Alas, I have been gone far too long. May and June just up and disappeared. I should probably address a couple different folk on this thread.
Sudsy~
I know this has been hashed out here (or at least on Menno Discuss) before, but I personally at least do not see anything anywhere in Scripture that teaches that a woman needs to 'cover her glory' (her hair). This is one of the really confusing things for me, as one coming from a non-distinctive dress Mennonite background - why do so many of the Swiss Brethren groups think that it is a HAIR covering, instead of a HEAD covering? Can anyone tell me when that idea was put forth, or developed? And if it IS a hair-covering, then the only ones around here (Holmes Co, Ohio) who do it right are the Swartzentrubbers. I don't want to start an argument about this, I just thought that for the sake of others who might read this thread, it should be mentioned. Otherwise I'd just continue to let it go.
It would have been the Apostle Paul in the first century. And you raise a valid point - it's actually a "long hair covering", not a head or all-hair covering. Thank you for bringing that up. In all seriousness, you truly don't get that from the 1st 16 verses of 1st Cor 11? If not, I'd be glad to expand. Sorry for the delay
Ernie ~
I think foot washing is the "other sort of command" since we are not aware that it was an early church practice. Holy kiss and lifting hands are both found in early church writings indicating this was a practice.
In addition to 1 Tim 5:10 (which I acede is more of a reference, not a command), I can think of 8 or 9 patristic references right off the bat, though admittedly I'm thinking late 2nd to early 3rd century and on. Would your premise be that footwashing may have developed later as an ecclesial practice rather than being engaged in by the church from day 1?