Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Jonathan D. Safren" <yonsaf AT beitberl.beitberl.ac.il>]

"Jonathan D. Safren" wrote:

> Dear Ian,
> Circumcision has apparently been practiced among the Jewish People, and
> before that, the Israelites, since the Stone Age.
> Evidence: On two different occasions when there is mention of the
> implement used to perform the circumcision, it is a flint knife - in Ex.
> 4 and Josh. 5. Perhaps at the time the stories weere written, a metal
> knife was already used, but they retain a memory of the earlier
> implement. And there would be no reason to have used a flint knife
> unless the custom originated at a period when there were only flint
> knives.

I forgot to mention, in my earlier posting on circumcision, that in Ex. 4 
circumcision
is an apotropaic rite, used to ward off evil spirits and demons. In the case 
of
Ishmael, Gen. 17, it is a rite of passage, marking his sexual maturity. The 
reasons
for circumcision are varies, but they all indicate that it pre-dated Israel.
I'm not up to date on this one, but a good study I have read is by Roland de 
Vaux, in
an issue of Revue Biblique from the '60s.
Sincerely,
Jonathan D. Safren