Transfiguring Headship: A Figural Theology of Gender

by Lyndon Jost, Ephraim Radner (Foreword)

“The man is the head of the woman” (1 Cor 11:3). There was a time when this claim was uncontroversial, taken as part of the fabric of the “good news” announced in Christ, and bound up with claims concerning the church’s salvation in him (Eph 5:23–33). But this time has long passed. This book explains how it came to be that the language of the Scriptures concerning male and female generally, and the naming of the man as “head” specifically, has come to be heard not as good news but as a word of offense, even for Christians. A significant part of this study traces, historically and sociologically, the genealogy of “headship” and its waning acceptance as a compelling theological and civil category. What we will find is that, scripturally speaking, the “head” is to be understood not as the “ruler” over the body (as is commonly supposed and argued for) but rather as the representative member of the body, and the body as the glory of the head.

210 pages, Paperback

Published January 30, 2026

Reviews

[Preston Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you read nothing else on the theology of gender, let it be this book. “The man is the head of the woman” (1 Cor 11:3). How can we begin to hear these words again as good news rather than as an offense? Through a figural, christological reading of the scriptural canon, Jost presents a marvelously beautiful vision of the reality of man and woman. Neither egalitarians nor complementarians can engage this book without being chastened and changed.

[John Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read on the concept of headship and gender in general. Jost is able to strip down the cultural and historical baggage of the term to reveal a rich biblical theology of the head. Gave me lots to think about, thankful for this work!