Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Ian Hutchesson <mc2499 AT mclink.it>]

Dear Jonathan,

Thanks for the information on circumcision.

I guess I was not clear enough with what I was asking. Circumcision was as
you point out around for a long time. I gave the following indications in
my first post about circumcision and adults:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Gen17:10 talks of every male (zakar), and Gen17:23 specifies every male
among the men (enosh) of Abraham's house. The story about the death of
Shechem after the rape of Dinah suggests that circumcision was originally
part of the male preparation for marriage, Gen34:14.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

What circumcision seems to have been from the earliest was some kind of
male passage to adulthood and to have been practised by most if not all
western Semitic peoples.

What I'd hoped to ask about was when did they start circumcising children.
Does anyone have any indications of when child circumcision was first
practised? 


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.

(It makes my skin twinge thinking of some poor adult being circumcised with
a flint knife. But then during the time of the Seleucid temple pollution
there are reports of epispasm being performed to hide the sign of
circumcision! And my stomach waxes queasy.)