1 Corinthians 11:15
Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?
Saint Paul to the Corinthians
Saint Paul to the Corinthians
Saint Paul must not have been aware that Jesus from Nazareth had long hair, even though Saint Paul takes a Nazarene vow (Acts 18:18) and one of the criteria of a Nazarene vow was to allow one's hair to grow (Numbers 6:5). Icons of Saint Paul and Saint Peter are included belocm to show that neither of them are depicted with long hair.
We have no reasons to believe that Saint Paul was ignorant of Jesus' appearance, therefore we must interpret his admonishment in an allegorical manner. In his rhetoric, Saint Paul invokes the authority of nature and what it teaches. Nature teaches that long hair is natural and to cut one's hair, an action not found in nature, is unnatural- cutting tools are not found in nature, but are made by men. Mining gold to create jewelry is not natural, so we must conclude, contrary to the exoteric understanding of Saint Paul's question, that men with long hair are natural, whereas women with earrings are not natural.
We have no reasons to believe that Saint Paul was ignorant of Jesus' appearance, therefore we must interpret his admonishment in an allegorical manner. In his rhetoric, Saint Paul invokes the authority of nature and what it teaches. Nature teaches that long hair is natural and to cut one's hair, an action not found in nature, is unnatural- cutting tools are not found in nature, but are made by men. Mining gold to create jewelry is not natural, so we must conclude, contrary to the exoteric understanding of Saint Paul's question, that men with long hair are natural, whereas women with earrings are not natural.