Did the Ancients Believe Hair was Genitalia? (Bedside Rounds Podcast by Adam Rodman)
Channel: Zachary T. Lawson
Date: 2018-04-15

An excerpt from the #AdamAnswers segment of Dr. Adam Rodman's Bedside Rounds podcast episode 31 Malariotherapy. This is one of my favorite medical podcasts. Please give it a listen at http://bedside-rounds.org/

Full episode, "31- Malariotherapy": http://bedside-rounds.org/episode-31-malariotherapy/

Troy Martin has argued that Paul's discussion about the head coverings in 1 Cor 11 trades on the idea that in the ancient world, it was believed that one of the chief functions of women's hair was to draw semen into the womb during intercourse and ultimately produce a baby. Thus, hair was considered to be genitalia and ought to remain covered during worship. In this episode, Dr. Rodman reviews the medical element of Martin's argument.

Martin's paper: "Paul's Argument from Nature for the Veil in 1 Corinthians 11:13-15: A Testicle Instead of a Head Covering," (JBL 123/1 [2004] 75­84)
http://www.michaelsheiser.com/TheNakedBible/1%20Cor11%20head%20covering%20testicle.pdf