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Did Jesus Wear Long Hair? |
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Author: L. D. Pruitt |
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Many men today are wearing their hair long. This
style seems to have had its start in modern times by certain musical
groups such as the Beatles, and others. The hippie movement, which
has spread like a plague, has adopted the long hair style for men.
The "Jesus freaks" and other religious cults have taken the long
hair road. Unfortunately, many men and boys who are not hippies have
started to wear their hair in this manner. Many try to justify long
hair by stating that Jesus Christ wore long hair. The time has come
to set the record straight.
History does not support the idea that Jesus wore long hair.
Many pictures drawn by artists in recent times, picture Jesus with
long hair. In this they are wrong. The following is taken from the
book, "The Modern Student's Life of Christ," by Philip Vollmer,
published some years ago by the Fleming H. Revell Company.
"Archaeologists object to the conventional pictures of Christ
because they are not true to history. A German painter, L.
Fahrenkrog, says: "Christ certainly never wore a beard and his hair
was, beyond doubt, closely cut. For this we have historical proof.
The oldest representations, going back to the first Christian
centuries, and found chiefly in the catacombs of Rome, all pictured
Him without a beard. All the Christ-pictures down to the beginning
of the fourth century at least, and even later, are of this kind."
Editor's note: Though the above historian says that Christ never
wore a beard, the Scriptures nowhere prohibit a man from wearing a
beard.
Even from Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, we have pictures of
Christ in the Final Judgment according to this older type. Authentic
busts from the ancient world of the Roman Empire leaders prove that
short hair was the accepted mode in Roman-occupied Judea. The busts
of General Pompey, Julius Caesar, Caesar Augustus, Emperor Trajan,
and King Herod Agrippa all indicated that short hair was the style.
"For example, on pages 126 and 127 of Avi-Yonah's work (A History of
the Holy Land) are found busts of Pompey, Augustus, and one believed
to be Herod-all with short hair. All statues and carvings of
legionnaires show them with closely cropped hair. A Roman with long
hair was an oddity as it used to be the case for men in our society.
In fact, all Roman Emperors before, during, and after the time of
Christ, from Julius Caesar to Trajan, wore short hair. And the
emperor set the pattern in style and mode of dress for the whole
empire."
Many popular pictures of Jesus that were painted in relatively
recent times, have perpetuated the satanic idea that Jesus wore long
hair.
There Is No Biblical Evidence That Jesus Wore Long Hair
"Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long
hair, it is a shame unto him?" 1 Corinthians 11:14. Jesus was not a
Nazarite! According to Numbers 6:1-27, a Nazarite did wear long
hair. However, Jesus was a Nazarene and not a Nazarite. While the
two words look similar in English, they are entirely different in
looks and meaning in the original language of the Bible. A Nazarene
was one who lived in Nazareth, according to Matthew 2:23. A Nazarite
was one who took a Nazarite vow, according to Numbers, the sixth
chapter.
The Nazarite vow was usually temporary. (Samson and Samuel seem to
be notable exceptions, for their vows were for life. See I Samuel
1:11, and Judges 13:5; 16:17).
The Nazarite vow was a vow of separation. Three things were
forbidden as long as he was under the vow: (l) "He shall separate
himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of
wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor
of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried." Numbers 6:3. (2) He
could not cut his hair. (3) He could not touch, or come near a dead
body. Numbers 6 :6-9.
A Nazarite could not have used any product of the vine, and thus
Jesus could not have instituted the Lord's Supper if He had been a
Nazarite. For in this, He used the fruit of the vine.
If He had been a Nazarite, He could not have touched the funeral
"bier" (open coffin) of the dead man in Luke 7:14.
If He had been a Nazarite, Judas would not have needed to identify
Him in Gethsemane, since Jesus would have been the only long haired
man there. Everything in the New Testament seems to indicate that
Jesus looked much like the other Jewish men of His age. If there had
been any radical difference in His appearance, we believe that it
would have been mentioned in the Bible.
"Doth not even nature itself teach you," that a man should have
short hair and a woman long hair? I HAVE NEVER SEEN A BALD HEADED
WOMAN, but I have seen many bald headed men. Very few women become
bald, and those that do, are careful to conceal it with a wig. This
surely m u s t be "nature" teaching them.
The Bible clearly indicates that the hair style of a man should be
short. and that the woman's hair should be long. There should be a
clear distinction between the hair of a man and a woman. Many
scriptures teach that a woman's hair should be, or was, long. (See
Luke 7:38, 44; John 11:2; 1 Peter 3:3; 1 Timothy 2:9, and many
others. On the other hand, the scriptures indicate just the opposite
for the man, for you can find no such list of scriptures as above,
in relationship to the man. Other than the very few Nazarites
mentioned in the Old Testament, we can think of only one long haired
man in the Bible and that was Absalom. He was the wicked, rebellious
son of David.
"If a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him."
The above quoted words were written by Paul and were divinely
inspired of God. Therefore, we are going to accept what God says,
rather than the fashion trend of the day. For the Christian, the
Bible is the final word, not some picture or popular tradition. For
evidence, we quote what scholars have said about 1 Corinthians
11:14:
Lange says: "...there has grown up among the most civilized nations,
that good taste which declares itself in favor of short hair for men
and long hair for women. Among men, the wearing of long hair is now
reprobated as a mark of effeminacy and dishonoring to them, inasmuch
as it prevents the free exposure of the countenance."
Matthew Henry says, "The woman's hair is a natural covering; to wear
it long is a glory to her; but for a man to have long hair, or
cherish it, is a token of softness and effeminacy."
"'.... If a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him." The Greek
word "ATIMIA" is translated "shame" in the above text. Elsewhere in
the New Testament it is translated, "dishonor," "reproach," and
"vile." Thayer's comments on this word are interesting and
informative. He says: "Atimia -dishonor, ignominy, disgrace, 1 Cor.
11:14; 1 Cor. 15:43, ( in a state of disgrace, used of the
unseemliness and offensiveness of a dead body); . . . base lusts,
vile passions, Romans 1 :26."
Could anything be more plain? The "shame" (atimia) of long hair is
elsewhere used in connection with a dead, putrefying, decaying body.
In Romans 1 26, "atimia" is translated "vile." What Does Long Hair
Mean Today ?
Let the radical subversive, Jerry Rubin, answer from his book, "DO
IT." "Young kids identify short hair with authority, discipline,
unhappiness, boredom, rigidity, hatred of life and long hair with
letting go.... Wherever we go, our hair tells people where we stand
on Vietnam, Wallace, campus disruption, dope. We're living TV
commercials for the revolution. . . . Long hair is the beginning of
our liberation from sexual oppression that underlies the whole
military society." Preachers, The Church, and Parents Must Stand
Against Long Hair
Parents who allow a son to grow and wear long hair are contributing
to a rebellion against God and against our country. This is a sure
step in losing control of a child. Preachers and congregations who
compromise on this subject, hoping to reach more young people, are
actually fighting against God. Let us stand, whatever the cost! We
believe that Christian young men, when taught the truth, will want
to wear their hair short. Informed Christians will not want to be
identified with the "shame" or revolutionary element that long hair
symbolizes. ‹Selected
Editor's Comment:
In 1 Cor. 11:3-4 the Apostle Paul writes: "But I would have you
know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the
woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. Every man praying
or prophesying, having his head covered [with long hair],
dishonoureth his head [which is Christ]." In order for a man not to
dishonour his head [Christ], he must have short hair when he prays
or is in divine worship. Jesus was a man on earth, and if He prayed
wearing long hair, He would have dishonoured or disgraced His Head,
which is God. (See verse 3). "For a man indeed ought not to cover
his head [with long hair], forasmuch as he is the image and glory of
God." Verse 7.
In Gal. 1:12, Paul affirmed that the gospel he preached was received
"by the revelation of Jesus Christ." If Jesus had long hair, that
practice was contrary to the revelation which He gave to Paul for
the Corinthian church. Jesus is our example, and throughout the New
Testament we are exhorted to follow in His steps and to pattern our
lives after His conduct, but nowhere in the Bible do we find anv
indication that He wore long hair.
The artist's imaginary pictures of Jesus with His disciples at the
"Last Supper," showing Jesus with long hair and many of His
disciples with short hair, are inconsistent because Jesus instructed
His disciples to follow His example. People have seen the
traditional pictures of Jesus with long hair for so many years that
they have taken it for granted, but such an idea has no sound basis
in the Scriptures. Since the recent "hippie movement" has focused
attention on this question, it is well that we re-consider this
tradition in the light of the Scriptures, and not by mere secular
history. It is indeed difficult for even sincere and honest people
to break away from a long-standing tradition, and it often takes a
period of time for light and truth to affect their thinking and
conduct. |
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Printed By: Faith Publishing House,
P.O. Box 518, Guthrie, OK 73044 |
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