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| Concerning the Circumcision.
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Chapter XXV.—Concerning the
Circumcision.
The Circumcision2694
| 2694 Just. Martyr.,
Dial. cum Tryph., p. 241. |
was given to Abraham before the law, after the blessings, after the
promise, as a sign separating him and his offspring and his household
from the Gentiles with whom he lived2695
. And
this is evident2696
| 2696 Chrys.,
Hom. 39 in Gen. | ,
for when the Israelites
passed forty years alone by themselves in the desert, having no
intercourse with any other race, all that were born in the desert were
uncircumcised: but when Joshua2697
led them
across Jordan, they were circumcised, and a second law of circumcision
was instituted. For in Abraham’s time the law of
circumcision was given, and for the forty years in the desert it fell
into abeyance. And again for the second time God gave the law of
Circumcision to Joshua, after the crossing of Jordan, according as it
is written in the book of Joshua, the son of Nun: At that time
the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee knives of stone from the sharp
rock, and assemble and circumcise the sons of Israel a second
time2698
; and a little
later: For the children of Israel walked forty and
two2699
years in the
wilderness of Battaris2700
| 2700 Text, Βατταριτίδι
as in mss.; but in Bib. Sixt.
μαδβαρείτιδι
is to be read. The desert in which the Israelites dwelt is called
“per antonomasiam” Madbara, from the Hebrew רבדמ, desert. | , till all the
people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt, were
uncircumcised, because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord:
unto whom the Lord sware that He would not shew them the good land,
which the Lord swore unto their fathers that He would give them, a land
that floweth with milk and honey. And their children, whom He
raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were
uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the
way2701
. So that
the circumcision was a sign, dividing Israel from the Gentiles with
whom they dwelt.
It was, moreover, a figure of baptism2702
| 2702 Greg. Naz.,
Orat. 40. Athan., De Sab. et circ. | . For just as the circumcision does
not cut off a useful member of the body but only a useless superfluity,
so by the holy baptism we are circumcised from sin, and sin clearly is,
so to speak, the superfluous part of desire and not useful
desire. For it is quite impossible that any one should have no
desire at all nor ever experience the taste of pleasure. But the
useless part of pleasure, that is to say, useless desire and pleasure,
it is this that is sin from which holy baptism circumcises us, giving
us as a token the precious cross on the brow, not to divide us from the
Gentiles (for all the nations received baptism and were sealed with the
sign of the Cross), but to distinguish in each nation the faithful from
the faithless. Wherefore, when the truth is revealed,
circumcision is a senseless figure and shade. So circumcision is
now superfluous and contrary to holy baptism. For he who is
circumcised is a debtor to do the whole law2703
. Further, the Lord was circumcised
that He might fulfil the law: and He fulfilled the whole law and
observed the Sabbath that He might fulfil and establish the
law2704
. Moreover after He was baptized and
the Holy Spirit had appeared to men, descending on Him in the form of a
dove, from that time the spiritual service and conduct of life and the
Kingdom of Heaven was preached.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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