Circumcision

“There are those who think circumcision originated with Abraham through his covenant with God. That was a restoration of circumcision, not the origination of it. In the beginning, when a son of Adam and daughter of Eve covenanted to marry, the son of Adam shed blood by circumcision in order to seal the marriage covenant. Once healed, the marriage was consummated, at which point the virgin daughter of Eve shed blood to complete sealing the marriage covenant. Insomuch as Abraham and Sarah had been married for many years prior to the covenant, it was ordained that circumcision for all of Abraham’s descendants would take place at eight days.”¹And this shall be my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your seed after you: every male child among you shall be circumcised. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a token of the covenant between me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male child in your generations (Genesis 7:30). And I will establish a covenant of circumcision with you, and it shall be my covenant between me and you and your seed after you in their generations, that you may know for ever that children are not accountable before me till eight years old. And you shall observe to keep all my covenants wherein I covenanted with your fathers….Therefore, you shall keep my covenant, you and your seed after you in their generations (ibid., 7:29). “Because of the restoration of the covenant, and God adapting it for Abraham and all the faithful who would follow him as their father, circumcision was expected to be done at birth. This remains an obligation for all the righteous. The much later Law of Moses perpetuated the Abrahamic practice of circumcision at eight days. Even non-Israelites who wanted to observe the Passover were required to be circumcised to participate in the Pascal meal. Although the Law of Moses is no longer in effect, restoring circumcision through Abraham pre-dates Moses by nearly seven centuries, and is still in effect. Fulfilling and ending the Law of Moses did nothing to change the earlier covenant with Abraham and his descendants.”²See also ACCOUNTABILITY, AGE OF; LAW OF CIRCUMCISION.