My two cents on circumcision, as a Christian.

I've been reading up on Covenant Theology of late.

Yes, circumcision was practiced by the Eygptians (apparently this was only a partial incision act though, which the pic above seems to indicate) and other groups.
However, the circumcision (complete removal of foreskin) of the descendants of Abraham (8 DAY OLD MALE children) was a unique practice.

I read somewhere that at 8 days old, a male child's blood clotting agents peak. However that is another subject.

As mentioned in an earlier post, circumcision was a sign of being within covenant with God.
Note: covenants were common practice back then, however the idea of God initiating or binding himself in covenant with man was unheard of amongst other groups at that time.

Covenants were a bond in blood. Thus blood (circumcision) was required as part of the rite.
The complete removal i.e. "cutting off" of the foreskin also represented a curse to those persons who profaned the covenant they were in; they would literally be cut off by God from the blessings of being in the covenant.
The male member also representing reproduction, and thus families, as God's covenant with Abraham was with him and his descendants.

An interesting point I read also concerning the incision type circumcision of the Eygptians is that after Moses and Israel escaped the Eygptians, God met them and demanded that these people be re-circumcised.
About this, I think the bible says "circumcise again".
Which, on the face of it, seems absurd. But if Moses and Israel had adopted the Eygptian partial-incision method of circumcision (Israel had been in Eygpt for a few hundred years by then), then complete removal of the foreskin makes sense.

In closing, circumcision was not just an idea thrown into the book of Genesis. The whole bible contains the thread of God "cutting" covenant with man ( ??? > Adam > Noah > Abraham > Moses > David > Christ), and so signs and seals (the act of circumcision being one) of the covenants are seen throughout the bible.

You may have heard of the terms "old testament" and "new testament".
This could also been termed "old covenant" and "new covenant".

Jesus inaugurated the "new covenant" in his blood, and water baptism then became the sign of being within the new covenant.

First time I ever heard the Rabbi can suck the wound.



Ewwww.

I don't see the importance of it, but recently it was found to be "cleaner" than not having it removed due to the folds of the skin possibly holding bacteria (and whatever else) if not properly cleaned.

There is nothing unholy about wearing a turtleneck in my book.
What you do with it is another matter entirely.

- Lee

edit: spelling

[edit on 3-4-2009 by lee anoma]