2097.-Long Hair by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · May 29, 1907

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 33, No. 22.

2097.—Long Hair.

By Editor

As the Good Book says it is a shame for a man to wear long hair, why is it that you follow all other sects in picturing Jesus with long hair, parted in the middle like a woman, as is pictured in the SIGNS OF THE TIMES?

The expression in Corinthians which says it is a shame for men to have long hair does not come from the word usually translated hair. In fact, it is used in only that one passage. It means to wear tresses of hair as ornaments; and the thought is that it is proper for women to make the hair an ornament, but not for men. It would be a shame for a man to spend the time and pains to arrange his hair that a woman would spend on hers. Woman's glory is her hair. Men's hair was generally cut middling short, tho not so short as men do nowadays. See Lev. 10:6, "And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and unto Ithamar, his sons, Let not the hair of your heads go loose, neither rend your clothes." Certainly that would seem to indicate that their hair was moderately long at least. And yet they were not to shave their heads nor trim them as did the idolatrous nations around them. See Lev. 19:27; Jer. 9:26, margin. This was to prevent them from following idolatrous customs. The Arabs cut their hair from the temples in a circular form in honor of the idol Orotal. So much for general custom. On the other hand the Nazarites wore their hair uncut. See Num. 6:5, "He shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow long." Judges 13:5, "No razor shall come upon his head; for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God." The reason why the artists have represented Jesus as having long hair is that He has been counted as a Nazarite, separated unto God. Evidently the custom grew out of this. While many of good sense have discouraged the custom of men parting their hair in the middle, we know of nothing in Scripture, morality, or sound sense that would prevent a man from parting his hair in any way, or not parting it at all. There are some things which God has left to common sense, and there are great big things enough in matters of righteousness and truth for us to consider without taking time to dwell upon minor affairs of this kind.