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In the New Testament, spiritual circumcision is equated with the new birth.

Does a circumcision-birth connection exist in the Old Testament or Tanakh? I've thought about posting this at Judaism.SE or Christianity.SE, but I would like some input from both sides.

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Isn't this clearly off-topic? If I'm wrong please say so in chat... – Jack Douglas♦ May 22 '12 at 20:53
@JackDouglas Can we move it to Judaism.SE instead if I edit out the references to Old Testament? – Kazark May 22 '12 at 21:42
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I think it is too old here (and answer-accepted) to be an acceptable migration candidate - sorry I didn't act earlier. My suggestion would be to ask again on J.SE and comment to the posters here to that effect so they can move their answers manually if they wish to. – Jack Douglas♦ May 22 '12 at 21:45

closed as off topic by Jack Douglas♦ May 22 '12 at 20:53

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3 Answers

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No connection with rebirth in OT, strong connection with renewal of covenant, Joshua 5:2 for example, or continuity of covenant in the person of the newborn male. Renewal of covenant ceremonies including circumcision, for members of Ethiopian and Russian immigrant communities, have been held in Israel in recent years.

In addition to being a condition of covenant, there is a clear symbolism declared in Deut 10:16 - circumcise your hearts.

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In Judaism circumcision is a sign of entry into the brit (covenant) and applies only to Jews. While birth is of course a prerequisite, circumcision accomplishes a different goal. Note that (male) converts must also be circumcised, and if parents do not circumcise their son he must do it himself when he reaches the age of bar mitzvah, obligation to the commandments (which is age 13).

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Thanks; I was hoping you would post an answer. I will fix the title, which was a mistake. – Kazark May 11 '12 at 19:08
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Among the many reasons given for cutting a baby's or youth's genitals over the millennia, rebirth is surely among them. Egyptians reportedly did it to make a man immortal, because it resembled a snake shedding its skin, which they thought of as a rebirth. Various African tribes do it as a rite of passage from boyhood to manhood. If you look you'll surely find "death of the boy/birth of the man" in there somewhere. The problem is finding the theme that circumcision does not somewhere address. See http://www.circumstitions.com/Stitions&refs.html

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Is there any evidence that this was the thought in Hebrew culture, though? Circumcision in the OT is done on the 8th day, not at the Bar Mitzvah. – Kazark May 22 '12 at 18:05
Welcome to Biblical Hermeneutics--Stack Exchange! We prefer answers to be related to the text(s) at hand. I don't see anything in this answer related to a Biblical text. That make this less an answer and more a comment. So I've flagged the post for a moderator to look at. Feel free to edit the answer to bring it back on topic in the meantime. – Jon Ericson♦ May 22 '12 at 19:50

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