Why are Orthodox monks not allowed to cut their hair?

[J. K. Amra]

What is the symbolism of not being allowed to cut your hair? And can you still remain a monk, if you cut your hair?

[Herman Blaydoe]

What is the symbolism of not being allowed to cut your hair? And can you still remain a monk, if you cut your hair?


And ye shall not shave your head for the dead with a baldness on the top; and they shall not shave their beard... (Lev. 21:5)
and to all men in general, Ye shall not make a round cutting of the hair of your head, nor disfigure your beard (Lev. 19:27)
The significance of these commandments is to illustrate devoting oneself completely to serving the Lord. This outward appearance as a commandment was repeated in the law given to the Nazarene:

a razor shall not come upon his head, until the days be fulfilled which he vowed to the Lord: he shall be holy, cherishing the long hair of the head all the days of his vow to the Lord... (Numbers 6:5-6)
The significance of the Nazarene vow was a sign of God's power resting on the person who made it. To cut off the hair meant to cut off God's power as in the example of Samson (see Judges 16:17-19). Monasticism tonsure is a version or the Nazarene vow.

Herman

[D. W. Dickens]

I am delighted to read this last post to remind me of things forgotten, but allow me one of my remaining confusions from my former Protestant idiom...

Why then does Saint Paul say that men shouldn't have long hair? Is the monastic practice only meaningful because ordinarily men should cut their hair?

[Herman Blaydoe]

I am delighted to read this last post to remind me of things forgotten, but allow me one of my remaining confusions from my former Protestant idiom...

Why then does Saint Paul say that men shouldn't have long hair? Is the monastic practice only meaningful because ordinarily men should cut their hair?

I believe that is somewhat of a mistranslation and misunderstanding of the Apostle's words. What he was specifically talking about was not so much "long" hair as he was talking about elaborately styled hair.

The particular Greek word that the Holy Apostle Paul uses for "hair" carries a connotation of ornamentation with the idea of length being only secondary and suggested. After all, hair must be long to be elaborately styled. This differs from [Gr.] thrix which is the anatomical or physical term for hair. The apostle's selection of words emphasizes his criticism of laymen wearing their hair in a stylized fashion, which was contrary to pious Jewish and Christian love of modesty. We see a similar approach to hair in the 96th canon of the Sixth Ecumenical Council where it states: "Those therefore who adorn and arrange their hair to the detriment of those who see them, that is by cunningly devised intertwinings, and by this means put a bait in the way of unstable souls."

Although it ought to be noted that short cropped hair was more of a pagan practice than Jews or early Christians, who tended to have longer hair, but not elaborately braided or styled. So it is not about cut or uncut hair that the Apostle is writing but about very fashionable and showy styled hair.

At least that is the understanding of this bear of little brain and little hair covering it.

Herman the relatively bald Pooh

[J. K. Amra]

And ye shall not shave your head for the dead with a baldness on the top; and they shall not shave their beard... (Lev. 21:5)
and to all men in general, Ye shall not make a round cutting of the hair of your head, nor disfigure your beard (Lev. 19:27)
The significance of these commandments is to illustrate devoting oneself completely to serving the Lord. This outward appearance as a commandment was repeated in the law given to the Nazarene:

a razor shall not come upon his head, until the days be fulfilled which he vowed to the Lord: he shall be holy, cherishing the long hair of the head all the days of his vow to the Lord... (Numbers 6:5-6)
The significance of the Nazarene vow was a sign of God's power resting on the person who made it. To cut off the hair meant to cut off God's power as in the example of Samson (see Judges 16:17-19). Monasticism tonsure is a version or the Nazarene vow.

Herman


Thanks for claryfying this for me, the verses helped a lot!

[Katherine]

Are these verses applicable for nuns too, as they also don't cut their hair? Is this the reason why?

[Cyprian (Humphrey)]

And can you still remain a monk, if you cut your hair?

It depends. If you have a blessing to cut your hair, then everything's fine. If you've cut your hair in defiance or outright rebellion... not so much.

But, it would depend a lot on circumstances, etc. It's not some sort of law.