Federal headship refers to the representation of a group united under a federation or covenant. For example, a country's president may be seen as the federal head of their nation, representing and speaking on its behalf before the rest of the world. Related to the created order, the concept of headship is taught in Christian theology, with respect to God, Jesus, man and woman. It has historically been externally reflected through the Christian practice of headcovering.

In Christianity

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, this concept has been used to explain the concepts of the covenants found in the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

. In particular, it has been applied to passages such as

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

br>5:12-21
explaining the relation of all humanity with Adam, as well as the relation of redeemed humanity with

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, who is called the last Adam. According to this understanding, as humanity's federal head Adam brought the entire human race into sin, misery, and death due to his disobedience. Christ, in his

perfect obedience ''Perfect Obedience'' (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Obediencia perfecta'') is a 2014 Mexican Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Luis Urquiza. It won the Grand Prix des Amériques (film award), Grand Prix des Amériques, the main p ...

to God the Father, earned eternal life and blessedness for all his people. In his instructions regarding the Christian ordinance of headcovering in , Paul the Apostle grounds his teaching in "the headship of God, the headship of Christ, and the headship of man". New Testament scholar

Ben Witherington III Ben Witherington III (born December 30, 1951) is an American Wesleyan-Arminian New Testament scholar. Witherington is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary, a Wesleyan-Holiness seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, an ...

explicates the historical interpretation of this passage: In Conservative Anabaptist Christianity, the woman's headcovering is worn throughout the day "to show that the wearer is in God's order." The concept of headship can be found in the writings of the Church Fathers, including

Irenaeus Irenaeus (; grc-gre, Εἰρηναῖος ''Eirēnaios''; c. 130 – c. 202 AD) was a Greek bishop noted for his role in guiding and expanding Christian communities in the southern regions of present-day France and, more widely, for the dev ...

' ''Against Heresies'' and

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North A ...

's '' City of God''. The full theological articulation came in the time of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...

, and this doctrine is held by many Protestant churches, particularly in conservative Reformed and

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

churches, as well as those of Conservative Anabaptism.Enns, Peter. ''The Evolution of Adam: What the Bible Does and Doesn't Say about Human Origins.'' Ada, MI: Brazos Press, 2012.

References

External links

Headship and Head Covering by Rev. Chalan Hetherington - Bennetts End Reformed Baptist Church
* ttps://wilkesbarremennonitechurch.com/about-2/why-we-wear-a-headship-covering/ Why We Wear a Headship Covering by Brenda M. Weaver - Wilkes-Barre Mennonite Churchbr>The Practice of Headcoverings in the New Testament Church by Rev. William O. Einwechter - Immanuel Free Reformed Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Federal Headship Christian theology and politics Calvinist theology Religious concepts related with Adam and Eve First Epistle to the Corinthians Christianity and women

In Christianity

See also

References

Further reading

External links