Marg Mowczko’s article titled, “4 reasons “head” does not mean “leader” in 1 Corinthians 11:3″ is excellent and a good sum of the research showing that Paul did not have in mind hierarchy or leadership when writing to those in Corinth. She opens with
1 Corinthians 11:2-16 is one of the more difficult passages of the Bible to interpret. Paul’s use of the Greek word kephalē, which literally means “head,” is one factor that contributes to making this passage difficult to understand.
In English, the word “head” has many meanings apart from its literal sense. One metaphorical meaning of head is “leader.” In English, the “head” of a social, political or military organisation is the leader, the top person, the chief, the one in authority. In first-century Koine Greek, the language of the New Testament, the Greek word kephalē (“head”) also had metaphorical meanings. Many Christians have assumed that kephalē means “the person in authority” in 1 Corinthians 11:3.[1] However, “leader” or “person in authority” was not a usual meaning of the word in ancient Greek either before or during the first century. In this article, I provide four pieces of evidence that support this claim.
Do give the entire article a careful read!
