Having his head covered [κ α τ α κ ε φ α λ η ς ε χ ω ν]. Lit., having something hanging down from his head. Referring to the tallith, a four - cornered shawl having fringes consisting of eight threads, each knotted five times, and worn over the head in prayer. It was placed upon the worshipper's head at his entrance into the synagogue. The Romans, like the Jews, prayed with the head veiled. So Aeneas : "And our heads are shrouded before the altar with a Phrygian vestment" (Virgil, "Aeneid," 3, 545). The Greeks remained bareheaded during prayer or sacrifice, as indeed they did in their ordinary outdoor life. The Grecian usage, which had become prevalent in the Grecian churches, seems to have commended itself to Paul as more becoming the superior position of the man.

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Old Testament