about this, I won't get into the particulars. But Jewish women don headcoverings for many reasons - ultimately, the woman finds an explanation that she's comfortable with. (1) It's tradition (we Jews don't like to mess with tradition). (2) It's immodest for a married woman to show her hair in mixed company. (3) Covering your head during prayer shows deference to the Almighty. It isn't spelled out in the Old Testament that a woman must wear a headcovering, but over the thousands of years that Talmudic scholars have been honing the Law, a tradition of Orthodox interpretation has been the norm. An Orthodox person (man or woman) would never take the easy way out. They believe that taking an observance or ritual a step beyond the required brings greater connection with God. This accounts for the different types of headcoverings - some do a little, some do a lot. This is the whole concept of "Mitzvot" - the act of doing that brings one closer to the Almighty.

I'm unsure about this, as I haven't studied Christianity, but it's my understanding that Paul (of the New Testament) rejects a religion based on obligations and promotes love and faith instead. And the American legal system is based on freedoms, rights and entitlements. In contrast, in Judaism, mitzvot are based on obligations. Obligations bind us together in a way that feelings cannot, because feelings are unreliable. Thus, it's nice to honor your parents because you love them, but you should do so because God commanded it. The same with headcoverings, or "veils" if you will. It's considered a mitzvah or obligation to wear one. Not to say that love and law don't fit into Judaism - they do. But this isn't a discourse on religion. We're talking about headcoverings.

I've always thought that the tradition of Orthodox Jewish women shaving their heads and wearing wigs or scarves goes back to the Russian shtetls (Jewish ghettos) their families original hail from, in the 1800s and 1900s, anti-semitism and pogroms (raping and pillaging by neighbors) was the norm. In this scenario, a modest Jewish woman with a shaved head was protecting herself and her family. Like many traditions, they're hard to shake. Obviously, an Orthodox woman in Brooklyn, NY doesn't have to worry about a pogrom, but it's a meaningful and beautiful tradition for her to honor her family, herself, and God, by wearing a headcovering like her ancestors did. And she's now permitted some leeway and fashion sense when she chooses how to cover her head.


FYI ... I'm not an expert. If someone wants to weigh in on this or share additional information, please do.

Answer 2

Christians tend not to be against the veil.

The ones against the veil tend to be people who are against all religion, the secularists. Some Christians are jealous of the pride that Muslins have for their religion, and how they will defnd it to a hilt, and thats why you will hear some say "You wouldn't critisize Muhammad as you would Jesus" about Newspapers, films, etc.. but that really is more self-criticism of fellow Christians for not defending their faith the way Muslims have, and continue to do.

As for veiling. Catholic nuns still veil, and orithox Jewish women tend to shave their hair and wear a bandana rather than veil.

Secularists are the main protaginists against the hija, and they hate and fear all religions, but especially Muslims - as Muslims ar too proud of their faith to be silenced.. Muslims are the example the christian faithful in europe should follow

Answer 3

In my experience, christians do not follow their scripture very closely at all. They also seem to attack other groups that do, out of guilt possibly.

I'm glad I'm not of the Abrahamic religions....I could never cover my head as the snakes would just wriggle out anyways.

Answer 4

As a Christian women I have no problem with Muslim women wearing a hijab. That is their faith and they should be respected .

Answer 5

Does the Wimple that Some Nuns Wear , Count .... ?? :-)

Answer 6

For all Muslims or non Muslims,if you have any questions about the Hijab or Islam, please visit:

islamicvoice.com/october.98/ zakir.htm

Answer 7

What is your point?