The Covenant of Circumcision: New Perspectives on an Ancient Jewish Rite
According to Jewish law, the ritual practice of circumcising male infants signals the male child's entry into the covenant his forefather Abraham made with God. Circumcision, now a common medical procedure for male infants in the United States, has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. Some medical professionals have challenged its purported health benefits, ethicists have raised concerns about the degree of pain involved, and Jewish feminists have questioned the implications of a...
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Scholars and rabbis examine the complicated history and contemporary challenges of the Jewish rite of circumcision. ... Mark's excellent introduction is followed by a superb collection of essays by some of the most distinguished scholars in the field of Jewish studies. There is no volume that covers the topic of circumcision so thoroughly, and it will serve an academic audience thirsty for substantial and provocative interpretations of this hotly contested Jewish ritual.
AcknowledgmentsCrossing the Gender Divide: Public Ceremonies, Private Parts, Mixed FeelingsWounds, Vows, Emanations: A Phallic Trope in the Patriarchal Narrative3Foreskin Sacrifice: Zipporah's Ritual and the Bloody Bridegroom18A Brief History of Jewish Circumcision Blood30The Cut of Wholeness: Psychoanalytic Interpretations of Biblical Circumcision43Circumcision, Secrecy, and the Veiling of the Veil: Phallomorphic Exposure and Kabbalistic Esotericism58Circumcision and Castration under Roman Law in the Early Empire75Brit Milah: A Study of Change in Custom87Depicting the Ambiguous Wound: Circumcision in Medieval Art98Circumcision and Baptism: The Development of a Jewish Ritual in Christian Europe114Christian Travelers to the Circumcision: Early Modern Representations128Circumcision and Modern Jewish Life: A German Case Study, 1843-1914142Circumscribed Circumcision: The Motivations and Identities of Israeli Parents Who Choose Not to Circumcise Their Sons161Circumcision in Hungary after the Shoah177Three Rabbinic PerspectivesA Plea for Inclusion188A Covenant Above Reason194Noam's Bris197Epilogue: A Medley of Women's Voices201Notes205Contributors245Index247
\ From The Critics... Mark's excellent introduction is followed by a superb collection of essays by some of the most distinguished scholars in the field of Jewish studies. There is no volume that covers the topic of circumcision so thoroughly, and it will serve an academic audience thirsty for substantial and provocative interpretations of this hotly contested Jewish ritual.\ \
