The history of circumcision

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

The operation of removing the foreskin is one of the most ancient in the history of mankind: among some peoples this procedure was considered "a tribute to a cruel and evil deity who needs to sacrifice a part in order to save the whole, circumcise a child in order to save his life." It is no coincidence that researchers believe that circumcision at that time served as a successful alternative to the cruel pagan rite of human sacrifice.

However, initially, among many peoples, this rite symbolized the entry of boys into adulthood and gave them the right to marry. It is characteristic that the Hebrew noun "khatan" (groom) is very consonant with the Arabic "hitan" (circumcision). And the procedure itself was mainly carried out by young men aged 14 - 17 years old, who entered the period of puberty. Scientists claim that circumcision began to be practiced by the Middle Eastern peoples as early as the third millennium BC. Also, the rite of circumcision was used by the Phoenicians, Egyptian priests and the peoples of Canaan (Ammonites, Edomites and Moabites).

Circumcision in the Bible

In the books of Scripture, circumcision is given exclusively religious significance. It is one of the few commandments in the Pentateuch, and, according to the Bible, the forefather Abraham was circumcised at the age of 99 years. According to the traditional version, Abraham performed the operation himself with the help of the Almighty. And in accordance with a more modern interpretation, Abraham was operated on by the son of Noah - Shem. By this day, his son Ishmael (Ishmael), from whom, according to the Bible, the Arabs originated, was 13 years old. Isaac, born later, from whom the Jews descended, was circumcised on the eighth day of his life. These terms (8th day and 13 years) are observed in Judaism and Islam to this day.

Jewish circumcision

According to Jewish tradition, circumcision (brit mila - Hebrew) is a symbol of the contract between God and the people of Israel.

However, unlike other ancient peoples, circumcision of Jewish children was carried out not during puberty, but on the eighth day after birth. Moreover, the procedure was mandatory for the entire people, and was carried out both in families of the upper class and in families of slaves. Circumcision was to remind the Jews of the promises made in God's Covenant (regarding offspring, ownership of the land), and the responsibilities that this covenant placed on Israel.

However, the removal of the foreskin was also carried out for reasons of hygiene, which were put forward by Philo of Alexandria. The operation was carried out as follows: the foreskin was completely removed and the head of the penis was exposed. A pressure bandage was applied to the penis to stop bleeding, and traditionally the newborn received a name immediately after the circumcision procedure (it was not customary to give a name to the child before). If the foreskin or part of it covered the coronal groove (the groove that is located on the border of the head and body of the penis), then such a Jew is considered uncircumcised. The circumcision procedure was performed by a specially trained person - mohel - a Jewish man who also had to be circumcised.

Islamic circumcision

In Islamic culture, according to some theologians, the removal of the foreskin was close to mandatory (wajib), according to others, it was desirable (mustahab). Circumcision is not mentioned in the Holy Quran, but numerous legends, including the Prophet Muhammad, testify to its necessity. When a man came to him and said that he had converted to Islam, the prophet replied: “Cast off the hair of unbelief and circumcise” (collections of hadiths by Ahmad and Abu Dawood).

Circumcision in families professing Islam was performed on a child before reaching puberty, when he became a mukallaf (adult) and was obliged to perform all the duties assigned to him.

Today, the removal of the foreskin is a national custom, and the timing of this ceremony among representatives of different nationalities is very different. For example, in Turkish families, circumcision is performed on boys at the age of 8-13, in Persians - at the age of 3-4, in Arab families - at 5-6 years of age.

Moreover, among Muslims, the intervention is performed without anesthesia, the cut sheets of the foreskin are not stitched together and the bleeding does not stop. Typically, the circumcision process is accompanied by a holiday to which family members and relatives are invited. Despite extensive and long-term practice, some cases of circumcision are fatal due to the procedure in unsanitary conditions and subsequent bleeding in children with blood clotting disorders and blood infection.

Christian circumcision

In Jerusalem and the first Christian communities, circumcision was carried out for all men without exception, but later this rite was carried out only on pagans who converted to Christianity, against which the Apostle Paul later protested.

He uses the concept of circumcision as a symbol of the renewal of a person through faith in Jesus Christ, and calls this procedure the circumcision of Christ, which consists in "putting off the sinful body of the flesh." It is no accident that the removal of the foreskin is performed, in contrast to the Jewish rite, not with a knife in the flesh, but in the heart and in the spirit. Thus, in his opinion, circumcision loses its meaning and becomes unnecessary.

Therefore, in the modern world in Christianity, this rite is not practiced, and this procedure is by no means subjected to religious beliefs. Nevertheless, the Coptic and Ethiopian Orthodox Churches to this day adhere to some early Christian rites (for example, the celebration of the Sabbath along with Sunday), one of which is the removal of the foreskin, which is performed on infants just before baptism.

In tsarist Russia, the Jewishness of a newborn boy was also accompanied by circumcision, which was officially registered in the register of births. Article 302 of the Penal Code prohibited circumcision by anyone other than a rabbi. And at the same time, anyone who was born Jewish was considered a Jew, even an uncircumcised baby. The status of a Jew was lost only with the official transition to another religion.