The procedure of Circumcision among the Jews changed dramatically after the time of Christ around 150 AD.

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The original practice of circumcision is known in Hebrew as "Milah". An additional radical step was added later called "Periah". Most historians (including Jewish historians) agree that Periah isn't original to the Abrahamic practice. Periah is the type of circumcision practiced today by Jews.

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Milah is the removal of just the overhang or the part that extends past the glans. The head of the penis would remain covered or mostly covered. Periah is the removal of much more skin so the glans is completely uncovered. Periah is most similar the modern posthectomies (circumcisions) practiced in American hospitals today.

 

The less radical Milah appears to be more consistent with our word foreskin. The prefix "fore" implies that the original concept of foreskin referred to skin that is before the penis or the glans, not skin that covers the glans.

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The less radical Milah is also consistent with biblical accounts that make no mention of having to rip the foreskin from the glans. Infants are born with their foreskins fused to the glans to protect them from feces and urine. As the boy matures the natural foreskin un-fuses. This seems more like a "dotted - line" or a more reasonable place to cut. Periah on the other hand is a much more arbitrary cut with a lot of variation on how much mucosal or shaft skin is removed.

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The less radical Milah is fossilized in the ritual practice of circumcision. Two cuts are made,

first what would have been like the original circumcision (Milah) and a later cut (Periah).

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Why the change?

 

The cause for this drastic change was one of the forces the precipitated the Great Apostasy among the early church: Hellenization. Greek culture threatened Jewish culture too. The Greek Gymnasium was more than just a gym, it was an important place of culture. In some languages the word Gymnasium doesn't refer to a place to exercise but refers to schools or academic institutions. The Greek word literally means place to be naked.

 

The Jews who were immersed in the dominant Greek culture of the day wanted to participate in greek gymnasia. Many were denied entry because of Greek standards of modesty. Greeks viewed the glans of the penis as a symbol of arousal and indecency. Many Jews were able to draw their remaining foreskins down and pass as uncircumcised gentiles.

It would have been much more difficult to tell if someone was circumcised or not. Because of this some people believe that Michelangelo's David actually depicts a circumcised male. 

 

Rabbis at the time made circumcision more radical to ensure that Jews couldn't be mistaken for gentiles. 

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Periah shouldn't be mixed up with yet another additional step to circumcision: Metzitzeh. This step is practiced in a variety of ways only by more orthodox Jews. In Metzitzeh blood is drawn from the penis. Some mohels (jewish circumcisers) suck blood directly with their lips, others use a tube. Its unclear why this additional step was added. One theory is that drawing blood filled a void in Jewish ritual: With the temple destroyed, Jews no longer had any blood rituals so circumcision became a blood ritual.

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Study questions to ask yourself and God:

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• Can any of the health or asthetic benefits ascribed to modern periah circumcision today be applied to the less radical milah circumcision? 

• Is there spiritual harm or danger in practicing an altered form of an ordinance (albeit a fulfilled one)?

• Do you think God is ambivalent or does he disapprove of this change?

• Does God care about the particulars of ordinances? How about fulfilled ones?

• Can people bring God's judgement or harms on their heads unknowingly?

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Next read about how periah circumcision transformed from a religious practice to a medical practice.

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