CIRCUMCISION

CIRCUMCISION
   a practice common in many CULTURES of cutting away the foreskin as a SYMBOL of INITIATION or manhood. In JUDAISM it became the symbol of GOD'S COVENANT with the PEOPLE OF ISRAEL. The HEBREW BIBLE, speaks about the "circumcision of the HEART," an idea which is taken up in the NEW TESTAMENT as a spiritual state rather than an outward symbol Deuteronomy 10:16 thus transforming a physical act into an inner, spiritual, commitment Philippians 3:3.

Concise dictionary of Religion. 2012.

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  • CIRCUMCISION — (Heb. בְּרִית מִילָה, berit milah; covenant of circumcision ), the operation of removing part or all of the foreskin which covers the glans of the penis. Circumcision dates back to prehistoric times and together with the trepanning of the skull… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Circumcision — • The Hebrew word, like the Greek (peritome), and the Latin (circumcisio), signifies a cutting and, specifically, the removal of the prepuce, or foreskin, from the penis Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Circumcision     Circu …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Circumcision — Cir cum*cision, n. [L. circumcisio.] 1. The act of cutting off the prepuce or foreskin of males, or the internal labia of females. [1913 Webster] Note: The circumcision of males is practiced as a religious rite by the Jews, Mohammedans, etc.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Circumcision — Circumcision, die Beschneidung; Circumcisi, Beschnittene, christl. Sekte aus dem 12. Jahrh., besonders in Oberitalien, die jüdische Satzungen mit dem Christenthume vereinigen wollte …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • circumcision — (n.) late 12c., from L. circumcisionem (nom. circumcisio), noun of action from pp. stem of circumcidere to cut around, from circum around (see CIRCUM (Cf. circum )) + caedere to cut (see CIDE (Cf. cide)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • circumcision — [sʉr΄kəm sizh′ən] n. [ME circumcisioun < LL(Ec) circumcisio] 1. a circumcising, or being circumcised, either as a religious rite, as of the Jews or Muslims, or as a hygienic measure 2. Archaic a cleansing from sin …   English World dictionary

  • Circumcision — This article is about male circumcision. For female circumcision, see Female genital mutilation. Circumcision Intervention Circumcision being performed in central Asia, possibly Turkmenistan c. 1865–1872. Restored albumen …   Wikipedia

  • Circumcision — Penis, beschnitten im Erwachsenenalter Die Zirkumzision (von lat. circumcido, rings abschneiden [1]) oder Beschneidung ist die teilweise oder vollständige Entfernung der männlichen Vorhaut. Gründe für die Beschneidungen sind neben medizinischen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • circumcision — /serr keuhm sizh euhn/, n. 1. an act, instance, or the rite of circumcising. 2. clitoridectomy. 3. spiritual purification. 4. (cap.) a church festival in honor of the circumcision of Jesus, observed on January 1. [1125 75; ME < LL circumcision (s …   Universalium

  • circumcision — The removal, by cutting, of the foreskin of the male penis. Though widely advocated in modern Western societies on the supposed ground of hygiene, circumcision is particularly associated with practising Jews by whom the rite is immensely valued… …   Dictionary of the Bible

  • Circumcision —    Cutting around. This rite, practised before, as some think, by divers races, was appointed by God to be the special badge of his chosen people, an abiding sign of their consecration to him. It was established as a national ordinance (Gen.… …   Easton's Bible Dictionary

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