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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (220331)	2/22/2007 12:59:51 PM
From: Sun Tzu	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

There are Greek records of ancient Egyptians practicing circumcision. Whatever Abraham may have promised God, he did not start the practice.

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (220331)	2/22/2007 1:02:41 PM
From: Sun Tzu	Respond to of 281500

The oldest documentary evidence for circumcision comes from ancient Egypt. Tomb artwork from the Sixth Dynasty (2345-2181 BCE) shows men with circumcised penises, and one relief from this period shows the rite being performed on a standing adult male. The Egyptian hieroglyph for "penis" depicts either a circumcised or an erect organ. The examination of Egyptian mummies has found some with foreskins and others who were circumcised. Circumcision was common, although not universal, among ancient Semitic peoples. The Book of Jeremiah, written in the sixth century BCE, lists the Egyptians, Jews, Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites as circumcising cultures. Herodotus, writing in the fifth century BCE, would add the Colchians, Ethiopians, Phoenicians, and Syrians to that list. In the aftermath of the conquests of Alexander the Great, Greek dislike of circumcision led to a decline in its incidence among many peoples that had previously practised it. The writer of the 1 Maccabees wrote that under the Seleucids, many Jewish men attempted to hide or reverse their circumcision so they could exercise in Greek gymnasia, where nudity was the norm. First Maccabees also relates that the Seleucids forbade the practice of brit milah (Jewish circumcision), and punished those who performed it–as well as the infants who underwent it–with death. en.wikipedia.org

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (220331)	2/22/2007 1:06:55 PM
From: Katelew	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Yes, and I don't recall any scriptural reference to it being a health benefit. I don't recall there being any explanation of any kind given. Basically God said do this for me and I will make you my chosen people, lead you to the promised land, etc. I always found it a little interesting that Abraham circumcised Ishmael and all his servants even tho God made it clear that his contract was only with Isaac's descendants.

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (220331)	2/22/2007 1:09:33 PM
From: carranza2	Respond to of 281500

And the Arabs did it as well though I don't think they do anymore. Sir Richard Francis Burton underwent a voluntary circumcision as an adult in order that he not be recognized as a non-Muslim when he made his stealth trips to Mecca and Medina as a hajj.