Circumcision as a Covenant Rite
Author(s): Erich Isaac
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Anthropos, Bd. 59, H. 3./4. (1964), pp. 444-456
Published by: Anthropos Institute
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40456422 .
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as a CovenantRite
Circumcision
By Erich Isaac
1.
2.
3.
4.
Contents :
as
Cutting CovenantRite
Derivationof berith
Parallels
Ethnological
in theBible
MeaningofCircumcision
has been the subject of
The Jewishrite of milah(ritualcircumcision)
diverseinterpretations.
The Bible treatsit as a tokenofGod's covenantwith
Abraham.Ethnologists
have regardedit as an initiationrite,as a tribalmark,
as a matingdeviceetc. (forreferences
see Weiss 1962a : 1-2). Psychoanalysts
have seizedupon the riteas an obviouslysuitableone forexegesis- Andrew
ofthesonofMoses(Exodus
Peto, forexample,has urgedthatthecircumcision
4 : 24-26)was a biblicalinterpretation
ofthe Oedipusconflict.The son-hating
mothersymbolically
castratedor killedtheboybecausethefatherfailedto do
was
so. The aggressiveYahweh-Fatherwas thus appeased,the Moses-father
:
3111960
and
thereafter
Moses
and
lived
preserved,
(Peto
Zipporah
happily
studiesare by Charles Weiss (1962a,19626,)
376). The mostrecentimportant
whooffers
materialsas wellas the mostcomprehensive
survey
bibliographical
ofcurrentmilahpracticesincludingcommenton themedicalaspectsofJewish
ritualcircumcision
in theUnitedStatesand abroad.In thispaperwe willargue
thatthe explicitbiblicalview of circumcision
as a covenantritemay be supfrom
data
West
Asian
ancient
covenant
portedby
practicesas well as by
is seen as a
ethnologicaland linguisticmaterials.The rite of circumcision
ritesby whichcovenantsor
special case of generalcuttingor dismembering
treatieswereestablished.
1. Cuttingas Covenant Rite
The biblicalexamplesof dismemberment
connectedwithcovenantsare
well known.Genesis (15 : 7-18) recordsthe covenantceremonywhereat
God's biddingAbrahamdivideda calf,goat and ram,aligningthe partsin
tworowsat the end of whichhe placed a dove and anotheryoungbirdundivided. Then in a dreamvisionAbrahamsees an epiphanyof the Lord pass
Circumcisionas a Covenant Rite
445
throughthe divided animals. The rite and vision culminatein the Lord's
promise"Unto thy seed have I given this land, fromthe riverof Egypt
unto the greatriver,the riverEuphrates"(15 : 18). It shouldbe notedthat
the covenantdescribeddoes not in thiscase involvea mutualobligation; it
carriesless the notionof a treatyenteredintoby two or morepartiesthan
the forceof an oath. God states "... I am the Lord that broughttheeout of
Ur ofthe Chaldeesto givetheethisland to inheritit : and he said, Lord God
"
wherebyshall I knowthatI shall inheritit ? (Genesis15 : 7-8).The division
of the animalswas the replyto Abraham'swish fora bindingsign of the
covenantthat made him in perpetuitymasterof a land in which,according
he thensojournedonlyas headofa nomadicclan.
to thepatriarchal
narratives,
of
Furtherexamples oath-takinginvolvingthe divisionof an animal are in
to set their
(34 : 10-19)wherethenobilityofJudahbindsthemselves
Jeremiah
theparts.
slavesfreeintheseventhyearbydividinga calfand walkingthrough
Anotherparallelis undoubtedlythe riteof the beheadedcalf (Deuteronomy
21 : 1-9). In thiscase, to be sure,thereis not an equal divisionof an animal,
withan oath-taking
ceremony.
buttheheadis cutoffinconnection
A Hittiteriteis quotedby Gurney (1961: 151) in whichtroopsaftera
defeatwalkedthrough"a man, a goat, a puppyand a littlepig ; theyplace
halfon thissideand halfon thatside,and in fronttheymakea gateof... wood
and stretcha ... overit,and in frontofthegatetheylightfireson thissideand
on that,and the troopswalk rightthroughand whentheycometo the river
the biblical parallel,it seems
theysprinklewaterover them." Considering
whosepurposeis a renewalofthe
probablethatwe deal herewitha ceremony
withthevictory-granting
powerwhichin thisinstanceseemedto
relationship
have failedin its obligationto the Hittitetroops; in otherwords,the ritual
The parallelis especiallysignificant
ofa covenantceremony.
bearsthecharacter
in viewofincreasing
acceptanceof the allusionsto Hittitesin the patriarchal
Palesnarrativesin contrastto earlierscepticismas to Hittitepresencein the
tineofthatperiod(Gibson1961 : 224).
betweenIsraelites
closeculturalrelationships
Additionaldata supporting
from
specificparallels
and Hittitesare presentlybeingstudied.These range
of
transactions
to
1955)
e.
of
(Malamat
realm
ideas, g. historiography
in the
Abraham
that the land purchaseby
daily life.The conclusivedemonstration
in accordancewithHittitelaw is of
was
fromEphronthe Hittite(Genesis23)
a covebear,thoughmoreremotely,
particularrelevance,forsuchtransactions
the
nant character.G. Mendenhall (1955) has demonstrated astounding
betweenthecovenantformsin theHebrewBible and Hittitevassal
congruence
treaties.Hittitesuzeraintytreatiesweredrawnup accordingto set patterns
28. Since Mendenhall's essay
verymuchlike that foundin Deuteronomy
and
new materialshave been foundwhichreveal great similaritiesin form
In
view
meaningof ancientNear Easterntreatiesin general(Fensham1962).
thetwelve
oftheHittiteritepreviouslydescribedand Hittiteritesmentioning
thatthedivisionofthebody
partsofthebody(Goetze 1938 : 7) it is also likely
twelve
into
died
parts(Judges 19 : 29)
of the Leviteconcubineaftershe had
to
and Saul's hewingof the oxen into pieces (I Samuel 11:7) wereintended
446
Erich
Isaac
59.îoei
Authropos
renewthetribalcovenant.BothofthesehavebeenacceptedbyW. F. Albright
as "excellentparallels" to Hittite ritual practice(1940: 316). The many
examplesof Hebrew-Hittite
parallelspointup thefactthatthecustomunder
discussionhere thedivisionofa creatureas covenantritual- is nota spurious
parallel,but thecustombelongsto a commonculturalstratum.
It is interesting
in this connectionthat the Chineseperformed
solemn
covenantsacrifices(H. G. Creel, Confuciusand the ChineseWay, New York
1949, pp. 16-17).A curioustraditiondevelopedin the makingof contracts
of tigers(hu) were split lengthwiseand fitted
wherebysmall jade figurines
a
raised
character
on one halfand its sunkenimageon theother.
togetherby
Thiswas a "contractmark"and thetwohalf-tigers
werekeptbythepartiesto
a contractas an emblembindingthemto keeptheagreement(H. P. Whitlock
and M. L. Ehrmann,The StoryofJade.New York 1949,pp. 71-73).
2. Derivationof berïth
The termused in theBible forcovenant-making
is likrötberïth
meaning
literally"to cut a covenant",whilein Accadiana similartermis usedwiththe
same meaning.While the word karatunquestionablybears the meaningof
"to cut", "to cut off",as well as in derivativesense "to exterminate"
and
"to make a covenant"(Lisowsky 1958: 700), the wordberïth
is muchmore
obscure.It is knownfromthe contextin whichthe wordoccursin biblical
Hebrewthatit certainlymeans "covenant",but to date no certainHebrew
verbalroothas been shownfromwhichthe noun derives.Noth has recently
argued that berïthwas originallya prepositionmeaning"between"so that
likrõtberïthnormallytranslated"to make a covenant"actuallymeans "to
cutbetween"(Noth 1957: 147-48).
Noth's suggestionthat berïth
means"between","cut apart", or "gap",
be
the
consideration
that the wordcorrespondsto pered
may supportedby
"to be separated","divided".In the Semiticlanguagestheletterbêthchanges
withpêh and tãv withdãleth.It is likelythat Sanskritbhratar,
frequently
old Persian brãtar,Greek phrêtêr,Latin frater,GermanBruder,English
brother
etc. derivefromthe same ancientverbalroot as Hebrewberïth.The
Indogermanwordsmentionedall referto separateindividualsbetweenwhom
nonethelessa verystrongand special bond exists.Brothersderivefromthe
same sourceand are separatedfromthatsourceby theirbirth,theveryseparationbeingevidencethattheybelongto eachother.Pokornyknowsnoverbal
rootforthe Indogermanicbhrãter
(1959: 163-164)and Wasserzieher explicstates
that
the
German
Bruder
is as yet etymologically
itly
unexplained- "unerklärt"(1952 : 136). The derivationof thesewordsfroma rootbratmeaning
or tiedtogether"is feltto be convincing
"separateyetbelonging
by Fraenkel
whoassertsthatthe ending-ercannotbelongto the rootsinceit is missingin
Prussian brãtiand Polish brat(Fraenkel 1963: 483-84),Fraenkel argues
further
thatjust as in theSemiticlanguages,in Indogerman
toop interchanges
withb. TheGreeksparton
whichprobablyderivesfromthesameverbalroot(brat)
as berïth
means"twistedrope",whileLatinsportameans"wickerbasket"- both
as a CovenantRite
Circumcision
447
ofcourseunitstiedfromseparatestrands.It is likelythat"bride"no less than
theAssyrianbiritu"shackle"are derivedfromthe same root as may be the
Greekparthenos
"virgin"(Fraenkel 1963: 485). Actuallyas early as 1857
as "to cut" and relatedit to the tradition
Fürst (1863: 219) translatedberïth
of passingbetweenthe partsof the animal.
It shouldbe pointedout thatamongthe varioustermsused in theBible
or "irrevocabledecision"by God, the most
to denote"strongdetermination"
commonlyused ones meanliterally"cut" as, forexample,in Daniel (9 : 24)
or the biblicalgazar (as in ve-tigzar"Seventyweeksare decreed"(nechtach),
õtnerJob 22 : 28) or the post or extra-biblicalgezêrãh"decree". Generally
decree; literallyits translationis "cut" or
gezêrãhmeansa harshor restrictive
"wound". Herzfeld, moreover,equated gazar with berïth(1883: 97). The
obsoletemeaningof our verb "decide" as "to cut oñ" is still carriedin the
ShorterOxfordEnglish Dictionary(1955). It derivesof course fromcaedo
meaning"tocut","toslay".
Apart frometymologicalconsiderationsthere is additional evidence
Noth
that "to cut in twain"was an expressiondenotingcovenant-making.
a
of
(1957: 147-48)also pointedout thatin a textfromMarithekilling donkey
with the makingof a covenant.Amongthe Amoritesthis
is synonymous
werebrought
usageprevailed;to quoteAlbright (1957: 279): "The Canaanites
or
intothe Israelitefoldby treaty,conquest, gradualabsorption... the Bene
in somesuch
Hamor (sonsoftheAss [sic])ofShechemwerealso incorporated
to themand to theirgod Baalway, to judge fromvariousearlyreferences
ofan ass was an essential
berith(LordoftheCovenant)- notethatthesacrifice
Mari
the
of
Amorites
period."RecentlyWillefeatureofa treatyamongthe
Minaean
in
templededication
sen (1954: 216-17)showedthat "hmrm"(ass)
means"alliance".
inscriptions
There are parallelsto the covenantas describedin Genesis15 in the
Greek orchiapista temneinand the Roman foedusferire(Snijders 1958).
The oath takerin Greecetookhis oath in a ritualin whichhe stoodbetween
1912:
the pieces of the dividedvictim(Cornford 1912: 24 ; cf. Harrison
swear
wherethegods
by the
163-4).A moreremoteparallelis the GreatOath
"Witness
two greatprimarydivisionsof the universe,Earth and Heaven
thatanyGod can
earth,and heavens...Whichis thegreatestand gravestoath,
"
4 : 26 "I call
to
swear... (Chapman1875: 177). This is parallel Deuteronomy
biblical
obvious
are
There
heavenand earthtowitnessagainstyouthisday ...".
were
Heaven
indicationsthat accordingto an ancientHebrewepos Earth and
(and differences)
createdbya cleavingapartofa primevalbeing.Thesimilarities
creation
other
and
epics have been
betweenthisconceptionand Babylonian
:
pointedout (Heidel 1951 ; cf.Cassuto 1959a 18,21,30-31ff.).
Parallels
3. Ethnological
a numberofparallelpractices
RecentlyAd. E. Jensen (1960), offering
in theBible and Africa,devotedhis analysischieflyto thepracticeofsplitting
a varietyofAfricanparallelsto the
an animalintoequal parts.Jensenoffered
448
Erich
Isaac
59.i964
Aothropos
Abrahamiccovenantritein whichin connection
in upon an
withthe entering
a
of
at
least
one
there
was
division
into
animal.
obligation
lengthwise
equal parts
His examplescan be augmentedwith oathtakingritesin Africawherethe
animal'shead is cut off,as forexamplein Madagascar(Leib 1952: 109-10).
It is, ofcourse,evidentto Jensenthatmotivation
and executionin most
ofthe parallelsbetweenAfricaand theBible differ,
one example
but he offers
whichhe believesto be veryclose to Abraham'scovenant"genau dasselbe
Opfer"(Jensen 1960: 453). A Nuer mythrelatedby the Seugmans (1932:
in orderto bindhis
207) statesthatman's ancestordivideda bull lengthwise
descendantsto followa specificmarriageorder.The similaritypresumably
lies in the factthat the sacrificeimposesa bindingobligationupon posterity
and that it takes place at the time a people emergesas a distinctiveunit
(Jensen 1960: 453-4). Patai's rejectionof this parallel because of similar
sacrificesin antiquitywhichhe describesas "purificatory"
or "imprecatory"
and notinvolving
covenantsis notdecisive.The ritesclassifiedin thiswaymay
well be part of covenantand oath-takingceremonies.It has been shown
thatin Greeceat least an oathwas notoriginally
a contractbut a curse(Harrison 1912: 163). Indeedas Mendenhall (1955: 32-34),Fensham (1962: 3),
and othershave shown,cursesand benedictions
werecloselylinkedup with
the wholeidea of unfaithfulness
or breachof promisein the establishment
of
treaties.
Amongthe interpretations
givento the covenantsacrificeis that apheld
:
parently
by Jeremiah(34 10-19).The prophetclearlyunderstandsthe
: may we sufferthe fate
meaningof the rite to be conditionalself-cursing
of the dividedvictimif we fail to live up to our agreement.Similarinterbeen advancedforoath and covenantsacrifices
in
pretationshave frequently
Africa.However,as Snijders (1958) pointsout, God's promiseto Abraham
made as He passesbetweenthebisectedanimalscannotmeanthatHe willbe
killedshouldHe notfulfil
thecovenant.If thetruemeaningoftheritebelonged
worldofideas it mighthave eludeda Judeanof
essentiallyto a non-Jahwistic
thetimeofJeremiah
as
much
as itmighteludeitspaganpractitioners
just
today.
The ancientrealmin whichthe covenantritesdescribedoccurredhas
been shownto possessa basic mythoftenreenactedin ritualrecounting
the
death,usuallyviolent,ofa deity,and hisrebirthor resurrection.
1933,
(Hooke
1935,Johnson1955,cf.Isaac 1963).Is it thennotpossibleto explainthisrite
oftheseveredcovenantas a dramatization
oftheextinguishing
oftheold order
and thebirthofthenew ? The ritualestablishesthattheneworder(thecovenant)is reallythe orderordainedfromof old, forthoughseparatedand possessedofdistinctive
thepartnersin thecovenantare tiednow,
characteristics,
as theyshouldalwayshave beenand as
bond,
again,in an exceedingly
strong
in
a
manner
of
had
been
fromthebeginning.
they,
speaking,
Ritual dissectionof the bodies of the dead as a preparationfortheir
and rebirthwas practicedas a reenactment
of the
supposedreconstitution
basicmyth.Flinders Pétrie and hisdisciplesfoundin cemetaries
ofsouthern
in whichthe bodies had been segmented,
Egypt a great many interments
and
then
bound
wrappedseparately
together
again,e. g. at Medum,Deshashe,
Rite
Circumcision
as a Covenant
449
and El Amrah(Farshut).(Flinders Pétrie 1892 : 21-22; 1898 : 20-24; and
Quibell 1896: 23,31-33,62 and passim; Randall-MacIver 1902: 7, passim.)
is commonin thepyramid
The conceptoftheseveredbodyand itsreassembly
ritesare known
textsand the EgyptianBook of the Dead. Similarinterment
elsewherein westernAsia and in Europe (Hermann 1956: 86-89). Indeed
Hermann(1956: 90) quotesGreekand Romanclassicaltextsin whichtearing
apart is almosta formof apotheosis.Hermann suggestsparallelsto known
statesin whichthe subjectvisualizeshimself
normaland psychopathological
beingtornto piecesfollowedby an experienceof becomingwholeonce more,
senseofblissandcosmicaccord(93). Finallyhe interprets
butwitha heightened
in prehistoric
mummification
Egypt as a ritualshortcutthrough
segmented
existence
the depthof dissolutionto a higher
(95). Be thisas it may,the occasionalbiblicaluse ofgazar(cf.1 Kings3 : 25) "to cut apart" to describethe
fateof the dead may,in the lightof extensivesegmentedburialpracticesin
ofdeath
Egyptand westernAsia be morethan poeticusageforthedissolution
bodies
to
refer
It
:
actuallysegmented
(e. g. Psalms88 : 6 ; Lament.3 54). may
or bisected(theepiphanyof the Lord in Abraham'scovenantis said to have
refersto actual
passedbetweenthegezarïm the "cuts"). Whetherthisusage
burialin ancientIsraelremainsuncertain.Norcan onedetermine
segmentation
whetheran idea ofrebirthwas associatedwithbeingcut apart
withcertainty
in theBible. Ps 88 : 6 seemsto have theoppositenotion.
"Set apartamongthe dead,
Like theslain,thatlie in thegrave
no more;
Whomthourememberest
cut
were
For they
apart(nigsaru)bythyhand."
Yet elseThe passageseemsto expressutterdespairat the finalityof death.
wherethedriedand scatteredbonesinEzekiel'svision(37 : 1-14)cametogether
and stood...
"boneto itsbone...and thebreathcameuntothem,and theylived,
are dried,
bones
"Our
said
who
those
to
an exceedinggreathost",a refutation
andourhopeis lost,we arecutup" (Ezekiel37 : 11).
death and subsequentresuron a mythological
A worldviewcentering
of thisconcept,notablyin initiationrites,
rectionand the ritualreenactment
of
as
has been identifiedby Jensen the centralreligiousconcept primitive
as
well
as
cultures
contemporary
Its occurrence
amongancienthigh
cultivators.
culture
ancient
that
from
derivation
to
is
by
hoe cultivators according Jensen
that
find
Others
complexwhichinitiatedcultivationofplants(Jensen 1949).
featuresof primitiverites in general,"wesentlicheZüge der
characteristic
cultureGlaubenswelt"(Sträube 1963: 2) - withoutfurther
naturvölkischen
The sorebirth.
and
death
of
historicalqualifications centeron the mythos
suffers
initiate
the
called "ritesde passage"especiallyilluminatetheidea that
that initiation,
death to be subsequentlyreborn.It seems unquestionable
and rebirthor
death
a
marriageand death ritual dramatizes mythological
and myths
rites
similar
that
and
resurrection
amongmanyprimitivepeoples
newbeing
a
as
reborn
is
The "slain" initiate
have a widespatialdistribution.
the "Beas
intoa divinelyordainedreality,new to him,but actuallyas old
450
Erich
Isaac
su.íímu
Authropos
ginning"(Sträube 1963 : 2). Perhaps then the covenantsacrificecan be
of the idea thatthe old orderthroughits extirexplainedas a dramatization
as a
rise
to
the
new.
Covenantritescould thenbe interpreted
pationgives
made
is
a
case
which
more
special
religiousreality
through
comprehensive
transparent.
4. Meaning of Circumcisionin the Bible
As a sequel to thecovenantin whichGod promisesAbrahampossession
of Canaan,a secondcovenantceremonyis recordedin whichthe outstanding
has been
covenant"act" is circumcision
(Genesis17). Generally,circumcision
as passage or initiationrite(Hastings 1951: 659f.is an articleover
identified
40 columnsin lengthand perhapsthe mosteasilyaccessiblediscussionon the
the
Moreover,
subjectin general; Sträube 1963: 3 has additionalreferences).
factthattheriteinvolvesthesexualorganhasmadeit thefocusofmuchpsychoBut one is forcedto concedewithde Vaux that as
analyticalinterpretation.
faras themeaningoftheriteas practicedinancientIsraelis concerned
"Nothing
useful... apart fromdictionaryarticles"has appeared (de Vaux 1961: 522).
in Abraham'scovenant"And he that is eightdays old
The riteas instituted
shall be circumcised"withthe accompanying
provisionthat servants,native
of
and foreign,
their
at
(Genesis
regardless
age acquisition,are to be circumcised
17 : 12-13)has nothingto do withsexual maturity,or initiationritesbefore
marriage.It is not a "Reifezeremonie"
(Jensen 1949: 138). The stipulation
that circumcision
of the male be performed
on the eighthday is repeatedin
Leviticus(12 : 3) and accordingto GenesisthePatriarchsobservedthiscustom
(21 : 4 ; 13-24).In Exodus (4 : 25) and Joshua(5 : 2-3) flintknivesare used in
theoperation,
and thereis no rulingabouttheplacewheretheoperationis tobe
but it neveroccursin a sanctuarynorwas it performed
performed,
by a priest.
That circumcision
was not peculiarto Israel is of coursewell known.
That fact is borne out by Egyptianbas reliefsfromthe thirdmillenium.
Herodotus (II, 104f.) mentions
it as an Egyptiantraitand thereis an ancient
in
with120
a
man tells how he was circumcised
which
Egyptianinscription
othermen (Prichard 1955: 326). Whilesome mummiesare not circumcised,
circumcision
certainlyseemsto have been mandatoryforthe male priesthood
(de Vaux 1961: 46). Thereis also internalbiblicalevidenceforthe extensive
practiceof the rite in the Near East. Jeremiah(9 : 24-25) mentionsEgypt,
in the flesh
Edom, Moab and theArabsalongwithJudahas beingcircumcised
but not in the heart.The opprobriousepithet"uncircumcised"
was applied
intheBible.
apparently
onlyto thePhilistines
It shouldbe notedthatsomesupporters
of thedocumentary
hypothesis
of the compositionof the Pentateuchargue that accordingto an Elohist
document(E), circumcision
in ancientIsrael was introducedby Joshua at
Gilgal,the Israeliteshavinglearnedit fromthe Egyptians(Joshua5 : 2-9).
Genesis17, in whichthe Abrahamiccovenantis narrated,is assignedto a
priestlydocument(P) supposedlycomposedin theBabylonianexileat a time
when the ritehad becomeexaggeratedas a distinguishing
markseparating
as a CovenantRite
Circumcision
451
Jew frompagan. However,the antiquityof circumcisionin Israel and in
Canaan beforethe timeof Joshuais now prettymuchbeyonddoubt (Segal
1961: 51-53).
Examples of circumcisionfromantiquityand more or less contemporaryethnologicalmaterialscan be piled up, but the mereabundanceof
parallelsmay well lead to distortionof the meaningas the constantharping
Ofcoursetheparallelwithinitiation
as initiationritetestifies.
on circumcision
father-infor
ritesis obvious.Thus theHebrewwords bridegroom,
son-in-law,
law, all derivefromthe rootchutanwhichin Arabicmeans "to circumcise".
occursin Exodus (4 : 24-26).For the
The Arabusageofchãtanforcircumcision
sourceis Kosmala (1962). But as
best
the
difficult
of
this
passage
meaning
is notablyabsent,the
counterbalance
"The
has been said in anothercontext
qualifyingis withheld,and the pile acts as an obstructionto seeingwhat
reallyshouldbe seen" (Sandmel 1962: 10).
with
What oughtto be understoodis the associationof circumcision
God
covenant
the
In
17.
in
Genesis
described
rite
the particularcovenant
wholehearted
be
and
(17 : 1).
demandsfirstthat "Abram"walk beforeHim
of
father
the
to make him
He thenpromiseshim an abundanceof offspring,
"a multitudeof nations"(17 : 4). Then he changeshis name from"Abram"
to Abraham,repeatingthe promiseto make nationsfromhim and adding
that
that "kingsshall come out of thee" (17 : 6). SubsequentlyGod affirms
seed
to
and
thee
unto
thy
the covenantshall be everlasting"to be a God
afterthee" (17 : 8). God repeatsthe promiseof the land and demandsthat
on the eighthday as a signof the covenant.
everymale shall be circumcised
to be circumcised.
also
SubsequentlyHe changes
Servants,as we noted,were
the name of "Sarai", Abraham'swife,to Sarah, promisesa son to her and
that"sheshallbe a motherofnations; kingsofpeoplesshallbe ofher" (17 : 16).
ofGenesis
Fertilityis the centralthemeofthiscovenant.The language
... and I willmaketheeexceedingly
(17 : 2, 6) "I willmultiplytheeexceedingly
the
fruitful"
promisegivento Noah (Genesis9:1,
parallels almostexactly
and multiplyand replenishtheearth... Andyou,be ye fruitful
9 : 7) "Be fruitful
and multiply; swarmin the earth,and multiplytherein".These statements
of the blessingto Adam (Genesis1 : 28)
are in turnalmosta literalrepetition
and multiply,and replenishthe earth...". The assuranceof a
"Be fruitful
in identicallanguageto three"patriarchs"spacedin the
multitudeofoffspring
fromeach otherleaves littledoubt
biblicalnarrativeexactlyten generations
as to thenarrative'spurpose.The originalpromiseto Adamwas to be fulfilled
was to be fulfilled
through
throughNoah ; subsequentlythe promiseto Noah
ushers
covenant
the
while
Thus
46-47
; 88-90).
Abraham(cf.Cassuto 1959a :
established
almost
ceremonially
in a neworder,thisorderis at the same time
covenant
in wordsspokenat the oldest "covenant"of all the prototypical
the
in whichAdam is blessedwiththe promiseof manyoffspring/Although
covenantinvolvesthe idea that a precedingorderis superceded,in the case
of Noah quite dramaticallyby the flood,the covenantis nonethelessthought
theoriginalcovenant.Abraham'scovenant
to repeattheoldestpasthappening,
ofcourserepeatsNoah's and Adam's(Cassuto 19596: 36-37).
452
Erich
Isaac
09.i964
Anthropos
to
In viewofthestatedcontentsof thecovenantpromiseit is tempting
that
circumfact
rite.
Yet
the
a
or
initiation
as
circumcision
interpret
fertility
cisionamongprimitives
today (or yesterday)symbolizedthe mythicaldeath
oftheinitiate(Sträube 1963 : 2-3)and thata similarnotionmayhave accompanied the operationas practicedbeforeadulthoodor marriagein antiquity
cannotbe the primaryreasonforits inclusionamongthe covenantacts. In
generalthe Bible is in strongest
oppositionto any formof bodilymutilation
etc. are prohibited
or deformation,
ritualor otherwise.
Tatooing,scarification
on
the explicitgroundthat
(Leviticus19 : 28 ; 21 : 5 ; Deuteronomy14 : 1)
the Israelitesare the childrenof God (Deuteronomy14 : 1). The prohibition
extendseven to animalswhichbecomerituallyinadmisagainstscarification
sable if marked(Leviticus22 :22). Thereis thenoppositionto the veryacts
as initiationor passage rite.The tenor
usually associatedwithcircumcision
is so "anti-pagan"thattheadmissionofcircumcision
ofthebiblicaldocuments
as covenantsymbolor tokenmust mean that this is preciselywhat it was
intendedto be.
Whenone examinesGenesis17 one findsthatthecovenantbearsstriking
to one formofNearEasternritual,namelytheaccessionor enthrosimilarities
nementritualof sacral kings.Abram'schangeof name to Abrahammirrors
this,forthecandidateforthethrone,oftenaftera symbolicdeath,was reborn
kingand givena new name. Frankfort quotes (1948: 2-16) fromthe coronationritualin ErechwherethegoddessNin-pa
"... Aftershe had discardedhis 'name (of) smallness'
She did notcall his bur-giname
".
But called his 'name (of)rulership'
In Egypt,wherethe kingwas borndivine,the new name (or names,forhe
actually receivedfourin additionto his familyname, cf. Gelb 1953: 152)
was made publicimmediately
upon accession,whilein Mesopotamiathe new
namewas notgivenuntilthecoronation(Frankfort 1948: 246). The practice
was also followedin Judea (e. g. Uzziah-Azariah,JehoahazII-Shallum,JeWhetherAbrahamin becoming"a new man" also died
hoiachin-Jeconia).
is
not
clear.A "death"is possiblyhintedat in the firstcovenant
symbolically
"... a deep sleep fellupon Abram; and, lo, a dread,even a great darkness,
felluponhim" (Genesis15 : 12). This sleep,describedas tardêmãis considered
a deathlikesleep (Thomson 1955 ; Jacob 1934: 397-8). Both Jewishand
Patristicexegesishave regardedsleep and death as a continuum.
That the idea of rebirthshouldbe dramatizedin thiscovenant,which
brokemoreoverwitha past whichin the marriageof Abramand Sarai had
not been fruitful
is not surprising.
Abrahamwas not rebornking,but what
was establishedin the covenantwas Abraham'sstatus as vassal to his liege
lord.The practiceofassuminga secondor newnameon entering
intoa vassal
or subject treatyis well knownthroughoutwesternAsia (de Vaux 1961:
165-7).Thus thekingofHamathunderIsraelitedomination
changedhisname
fromHadoramto Joramreplacingthe foreign
elementin his name
theophoric
as a CovenantRite
Circumcision
453
witha Jahweelement.Two Judeankings,Eliakim-Jehoiakim
and Mattaniahtheir
names
under
the
of
their
Zedekiah,changed
pressure
respective
Egyptian
and Babylonianoverlords(Malamat 1963 : 6-7 ; cf.Honeyman1948 : 18-19).
The stressin Abraham'scovenantis clearlynot on kingshipbut on vassal
statusin relationto God, his liegelord.Theremay well be a parallelhereto
as practicedin Egyptwhereit was obligatory
theriteofcircumcision
uponthe
a
of
covenant.
loyalty
priesthoodand mayhave had the meaning
in the case of Abrahamas well as
The kindof circumcision
performed
Merker found
in Egypt may well have been the incompletecircumcision
in
this
Merker
first
Masai.
the
possibility an earlystudy
suggested
among
In
circumcision
:
1904
on the Masai (Merker
amongthe Masai the
318-20).
upperpart of the glans is cut and the skin flapsare lefthangingfromthe
fraenum
; the praeputiumis thus not completelyremoved.The practiceis
foundalso amongChaga,Somalisand othersin East Africa.Merker proposed
mentionedin theBook of Joshua(5 : 2) refers
thatthe "secondcircumcision"
to thecompletionoftheoperation,and thestatement"Thisday have I rolled
away the repioachof Egyptfromoffyou" (Joshua5:9) to the reproachconin theEgyptianmanner.Variousmedieval
stitutedby circumcision
performed
traditionthat all Israel was circumcised
to
the
refer
Jewishcommentators
exodus. Rashi (R. Shelomo Yitzhaki of
the
of
a firsttimeat the beginning
ad
Troyesin the ChampagneA. D. 1040-1105)however,in his commentary
loc. "to circumciseagain thechildrenof Israel the secondtime" (5:2), while
at theexodus,states
thistraditionofa firstcollectivecircumcision
mentioning
the
to
refers
time*
'a
second
tearingoff[of the prae"Our rabbissaid that
Thus an interAbraham".
father
of
our
putium]whichwas not demanded
Hauptmanncoincidedwith
pretationhazardedby the GermanSchutztruppe
writtena thousandyearsearlierand embodyinga
a rabbinicalcommentary
is
It
mucholdertradition.
possible,moreover,that incompletecircumcision
was practicedamongthe Jewsinto the Greco-Romanera. The circumcised
oftensubjectedhimself
Jew,becomingan objectofderisionin thegymnasium,
To obviatethe possibilityofconto an operationto concealhis circumcision.
cealmentthe rabbismade perïâh(completeexposureof the glans) an indisforritualcircumcision
(Hastings 1951: 660 ; see Weiss
pensableprerequisite
1962a : 31 forreferences).
in Joshuaand
But whateverthe meaningof the second circumcision
it would seem
was performed,
in whatevermannerAbraham'scircumcision
between
treaties
which
rite
a
covenant
was
by
highlyprobablethat "cutting"
of a
the
That
confirmed.
were
cutting
equals as well as vassal obligations
is
an
covenant
appropriatesymbol
generativeorganis involvedin Abraham's
There
fora covenantmade withthe generationsand dealingwithoffspring.
sexologicalexplanationoftheAbrahamic
is no needto indulgein problematical
was merely
theriteofcircumcision
the
of
author
narrative,
covenant.For the
with
associated
custom
ancient
treatyand
a particularapplicationof an
forthe
suitable
covenantobligations an application,moreover,especially
a riteat a particularplace and
particularcovenantinvolved.The meaningof
it to other
in a particulartimecannotfullybe understoodmerelyby referring
454
Erich
Isaac
Anthropos5». üm¡4
must
similarritesat otherplaces and times.The search forinterpretation
of
a
historical
im
Leben"
of
the
"Sitz
address
to
the
itself
discovery
always
ritejust as muchas to its derivation.
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