Don Johnson

I would agree that the ref. back to earlier in the letter is more likely. One can certainly be a faithful interpreter and believe only that interpretation.

I only pointed out the human messenger idea as a possibility, one that also fits the context.

My take is that I like to cover the bases when something is even potentially ambiguous to us.

That main point is that a woman has authority concerning her physical head. I find it interesting that Paul gives freedom here to a woman that he does NOT give to a man, in 1st century cultural context. Some people read the Bible as limiting women, but here is a case where men are limited. This is perhaps another reason that male-preference hierarchicalists make a hash of these verses.