APPENDIX Z:
MY CANDID OPINIONS ON USING EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITERS AS PROOF OF ANYTHING RELATING TO THE HEAD COVERING
POCKETSERMONS.org
By Rick Cutter (contact)
In the course of sincerely attempting to find the Truth about the Head Covering (HC) issue of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16, one of the things I desperately wanted to do was check the writings of early Christians, just to see what they believed about the HC passage.
I tried to take the “mature” position and acknowledge that their opinions were not Divinely inspired, nor that just because their writings survived suggests absolutely that they represented the majority views of their day. I admitted that many of them disagreed with one another, and not a few had easily debunkable views on the HC—as well as other doctrines—to the extent that they would certainly not be accepted into many modern Restoration Movement Churches. Nonetheless, I barged ahead excitedly, both curious and eager to read what they had to say.
So I spent many hours and days scouring through their writings and computer-searching for key phrases such as “hair”, “veil”, “covering”, “lock [of hair]”,”tress”, “Corinthians,” etc, in an attempt to find every reference made to this subject. The writings of the following authors / documents were scanned:
Clement, Mathetes, Polycarp, Ignatius, Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Hermas, Tatian, Theophilus, Athenagoras, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Minucius Felix, Commodianus, Origen. Hippolytus, Cyprian, Caius, Novatian, Baptism of Heretics, Anonymous Treatise Against the Heretic Novatian, Anonymous Treatise on Rebaptism, Gregory Thaumaturgus, Dionysius the Great, Julius Africanus, Anatolius and Minor Writers, Archelaus, Alexander of Lycopolis, Peter of Alexandria, Alexander of Alexandria, Methodius, Arnobius, Lactantius, Dionysius of Rome, Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, Constitutions of the Holy Apostles, The Homily Ascribed to Clement, Early Liturgies, Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, Theodotus: Excerpts, Epistles Concerning Virginity, Pseudo-Clementine Literature, Apocrypha of the New Testament, Decretals Memoire of Edessa and Ancient Syriac Documents, remains of the Second and Third Centuries, Recognitions of Clement, Original supplement to the American Edition: Gospel of Peter, Diatessaron of Tatian, Apocalypse of Peter, Visio Pauli, Apocalypses of the Virgin and of Sedrach, Testament of Abraham, Acts of Xanthippe and Polyxena, Narrative of Zosimus, Apology of Aeristides, Epistles of Clement (complete), Origen’s Commentaries on John and Matthew (partial), St. Augustine Volumes (Prolegomena; Life and Works; Confessions; Letters; The City of God; Christian Doctrine, Doctrinal Treatises; Moral Treatises, Anti-Manichaean and Anti-Donatist Writings, etc), St. Chrysostom Volumes: (Prolegomena; On the Priesthood; Ascetic Treatises; Select Homilies and Letters; Homilies on the Statues, Homilies on the Epistles of Paul to the Corinthians), Athanasius: Select Works and Letters, Gregory of Nyssa: Select Writings and Letters; Dogmatic Treatises, St. Jerome: Letters and Select Works, St. Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures; St. Gregory Nazianzen: Select Orations, Sermons, Letters; Dogmatic Treatises, Ambrose: Principal Works, Dogmatic Treatises, Ethical Works, etc.
After almost 10,000 pages of computer scanning, a handful of authors were discovered that commented on the Head Covering issue. I was ecstatic to see that some of them actually believed what I believed on the HC issue. I was shocked to learn that none of them believed in the Uncut Hair doctrine. And I was deeply dismayed to discover, when delving in to several of the writers that commented on the HC issue, that almost to a person they entertained strange and/or easily debunkable HC-related (and other) doctrinal views, and/or were people of documented evil character. It was quite common to find that they harbored bizarre beliefs even on the HC issue itself. As I would read the general writings of each author, my dismay sunk lower, and finally to the point that I decided that I could not sincerely use any of them as a reputable source. Their doctrines and/or lifestyles would be rejected by probably any sincere, truth-seeking Christian. I that if I used any of them as a “reputable source”—the first thing a person could do would be to do what I did: to take the time to see how doctrinally “sound” these people were. My mind then returned to the Scriptures that warned of the imminent infusion of False Doctrine into the Christian world…
What the Bible Says About the Early Perversion of the Word of God in the Christian World
1 John 4:1
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 Peter 2:1-2
But there were also false PROPHETS among the people, even as there WILL BE false TEACHERS AMONG YOU,
who will SECRETLY introduce DESTRUCTIVE heresies(doctrines, teachings),
even DENYING the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.
And MANY will follow their DESTRUCTIVE ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.
2 Timothy 2:3-4
For the time will come when they (implied: Christians) will not endure SOUND DOCTRINE, but according to their OWN desires (not GOD’s!), because they have itching ears, they will HEAP UP (pile up) for themselves teachers (implied: Christian churches); and they (these fraudulent/FALSE teachers) will turn their ears away from the Truth (THEY USED TO BELIEVE THE TRUTH!), and be turned aside to fables.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day (Jesus’ second coming, v.1) will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
7 ..For the mystery of lawlessness is ALREADY AT WORK…
Acts 20:27-31 [PAUL, SPEAKING TO THE ELDERS OF EPHESUS ]
28 For I have not shunned [ver: hesitated] to declare to you the WHOLE counsel of God.
29 Therefore take heed to yourselves (be careful!) and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Also from AMONG YOURSELVES (elders!!) men will rise up, speaking perverse (ver:distort the truth) things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.
31 Therefore WATCH, and remember that for three years I did not cease to WARN EVERYONE night and day with tears.
So, I came to the same conclusion that I’d always believed about extra-Scriptural writings: They must never be confused with the Words of God Himself, and that the Word of God ALONE was ENTIRELY sufficient to “speak on its own” without the aid of men living in the 2nd or 5th or whatever century tempting me to modify any position on anything. IT IS THE ONLY STANDARD WE MUST FOLLOW. I was reminded of the passage when Paul spoke to Timothy:
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture (writings of God) is given by inspiration (breathed out) of God, and is profitable for doctrine
(teaching), for reproof (proving facts), for correction (growth & improvement), for instruction in righteousness (how to live right),
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for EVERY GOOD WORK.
In other words, we all derive our beliefs from the same Source, the BIBLE—and that is all that we need.
It alone is where ALL doctrinal verification or rejection should originate and terminate.
(1) ON THE HISTORY OF THE UNCUT HAIR DOCTRINE:
In no early Christian church could be found any version of an “Uncut Hair” doctrine—nor any discussion or communication even remotely insinuating the need for women to have uncut / untrimmed hair. The doctrine of Uncut Hair appears to be (historically speaking) one of the most recent doctrines of Christian history. The earliest reference to it appears to be somewhere around 1900. (That’s when the Pentecostal movement apparently adopted the doctrine). Also, the Restoration Movement seems to have no reference to it prior to the Pentecostal Movement (but again, if you have better information please forward so that I can update this writing).
History seems to indicate that the Uncut doctrine originated with the modern Pentecostal Movement. According to what I could find, in 1900 the modern Pentecostal Holiness movement was born in a prayer meeting when a brother started uttering in tongues (please read Paul’s views on tongue speaking in 1 Corinthians 14:23-24). It is believed that some Pentecostals sometime thereafter began migrating into Restoration Movement churches, bringing their Uncut Hair doctrine with them.
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