The Significance of 'Anti in 1 Corinthians 11:15

Abstract

After discussing two readings of 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 (the traditional view and an alternative) the article explores the importance of a right understanding of the preposition ἀντί (‘instead of’) in verse 15. It is argued that various lexical choices make no logical difference in this case. Paul is simply stating that nature has given women hair instead of (or, as the equivalent of) a covering. This conclusion adds probability to the alternative reading being proposed.