In this post, I want to look at arguments based on history and culture for these two views. As far as men are concerned, we have much evidence from Greek, Roman, and Jewish sources that it is disgraceful for men to have long hair, since it made men look effeminate and open to the charge of being a passive partner in same-sex sexual relationship. Phocylides , 30 B. Rufus goes on to critique via his student Epictetus men who give too much time to their appearance, especially their hair.
Many other examples can be cited to show that the general consensus was that it was shameful for men to have long hair. Juvenal, Satire 2. I say generally, because there were notable exceptions. For instance, Dio Chrysostom mentions philosophers, priest, peasants, and barbarians as exceptions to rule that men should have short hair. Perhaps the most challenging exception to the no-long-hair norm is that Paul himself grew his hair out during his original 18 month stay in Corinth!
Luke tells us that he cut his hair after leaving Corinth Acts This, of course, presents a challenge to the long-hair view, since it has Paul telling the Corinthian men not to have long hair when he himself had long hair during his time at Corinth.
As far as women go, respectable married women would wear their hair bound up above their heads. Short hair on a woman was also viewed as a sign of masculinity and same-sex sexuality. If a woman wore her hair down in public, it was a sign that she was immodest, if not a sexually promiscuous or a prostitute.
But we do have archaeological evidence portraying women with their hair done up above their head without any sort of covering. Cynthia Thompson, for instance, examined 16 different artifacts unearthed from Corinth depicting women.
