Direct Answer
Hippolytus’s statement shows that the early Christians were concerned that obedience actually fulfill the command, not merely appear to fulfill it. The transcript presents the Roman church as distinguishing between a real covering and something too thin to count as one.
Support from Transcript
- Hippolytus was “a leader in the church at Rome around the year 200.” - He compiled “a record of the various customs and practices in that church from the generations that preceded him.” - His Apostolic Tradition says, “let all the women have their heads covered with an opaque cloth.” - It specifically rejects “a veil of thin linen.” - The reason given is: “for this is not a true covering.” - This fits Tertullian’s criticism of minimal gestures, such as “a fringe, tuft, of cloth, or any thread whatever on the crown of their heads.”
Discussion Follow-ups
The transcript does not use the phrase “symbolic obedience,” but it clearly contrasts genuine covering with inadequate substitutes. The issue is not merely having something present, but whether it truly obeys the instruction.