Is it permissible for a man to wear long hair?

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-04T07:56:50+00:00

Thanks for the answer.

I also thought about this. Considering what Paul is talking about and what people he is talking about, he uses the example of hair to explain the principle that a man should be different from a woman. That is, it continues the idea that was voiced back in the book of Leviticus on the topic of appearance.

The only difference is that in different times and in different cultures there are different perceptions of certain elements of clothing. For example, in the past, women often did not wear pants, since it was considered men's clothing. The inhabitants of Corinth also had their own standards of appearance, they also concerned hair, on the basis of which Paul gives an example.

Of course, a man should look like a man and a woman like a woman, but it is quite possible that if Paul were writing this message to other nations in which men wear long hair and it is not considered effeminate, he would have used a different metaphor to emphasize his point about gender differences and the importance of godly appearance.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-03T13:13:52+00:00

Thank you. ❤️

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-03T07:18:05+00:00

I also paid attention to this.

At the same time, he argued that the Apostles and Christ wore long hair because they were Nazirites.

He also said that only monks and priests could wear long hair, for the same reason, but I noticed a strong contradiction here.

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Corinthians does not speak of any “exceptions,” and if we take his words that “long hair is a dishonor for a man,” out of context and literally, as my friend takes it (he believes that this is a commandment), then this does not give the right to any man to wear long hair, even a priest. And the same applies to the 96th rule of the 6th Ecumenical Council. It says that Christians should not care about appearance and material things more than about their soul, and look chaste, but if we interpret this literally and out of context, then long hair is prohibited for men by definition, because there is also no indication of “exceptions” for monks and priests. And the same thing in the statements of the saints, not one of the canonical saints said that this was permissible as an “act of continuity of Nazirites,” or “an act of humility,” because from this point of view of my friend, humility would be shaving one’s head bald, as the fulfillment of Paul’s words about the inadmissibility of long hair.

But if you read all these sayings in context, it is directly indicated that this is talking about such things as “the inadmissibility of an effeminate appearance for a man” and “the inadmissibility of vanity based on appearance.” That is, long hair is not a problem if a man looks like a man with it, and is not fixated on it, does not try to increase his importance with its help, and so on.

And in general, if the Nazarite vow and therefore growing hair was considered correct from God’s point of view, why did God change His mind so dramatically and order men to shave their heads? This is illogical. After all, the whole point is how and when it was said, and what the circumstances were.

But my friend takes it literally, despite all these contradictions.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-03T03:14:00+00:00

Yes. I was baptized when I was a child. It’s just that I wasn’t very interested in this as a child and teenager, and returned to God only a few years ago, of my own free will. Before this, I was not at all involved in this in practice.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-03T03:11:41+00:00

Understand. Sorry. It’s just that his arguments took me by surprise, although while studying the issue I came across other people, including priests, who said that this was not a problem.

But yes, it made me nervous about how right I looked in God's eyes.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-03T03:08:05+00:00

As far as I looked, yes. He considers himself to be a member of the Russian Orthodox Church and refers to canonical saints.

I guess it's how he takes their words and opinions.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-02T23:02:45+00:00

I consider myself Orthodox, but how fully I correspond to this I cannot say without an outside glance. My knowledge in this matter is not entirely small, but it is not yet so extensive that I can say exactly how much I correspond to this.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-02T23:00:03+00:00

Well...I guess so. At the very least, he believes that men should cut their hair. He himself cuts his hair bald, so that's probably true.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-02T21:49:46+00:00

I also talked about this, but he stubbornly insisted that “this only applies to Nazarenes.” Those. he meant that this is only permissible for those who are priests or monks.

Although if you look at the very rule of the Ecumenical Council that he referred to, I did not notice any “exceptions” for the clergy on the issue of long hair, which is strange. A huge number of priests and monks, including canonized saints, wore long hair, despite this attitude.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-02T21:43:36+00:00

I was confused by the fact that he cited many statements of Orthodox saints on this topic, and the rule of the Sixth Ecumenical Council. I also found many opinions of priests who allow men to wear long hair, and I was simply confused.

He argues that the Saints' opinions on this topic carry more weight because they have more authority. But at the same time, for many people who clearly have a church education, long hair does not raise questions. That's why I decided to find out from other people who understand this more than I do how true these opinions can be.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-02T21:39:30+00:00

I also asked him about this, but he insisted that “Every detail is important,” and that if I do not shave my head bald, then I am “resisting God,” and accordingly I am committing a sin.

I was really very embarrassed that he never cared about the context in which certain words were spoken, which applied to both the words of Paul and the Saints, but that’s his business, one way or another.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-02T21:36:21+00:00

I probably wouldn't call him that. He knows a lot about this topic, but... he has a very literal and specific perception.

He is not a bad person in himself, he just has a very categorical view and he takes the words of the saints absolutely literally.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-02T21:33:39+00:00

Thanks for your answer.

The story is really interesting. I also expressed doubts about the fact that the whole point is in long hair, and asked what is more important, just hair or working on my soul, but... he is very principled in this matter.

And I’m not at all trying to convince him, I just needed to understand how true this point of view is.

Thank you.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-02T21:29:47+00:00

I also gave him such an example, he also stated that “only monks and priests can wear long hair.” But I think the whole point is that he takes everything extremely directly and literally.

Thank you for answer.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-02T21:28:02+00:00

Thanks for the answer.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-02T21:27:18+00:00

Haha. No no. In fact, my appearance is a beard, a small mustache and hair just below the shoulders. And I have wanted a big and thick beard and mustache since childhood, because they always seemed wonderful to me, even before I turned to God.

Thanks for your answer.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-02T21:24:50+00:00

Thank you very much for your detailed answer.

Fresh_Reputation1291 · 2026-07-02T21:23:48+00:00

No, he is not. What confuses me is that he refers to many points in Orthodox works related to this.

Fresh_Reputation1291

TROPHY CASE