Reverse Circumcision in Hellenistic Judaism: the Case for a Gender Critical Readying Josh Law
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The University of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal Volume 2 Article 1 4-1-2017 Reverse Circumcision in Hellenistic Judaism: The Case for a Gender Critical Readying Josh Law Follow this and additional works at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umurjournal Recommended Citation Law, Josh (2017) "Reverse Circumcision in Hellenistic Judaism: The asC e for a Gender Critical Readying," The University of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal: Vol. 2 , Article 1. Available at: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umurjournal/vol2/iss1/1 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by eGrove. It has been accepted for inclusion in The nivU ersity of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal by an authorized editor of eGrove. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Reverse Circumcision in Hellenistic Judaism: The aC se for a Gender Critical Readying Erratum 2017-04-01 This article is available in The nivU ersity of Mississippi Undergraduate Research Journal: https://egrove.olemiss.edu/umurjournal/ vol2/iss1/1 Reverse Circumcision in Hellenistic Judaism: The Case for a Gender Critical Reading Josh Law Edited by Dr. Mary Thurlkill Under the direction of Dr. James Bos I. Introduction circumcision is not only an ethnic Biblical texts often contain quite marker for Hellenistic Judeans. Instead, graphic and explicit descriptions of male circumcision is- in addition to an female bodies. Male bodies, however, ethnic marker- the means by which typically elude the gaze of male Judean patriarchy is solidified and a key authors; this trend breaks in a few marker of Judean masculinity. I will telling verses in 1 Maccabees regarding argue that those who underwent male circumcision. The key text reads, epispasm did so as an attempt to “And they built a gymnasium in perform Greek masculinity instead of Jerusalem, according to the custom of Judean masculinity and that this the Greeks, and they made for attempt angered the practitioners of themselves foreskins, and they Judean masculinity. abandoned the holy covenant” (1 Macc A brief word must be said about 1:14-15a).1 This text raises two obvious exactly what I mean by the word questions: what does it mean to make a “masculine.” I am defining masculinity foreskin for oneself, and why would as a set of behaviors practiced by which anyone ever do this? a person with a male body becomes a Contemporary scholars have man.2 Thus, I am not defining persuasively written about masculinity as an inherent category to uncircumcision procedures- and the 2 polemic against them- from the Whether or not a male body is a prerequisite perspective of ethnic difference. The to behave as masculine and be a man is a contestable issue. Could a person with a female writing on uncircumcision procedures body (or intersex body) perform masculine fails to include a discussion of the behaviors? Of course. But would that person be gender dynamics in play. In order to considered a “man” by the dominant culture? fully explore uncircumcision operations The answer to that question is much more in Hellenistic Judaism, a gender critical difficult to ascertain and varies from culture to culture. Given that it is outside of the scope of lens must be applied. I will argue that this paper, I have decided to forgo this discussion and will primarily discuss masculinity 1 Translation is my own. All other translations as a set of behaviors performed by people who come from the NRSV unless otherwise stated. possess male bodies. be born into (such as a male body) but a oneself a foreskin? There are two set of behaviors to perform.3 Masculine procedures in the ancient world behaviors often vary across and within designed to undo circumcision: people groups. In any given culture, infibulation and epispasm.4 Infibulation, there are often several competing according to Celsus, the first century masculinities at play, and the dominant medical author, involved drawing the (i.e. hegemonic) form of masculinity is skin around the penis forward to cover often the one practiced by those at the the glans and fastening it with a fibula top of society with the most power and or twine.5 Epispasm, which is often influence. Therefore, it is possible for called the “Cadillac of corrective hegemonic Judean masculinity to surgeries,” is the most effective include a quite different set of procedure known to undo circumcision. behaviors than hegemonic Greek Epispasm was a challenging operation: masculinity and that male bodies would the surgeon would cut the skin on the have some degree of freedom to shaft of the penis, pull it forward to perform either Judean or Greek cover the glans, and dress it carefully so masculinity. that the skin would attach itself to the glans, leaving a foreskin. Bear in mind II. What is an Uncircumcision that this operation was practiced Operation? without anesthesia, though Celsus Uncircumcision operation is a promises that the operation was “not so generic term that refers to several very painful.”6 There simply is not operations designed to undo the marks enough data to state whether 1 of circumcision on a male penis. The Maccabees refers to either infibulation earliest known reference to the or epispasm. It is possible that operation in Jewish writing is found in 1 Hellenistic Judeans were practicing Maccabees 1:11-15. Uncircumcision both infibulation and epispasm.7 For the operations are mentioned in texts sake of convenience, I will use the term written from the second century BCE to epispasm generically as a substitute for the sixth century CE (1 Maccabees, “uncircumcision operations.” Mishnah, Talmud), which is suggestive that the operations were practiced for more than five hundred years. What exactly did the operations 4 Robert Hall, “Epispasm: Circumcision in include? How does a person make for Reverse,” Bible Review (1992): 54. 5 Hall, “Epispasm,” 54 3 6 On this point, I am indebted to the thought of Hall, “Epispasm,” 54 7 R. W. Connell. See, R.W. Connell, Masculinities The Roman poet, Martial, mocks a Judean (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, whose fibula fell out while bathing. See Hall, 1995). “Epispasm,” 54. III. Scholarly Treatments of Epispasm in Hellenistic Jewish men underwent the 1 Maccabees operation in an effort to appease not Before engaging in a analysis of the Greeks generally but Greek men, epispasm from a gender critical specifically. perspective, it is necessary to rehearse Robert Hall’s treatment of the scholarly positions on epispasm. epispasm in 1 Maccabees is more Relatively little has been written on the robust than Goldstein’s but still lacks an topic, so it shall not take long to present overt discussion about gender. Hall an overview of the key scholarly says: treatments. “Some Jews probably submitted In his commentary on 1 to epispasm because they shared Maccabees, Jonathan Goldstein briefly the common Greek and Roman mentions epispasm: “In a Greek revulsion toward circumcision… Gymnasium all the physical exercises Jews of means naturally wished and sports were performed in complete to participate in gymnasium and nudity… Many peoples of the Near East bath. Not only were these a chief besides the Jews practiced means of recreation, they also circumcision, but Greeks tended to view functioned as hubs for business. it as an unseemly mutilation. Hence, If Jews exercised or bathed while some of the Hellenized Jewish youths circumcised, they offended their who had to strip in the gymnasium were gentile neighbors and submitted willing to submit to painful operations themselves to incredulous to disguise the fact that they had been ridicule; if they did not attend, circumcised.”8 Goldstein rightly everyone knew why- and talked associates epispasm with the Greek about it. Either way their business Gymnasium, as does the author of 1 would suffer.”9 Maccabees. However, Goldstein utterly Hall recognizes that epispasm is a fails to account for the masculinities at means to attain greater economic play. He uses the terms “many power. Though he does not say so, peoples” and “Greeks” to disguise the publicly accruing economic power is fact that the text is talking about men typically a masculine behavior in and male bodies. Goldstein writes that Hellenistic Judea. Hall also recognizes “Hellenistic Jewish youths” underwent that epispasm paved the way to greater the operation, but this is not the case; social power: “Athletics constituted a chief avenue of social advancement for 8 Jonathan Goldstein, I Maccabees: A New underclass boys… Since athletes Translation, with Introduction and Commentary exercised and competed without (New York: Doubleday, 1976) 200. Goldstein is to some degree dependent upon Shurer on this 9 point. Hall, “Epispasm,” 54. Italics are mine. clothes, this avenue was denied to those who were circumcised.”10 IV. Judean Circumcision and Masculinity Females were prohibited from How one views epispasm relates professional sporting, so the social to how that person understands advancement Hall discusses is a circumcision. It is necessary to zoom out thoroughly masculine social and reflect upon circumcision in the advancement. Hall recognizes that wider Judean world from the epispasm was both ethnic, economic, perspective of masculinity. Against and social, though he does not overtly Shanks, who argues that circumcision recognizes that it is also gendered. had nothing to do with manhood, I will Hershel Shanks is known as the argue that male circumcision, a surgery world’s leading amateur biblical performed exclusively on male bodies, archaeologist, and he is the editor of has everything to do with masculinity. A the Biblical Archaeology Review. His brief history of Judahite worship of treatment of uncircumcision operations YHWH and male circumcision will reveal is lacking fullness. Shanks writes, “In a the gender ideology implicit to the number of cultures [circumcision] was a operation. rite that prepared a man for marriage.