The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 357

and keep, de. Tltis is probably a quoto.lion found in eh. xv. 27, 28. 'fhis too is the from their letter. He tho.11ks them for tbis meo.niug of John xiv. 28, "My Father is kind messo.ge, but points out one po.rticulo.r greater tbo.n I." in which their pro.ctice wo.s not quite com- Ver. 4.-:Prophesying; thnt is, jJl'eaching. mendable. The ordinanoes. 'l'he word Having his head oovered. 'fhis wo.s a litero.lly meo.ns traditions, but is here rightly Jewish custom. 'l'ho Jewish worshipper opplied lo rules which he hnd dc/;vered to in pmying nlwnys covers his heo.d with his them. The Vulgo.te has prtEccpta. 'fho tallith. 'l'he Jew (lilrn Orit,utnls generully) word is used in l\Inlt. xv. 2 of the rules o.ud uncovered his feet because tho place on precedents lnid clown by tho ro.bbis. which ho stood was holy ground; but he Ver. 3.-But I would have you know; covered his heo.d by wo.y of humility, cvon rather, but I ioish you to kno10. That the head • o.s the o.ngels yeiJ their faces with their of every man is Christ. St. Paul, as was wings. JEnens is so.id by Servius to ho.ve eustomo.ry with him, applies the loftiest introduced this custom into lt1\ly. On the ·principles to the solution of the humblest other ho.nd, the Greok custom wns to prny difficulties. Given o. queetion ns to whut is with tho head uncovered. St. Po.ul-ns right or wrong in o. particular iusto.nce, he some cliscrcpancy of custom seems to havo always aims o.t lo.ying down sorno grc1\t o.rieen-dccid~d in favour of the Greek etemo.l fact to which the duty or decision is custom, on tho high ground thnt Christ, by ultimately referable, and deduces the his in<'.arnntion, becumo mo.n, o.nd therefore required rule from that fact. Tho head- tho Chri~tian, who is" in Christ," mo.y stand  362 THE FIHST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. [cH. XI. 1-34.