Why Did Christian Women Stop Covering Their Heads in Church? The Real History

Why did Christian women stop covering their heads in church? The answer isn't Vatican II, feminism, or a papal decree. Paul's instruction in 1 Corinthians 11 shaped Christian worship for nearly two thousand years. Then, within a single generation, the head covering vanished from most Western churches. No council abolished it, and the Vatican's own chief liturgist publicly denied it had been repealed. This video traces the history of the head covering. It starts with a veiled statue of Augustus in Roman Corinth and the Greek words Paul chose (katakalyptō, peribolaion, exousia). It follows Tertullian's fight over bareheaded virgins in Carthage, Chrysostom's sermons in Antioch, and Calvin's warnings in Geneva. It ends with the collapse of the Sunday hat, the 1917 and 1983 Codes of Canon Law, and today's revival of the chapel veil. Sources: 1 Corinthians 11:2–16; 9:4; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Esther 6:12 (LXX) Tertullian, On the Veiling of Virgins (c. early 200s) Apostolic Tradition (attributed to Hippolytus) John Chrysostom, Homily 26 on First Corinthians John Calvin, Commentary on 1 Corinthians (1546); sermons on 1 Corinthians 11 Matthew Poole, Annotations upon the Holy Bible (1680s) Dead Sea Scrolls, Rule of the Congregation (1QSa) 1917 Code of Canon Law, canon 1262; 1983 Code of Canon Law, canon 6 Catholic Herald (Sacramento), May 15, 1969, NC wire report on Fr. Annibale Bugnini NOW Ecumenical Task Force on Women and Religion, "National Unveiling" press release, April 6, 1969 Vogue, "The Truth About The Hat Situation," February 15, 1960 #HeadCovering #1Corinthians11 #ChurchHistory