Lk 1:57-66
57When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. 59When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, 60but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” 61But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” 62So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. 63He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. 64Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. 65Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. 66All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
Circumcision: Among the Hebrews, circumcision, or the cutting off of the foreskin of the male sexual organ, is a religious ceremony that marks the person with the seal of the covenant. At the time of Jesus, it was performed on the eighth day after birth. Luke tells us about the circumcision of, and the giving of name to, both John and Jesus.
Circumcision was widely practiced in antiquity, as among the Egyptians and most ancient Semites, but not among the Babylonians, the Assyrians, and the Philistines. The ancient peoples might have done it for reasons of hygiene or in preparation for marriage or for religious motives. But the Israelites required circumcision as a mark of their belonging to God, the people of the covenant.
The origin of circumcision is attributed to Abraham (Gn 17:9-27). The Jews held circumcision with great importance. Along with the Sabbath observance, it was one of their most distinctive rites. When Antiochus Epiphanes forbade circumcision and his agents put to death Jewish mothers who would circumcise their children, the women chose to die rather than give up circumcision (1 Mc 1:60-63). The rite became most important as a sign of fidelity.
The early Christians, being Jews, were circumcised. But when Christianity spread among the Gentiles, the decision was reached that circumcision was not obligatory. Salvation is achieved through faith in Jesus Christ who suffered, died, and rose again. Faith which works through love—not circumcision—makes a person a “new creation” (Gal 6:15). Circumcision is interpreted more as a matter of the heart rather than of the body.