Why did Paul abolish circumcision if the law is eternal? Why don't the Orthodox do circumcision, although it is mentioned in Scripture? Why the Orthodox are not circumcised.
Religious scholars identify a large group of so-called "Abrahamic" religions, which go back to a single root - the story of Abraham, who received the commandments from God. The 3 most famous of them are Islam, Judaism and Christianity. They have both similarities and differences, but one of the most interesting points is the relationship to circumcision.
Jews are obliged to do it, Muslims - at will, while Christians' attitude changed: from recognizing it as necessary to indifference and complete denial.
If in the early Christian tradition it was recognized not only as desirable, but also obligatory, but already at the beginning of our era, the attitude changed dramatically.
So at the Council of the Apostles, Peter expressed his opinion that circumcision, which, according to the Old Testament, is prescribed for all newborn boys and adults who have converted to Christianity, is completely unnecessary. If in Judaism circumcision symbolized the entry of a child into religion, then in Christianity this role began to be played by baptism. The situation was complicated by the fact that Christ was circumcised according to all the traditions of the Jews: on the eighth day. By the way, many attributes significant for religion are associated with this event: the feast of the Circumcision of the Lord, the Hill of Circumcision, numerous icons and canvases.
It was quite difficult to explain to ordinary priests, and even more so to lay people, this incident. It has been argued that just as Judaism was the forerunner of Christianity, so circumcision should be considered a prerequisite for the sacrament of baptism. Theologians explained its advantage by the fact that baptism affects the spirit of a person, while circumcision affects the body. The controversy continues to this day.
Another important turning point was the decision of the Ferrara-Florence Council, which in 1442 changed the wording to a more strict one. Man, as you know, was created in the image and likeness of God, which means that any unjustified distortion of it is a serious sin. Of course, this decree had not only philosophical meaning but also political overtones. In particular, it was directed against the Copts who practice and continue to practice this ritual.
Since then, in most Christian countries, circumcision has not been done for religious reasons. But offshoots of the Christian Church remained, which retained numerous ancient traditions in common with the Jews, including the observance of the Sabbath and circumcision. These include the Coptic Orthodox Church and Ethiopian. In them, circumcision is done to babies even before baptism.
But with the easing of the pressure of the Church in Europe, circumcision began to be used quite often again. Now they invested in it not a religious, but a medical and moral meaning. It was believed that it prevents the sexual promiscuity of boys, and also prevents many diseases. But with the development of science, this theory proved to be completely untenable, and the number of supporters of circumcision again began to decline.
Now Christian Churches people look at circumcision quite calmly when it is done for medical or cultural reasons. It is difficult to say whether Christianity will once again change its attitude towards circumcision, but the current situation suits everyone for now.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
According to the law of Moses, the law given by the Lord Himself to Abraham, anyone who wanted to be a member of the people of Israel, the people chosen by God, had to undergo a special bloody operation. This extended to all males. The so-called circumcision took place. The sign of circumcision remained for life. It was a reminder that this man is a member of the people of Israel.
But almost everything that happened in Old Testament, was only a shadow pointing to the object that was about to appear. The Old Testament talks all the time about the coming New Testament. Much that happened in the B. Testament, sometimes explicitly, sometimes covertly, pointed to events that were to take place at the coming of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and after Him. So bodily circumcision served as a sign of a new circumcision in the New Testament, circumcision no longer bodily, but spiritual. What is this spiritual circumcision? The Lord Jesus Christ repeatedly said: Who wants to follow me, - i.e. for the Lord Jesus Christ into the Kingdom of God, to the glory of God, he must deny himself, and, taking up his cross, follow me". This self-denial is spiritual circumcision. But what does it mean to deny yourself? - It means to renounce sin, which has so penetrated the soul and body of every person that to renounce sin is tantamount to as if a person should renounce himself.
A person is full of all sorts of passions that have eaten into him, like cancer - the disease eats into the human body, grows at the expense of it, and only a difficult and painful operation can save a person. So it is necessary to operate on sin, to cut it off, that is, cut it off from oneself, cut it out so that a person remains healthy.
For, just as without circumcision, which was performed in the Old Testament on the 8th day after the birth of a baby, a person could not enter the society of the chosen people, so without spiritual circumcision a Christian cannot enter the Kingdom of God.
We must constantly, daily, one might say every minute, perform this spiritual operation on ourselves. I will give you a number of examples showing how we can perform spiritual circumcision on ourselves. Here a man sat down at the table, an appetite was played out, and although he had already been full for a long time, he still filled his stomach, if possible, and drinks, and, in the end, turns from a man into some kind of animal. Even worse is the situation with all sorts of carnal, prodigal sensations and desires. So it is with other sins.
A person must become aware of these illnesses of his own and, as it were, cut them off from himself, refrain from overeating, from drunkenness, from all kinds of fornication - cut them off from himself. For the most part, however, a person himself cannot do this on himself, for he has become a slave of sin, a slave of the devil, who necessarily attaches himself to every sin and inflames a person, touches his nerves, body, and, if the Lord allows, touches his mind, perverts it so that a person can, for example, overeat to such an extent that then he suffers very hard.
Another example. So the idea came to the holiday somewhere to go. It is clear that if man will go somewhere: to a neighbor or to another place, then he will definitely speak there, condemn, judge, or even get drunk, etc. And if he was in church that day, received some grace and spiritual relief, then going to others, he will lose everything and acquire a demonic state there.
Therefore, a person should cut off all these sinful thoughts, desires and intentions at the very beginning. “Six days you shall do, and do all your works in them,” says the Lord, “and the seventh day is the Feast of the Lord your God.” Therefore, try not to go anywhere on this day, sit at home, read the Word of God, get up and pray, if possible and the situation allows, or pray silently, support the spiritual mood that you received in the temple, and do not run somewhere, on idle talk, do not condemn, etc.
So we left the temple, prayed as if, but we are walking down the street and what are we doing? - We look: this one is so-and-so, that one is coming from there, we look at what kind of nose someone has, what face, who is handsome, or even look out the window. And so, until a person reaches home, he will commit a thousand sins. This is the thought that scatters a person, makes us look, listen and see what we should not, we need to cut it off from ourselves, cut it off.
And envy, and lies, and deceit, and vanity, and so on and so forth! How many sins have clung and stuck to a person, become, as it were, a part of him, and only with great pain, with great difficulty, calling on the name of God for help: "Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, have mercy, help me," only with prayer, tension, effort can you cut them off from yourself.
That is why the gospel often says: Kingdom God's power, effort, tension is taken. A person should always be in attention, cry out: "Lord, have mercy." What does it mean to say "Lord, have mercy"? It means to be awake, i.e. take care of yourself, fight with every sinful thing, not only in deed, but also in word, and thought, and feeling, cut them off from yourself, cut them off. You cannot do it yourself - for the most part we cannot do this, we are already so mired in sins - so call on the name of God: "Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, help me." Thus, a person must, throughout his life from youth to death, daily, every minute, watch over himself, not give free rein to either his eyes or ears, or especially his tongue, to any inclinations, not to allow himself any dreams, but to reject everything evil from himself, cut off, destroy with the help of calling on the name of God, the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It must be said with great regret that people who seem to be reasonable, people who seem to be ahead in the eyes of many, do not understand what I am telling you.
It is believed that if she sometimes visits the church, if at home she still reads the akathist and the psalter, and does household chores, then she has already done everything and is better than her and not, and if she ever makes worshipers, or reads the Midnight Office, then there is no one above her. She condemns everyone and does not see that she herself is full of all sins, that she has never struggled in her whole life, has never looked after herself, has not cleansed herself, has not worked on it. And therefore it remains full of all sins: and gluttony, and drunkenness, and fornication, all kinds of impurity, and envy, pride, condemnation, idle talk, hatred, enmity, rancor. So often a person, being completely full of all sins, all abominations, being disgusting to the Lord, considers himself a righteous man, because he goes to church, sometimes reads the psalter, akathists. But is that the point? And akathists, and divine services, and prayers, and fasting - everything is given in order to help a person throw out all the abomination from himself, help him circumcise himself, take upon himself the cross of struggle with sin. And the Lord helps in this, sending help in the form of involuntary sorrow. A person cannot, for example, overcome gluttony, or drunkenness, or fornication - the Lord sends a disease. A man is proud, he is conceited, - the Lord will humiliate him in front of everyone so that he becomes the last person in the eyes of people. If a Christian is attached to earthly things and directs all his strength, all his desires, all his dreams to how to acquire earthly prosperity by right or wrong, theft, deception - by any means, then the Lord will take and take away, and everything that he It has. Thus, in addition to our labors in our own struggle against sin, the Lord also sends us involuntary sorrows as help in this struggle. From this constant struggle with sin and involuntary sorrows, a cross is formed for every Christian.
If a Christian really understands his purpose and the meaning of sorrows, then he meekly bears his cross. And if he does not understand this, then he begins to grumble, begins to judge the Lord Himself: why does the Lord send me sorrows, illnesses and the like, am I worse than others - and remains outside the Kingdom of God.
So is the Gospel - you see that the Lord constantly says that we should be awake, take care of ourselves, bear our cross of struggle with sin and endure sorrows, so that we deny ourselves. If the Lord Himself was crucified on the cross for us, became the Lamb of God, taking away the sins of the world, if He suffered for us, then we, Christians, must also bear our little cross and suffer in the struggle with sin in order to purify ourselves, in order to become worthy to enter not to some place similar to earthly, but to enter into the Kingdom of God itself, into communion with the Lord, to become children of God. But for this you need to endure work, you need to love the Lord, you need to thank Him, beg Him to help us cleanse ourselves of our sins, give us the strength to bear our cross until the end of our lives. And just as the Lord descended from the cross into the tomb and then resurrected, so we all have to go from the cross to the tomb in order to go to the Lord in eternal resurrection. Thus, during our earthly life, we must deny ourselves, cut off every sin from ourselves, bear without grumbling, with gratitude, the cross that the Lord has placed on us, implore Him to help us lead our lives like a Christian, die like a Christian, and to inherit the Kingdom of God, prepared for all true followers of Christ from the creation of the world, where everyone will be illumined like the sun, with the inexpressible joy of the Divine Light.
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Date: 03/08/2014 15:48:25
Anna, Naberezhnye Chelny
Why don't the Orthodox do circumcision, although it is mentioned in Scripture?
Protodeacon Dmitry Polovnikov answers
Hello! “The uncircumcised male who does not circumcise his foreskin, that soul will be cut off from his people; for he has broken my covenant” (Genesis 17:14). Forgive me for asking, but male Orthodox do not circumcise these days, and why?
The Apostle Paul writes: “Behold, you call yourself a Jew, and you comfort yourself with the law and boast in God… Circumcision is useful if you keep the law; but if you are a transgressor of the law, then your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So, if an uncircumcised one keeps the ordinances of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? And uncircumcised by nature, fulfilling the law, will he not condemn you, a transgressor of the law at the Scripture and circumcision? For it is not the Jew who is outwardly like that, nor the circumcision which is outwardly in the flesh; but that Jew who is such inwardly, and that circumcision that is in the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter: to him the praise is not from people, but from God. (Rom. 2:17, 25-29) And again: “If anyone is called to be circumcised, do not hide yourself; If anyone is called uncircumcised, do not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but everything is in keeping the commandments of God” (1 Corinthians 7:18-19).
Circumcision is an Old Testament ritual institution, which consisted in the rejection of the foreskin of the genital organ in all male babies on the 8th day after birth. In the first Jerusalem Christian community, circumcision extended to all Jewish Christians without exception. And some representatives of the Christian community from the Jews insisted that those who believed from the Gentiles undergo the rite of circumcision. This is what Paul opposed, not circumcision itself. “Jesus Christ became a servant for the circumcised - for the sake of the truth of God, in order to fulfill the promise to the fathers, and for the Gentiles - out of mercy, so that they might glorify God, as it is written: For this I will praise You, (Lord,) among the Gentiles, and I will sing to Your name. And it is also said: rejoice, Gentiles, with His people. And again, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and glorify Him, all you peoples. Isaiah also says: there will be a root of Jesse, and he will rise up to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope” (Rom. 15:8-12). But, Paul did not abolish circumcision himself, being circumcised. There is not a single text in the Bible where we see that the commandment of circumcision is abolished. But Paul tried to explain the meaning of this commandment. The meaning is that this is a sign of belonging to the Jewish people, once chosen by God to complete His plan of salvation (Rom. 4: 7-12). Just a sign, nothing more.
Asks ValeryAnswered by Alexandra Lantz, 12/23/2009
Valery writes: If the law is eternal, according to why did Paul abolish circumcision? Genesis 17:7-10 clearly states, "This is my covenant, which you shall keep between me and between you and among your descendants after you, that all male sex be circumcised among you."
Peace to you!
Paul did not abolish circumcision. There is not a single text in the Bible where we see that the commandment of circumcision is abolished. But Paul tried to explain the meaning of this commandment. The point is that this is a sign of belonging to the Jewish people, once chosen by God to complete His plan of salvation (). Just a sign, nothing more.
The fact is that the Jews of that time were sure that they were saved only because they are circumcised. Even if somewhere somehow by chance the law turned out to be violated, then they still have the seal of salvation, the seal of belonging to God - circumcision. They are just meant to be saved! However, Paul puts everything in its place and says that if you are circumcised, but break the law, then you lose everything: both salvation and belonging to God's chosen people. Then even a Gentile (by nature uncircumcised, but keeping the law) will be a reproach to such a Jew.
“And uncircumcised by nature, doing the law, will he not condemn you, criminal of the law at Scripture and circumcision?" ()
The apostle opposes the common at that time understanding of salvation "by circumcision".
“Behold, you are called a Jew, and you comfort yourself with the law, and boast in God, and you know [His will], and you understand better, learning from the law, and you are sure of yourself that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those in darkness, a teacher of the ignorant, the teacher of infants, having in the law a model of knowledge and truth: how can you, teaching another, not teach yourself? Preaching not to steal, are you stealing? saying, "Do not commit adultery," do you commit adultery? abhorring idols, do you blaspheme? Praise the law and by transgressing the law you dishonor God?» ()
See? It is not a question of abolishing the law, but just of implementing it. And we're talking about the Ten Commandments.
“When you preach not to steal, do you steal?” ()
"When you say, 'Do not commit adultery,' do you commit adultery?" ()
“having abhorred idols, do you blaspheme?” ()
And Paul continues without any sarcasm, but meaning exactly what he says:
“Circumcision is beneficial if you keep the law; and if you criminal of the law your circumcision has become uncircumcision."
And the last sentence of the second chapter of Romans puts an end to it:
“For it is not the Jew who [is] outwardly, and not the circumcision which is outwardly in the flesh; but [that] Jew who is inwardly [such], and [that] circumcision [which] is in the heart, in the spirit, [a] not in the letter: to him the praise is not from people, but from God."
What does it mean to be internally Jewish? For example, how does Moses love God, love people, lay down his life for the salvation of your people, and not need stone tablets, because the Almighty Himself teaches you the law.
In another epistle, Paul even says that there is an undeniable advantage to being circumcised. But he does not speak about salvation, but about the fact that EVERYTHING is given to this people (to whom the covenant of circumcision is given), and even Christ according to the flesh!
“So, what is the advantage [of being] a Jew, or what is the use of circumcision? Great advantage in every respect, and above all [in] that they are entrusted with the word of God» ().
“great sorrow for me and unceasing torment to my heart: I would like myself to be excommunicated from Christ for my brothers, my kindred according to the flesh, that is, the Israelites, to whom belong the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the statute, and worship, and the promises; their fathers, and from them Christ according to the flesh, who is over all God, blessed forever, amen» ().
The Jews who believed in Christ, unfortunately, not fully understanding the whole essence of Christ's mission, boasted before the pagans who believed in Christ that they, the Jews, were circumcised, which means that they were already saved, therefore, every pagan, too, in order to be saved, must be circumcised. Paul says that this law of works has no bearing on salvation. Because we are not saved by circumcision, but by faith in Christ crucified and risen.
"for there is one God who will justify those who are circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith" ().
"in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any effect but faith working through love" ().
See? Paul does not abolish circumcision, it remains so a carnal sign that a person belongs to the Jewish people, to that people from whom Christ is according to the flesh. But Paul focuses the attention of believers on the fact that circumcision, i.e. belonging to the Jewish people according to the flesh is not a guarantee of salvation, as they all thought. Therefore, Paul so carefully analyzes when exactly God imputed righteousness to Abraham, i.e. forgave all his dreams and iniquities: before circumcision or after.
“Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Is this blessedness [related] to circumcision, or to uncircumcision?
We say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. When did you change? by circumcision or before circumcision? Not by circumcision, but before circumcision.
And he received the sign of circumcision, [how] seal of righteousness through faith which [had] in uncircumcision so that he became the father of all those who believe in uncircumcision, so that righteousness would be reckoned to them, and the father of the circumcised, not only [who accepted] circumcision, but also walking in the footsteps of the faith of our father Abraham, which [he had] in uncircumcision. ()
And then Paul says that salvation is not in the fulfillment of the law (they say, he was circumcised, he fulfilled all the commandments and was immediately saved once and for all), but by faith that God saves, God is merciful, God is omnipotent, God is even ready to give you His righteousness, just to correct your ways and bring you home. That is, no matter what you do, no matter how you climb out of your skin, fulfilling the law, you will be saved not because he did, but because God wanted to save you and you BELIEVE in it.
The Jews insisted that Gentile believers should be circumcised. This is what Paul opposed, not circumcision itself.
“Jesus Christ became a servant for the circumcised - for the sake of the truth of God, in order to fulfill the promise to the fathers, and for the Gentiles - out of mercy, so that they might glorify God, as it is written: For this I will praise You, (Lord,) among the Gentiles, and I will sing to Your name. And it is also said: rejoice, Gentiles, with His people. And again, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and glorify Him, all you peoples. Isaiah also says: there will be a root of Jesse, and he will rise up to rule over the nations; in him the pagans will hope» ().
Paul does not cancel anything, he only says that circumcision, as an action performed on human flesh, does not give anything:
“Whoever is called by the circumcised, do not hide; If anyone is called uncircumcised, do not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but [all] in keeping the commandments of God».
Paul asserts that if before the Gentiles (uncircumcised) were alienated from everything that God gave to the Jews (circumcised), now they join the Jews by faith in Christ. They join not according to the carnal law, but according to the spiritual, according to faith.
"So remember that you, once Gentiles according to the flesh who were called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcised by the carnal [circumcision] performed by hands, that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the society of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise, had no hope, and were ungodly in the world. And now in Christ Jesus you who were once far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ» ().
Paul admonishes the Gentiles not to rely on the flesh, as the Jews do, not to hope that circumcision will be their ticket to Home, because if they begin to think so. they will immediately begin to think that they are being saved by the deeds of their flesh and will gradually forget about Christ the Savior.
“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of circumcision, for circumcision is we who serve God in the spirit and boast in Christ Jesus, and not trusting in the flesh though I may hope for the flesh. If someone else thinks hope in the flesh moreover, I, circumcised on the eighth day, from the tribe of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin, a Jew from the Jews, according to the teachings of the Pharisee, out of jealousy - a persecutor of the Church of God, in righteousness of the law - blameless. But what was an advantage for me, for the sake of Christ I considered loss. ().
The Jews were supposed to circumcise, they should have understood well what it is - only a carnal symbol of belonging to the Jewish people, nothing more. If you want to belong to this people according to the flesh, be circumcised, but this does not guarantee you 1) salvation from sins and 2) salvation for Eternity.
Sincerely,
Sasha.
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