The Feast of circumcision

 

          The Feast of Circumcision is one of the Seven Minor Feasts of the Lord in the Coptic Church; it is celebrated on the sixth day of the month of  January, eight days after the Nativity. God commanded the Jews to circumcise their newborn males, as a visible sign in the flesh, through which they establish a covenant with Him. However, baptism became the sign of our covenant in the New Testament after the coming of the Lord Christ to save humanity through the shedding of His blood. This has become the new means to enter into the Creator’s presence, as we partake and enjoy the sacraments of the Church. Those who were uncircumcised in the Old Testament were not permitted to partake of the Passover.

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          Similarly, those not baptized in the New Testament are not permitted to partake in the Holy Communion. People who were not circumcised were not considered to be God’s people, and in the same manner, those not baptized in the New Testament are not considered sons of God and are unworthy of inheriting the Kingdom of Heaven. Baptism therefore has become the circumcision of the New Testament, whereby sin is stripped from the “old” man, and God adopts the “new” man as a son. For this reason, the circumcision of the spirit through baptism has become far more important in the New Testament than the circumcision of the flesh.

 

          In the years 51 and 52 A.D., the Apostolic Council was called to order; the primary objective was to discuss the issue of circumcision. The council reached a decree as written in the Book of Acts: “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication” (Acts 15:28-29). The words “further burden” refer to the circumcision of the flesh. God will accept the Gentiles who come repenting their sins, regardless of circumcision in the flesh. It is baptism and putting on the “new” man that is far more important. In his first letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul states, “Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but obeying the commandments of God is everything” (1 Cor. 7:19). Since circumcision in itself is a symbol of baptism, the Church recommends that circumcision precede baptism. Those who wish to be circumcised must do so before baptism. As for females, the Church forbids their circumcision completely, since a vital part of the female reproductive system is removed prompting medical doctors to advise against the procedure.