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 Christian theology is the theology of Christianity, Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theology, theologian ...

, with respect to God, Jesus, man and woman. It has historically been externally reflected through the Christian practice of

headcovering Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, de ...

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 of a ...

. In particular, it has been applied to passages such as Romansbr>5:12-21
explaining the relation of all humanity with

Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

, 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 The Last Adam, also given as the Final Adam or the Ultimate Adam, is a title given to Jesus in the New Testament. Similar titles that also refer to Jesus include Second Adam and New Adam. Twice in the New Testament an explicit comparison is m ...

. 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 ...

God the Father God the Father is a title given to God in Christianity. In mainstream trinitarian Christianity, God the Father is regarded as the first person of the Trinity, followed by the second person, God the Son Jesus Christ, and the third person, God t ...

, earned eternal life and blessedness for all his people. In his instructions regarding the Christian

ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * ...

in ,

Paul the Apostle Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

grounds his teaching in "the headship of God, the headship of Christ, and the headship of man". New Testament scholar Ben Witherington III 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 The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical per ...

, 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 Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman pr ...

'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 in ...

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

Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

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 Conservative Anabaptism includes theologically conservative Anabaptist denominations, both in doctrine and practice. Conservative Anabaptists, along with Old Order Anabaptists and mainline Anabaptists, are a subset of the Anabaptist branch of Chr ...

.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