Male Circumcision and Female Bodies in Jewish and Christian Communities of Ancient Egypt
Females and Foreskins
Male Circumcision and Female Bodies in Jewish and Christian Communities of Ancient Egypt
Females and Foreskins
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Description
Rebecca Harrocks presents some of the earliest evidence of male circumcision from ancient Egypt, exploring the connotations and implications for the Jewish and Christian communities of Alexandria and Egypt. The relevance of male circumcision for Jewish females is evident in Hebrew scripture, especially in relation to marriage, procreation, and parenthood, but little attention has been paid to women in scholarship. Harrocks addresses this oversight by considering not only what male circumcision meant for men, but also what it meant for women and the female body.
Drawing on a range of ancient literature, inscriptions, art, and human remains, the role of male circumcision in ancient Egypt is considered as a backdrop to its practice by the Israelites, who some in antiquity claimed adopted it from the Egyptians. Harrocks concludes with an exploration of the changes and consequences for Jewish customs suggested in early Christian texts – especially the Pauline writings – regarding the female body and a woman's interaction with her community, and highlights nuances to New Perspective thought given this broader gender awareness.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Identity, Boundary Marking and Male Circumcision – The Problem
Section 1: Male Circumcision amongst Egyptians and Jews 0
2. Male Circumcision – Egyptian Origins and Practice
3. Male Circumcision – Israel and the Jewish Diaspora
4. Male Circumcision – Graeco-Roman Gentile Perspectives
Section 2: Male Circumcision and the Female Body in the Hebrew Bible
5. Covenant and Marriage in the Hebrew Bible 0
6. Intermarriage in the Hebrew Bible
7. Procreation and Parenthood in the Hebrew Bible
Section 3: The (Ir)relevance of Circumcision?
8 .Historical Context – The Jews of Alexandria and Egypt
9. Alexandria and Egypt – Marriage and the Circumcised Body in Reality
10.Male Circumcision and the Female Body in Early Christian Dialogue
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Appendix
Bibliography
Product details
| Published | Nov 13 2025 |
|---|---|
| Format | Hardback |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 256 |
| ISBN | 9780567722690 |
| Imprint | T&T Clark |
| Illustrations | 6 bw illus |
| Dimensions | 9 x 6 inches |
| Series | The Library of Second Temple Studies |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
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