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The Circumcision was given to Abraham before the law, after the
blessings, after the promise, as a sign separating him and his
offspring and his household from the Gentiles with whom he lived. And
this is evident, for when the Israelites passed forty years alone by
themselves in the desert, having no intercourse with any other race,
all that were horn in the desert were uncircumcised: but when Joshua
led them across Jordan, they were circumcised, and a second law of
circumcision was instituted. For in Abraham's time the law of
circumcision was given, and for the forty years in the desert it fell
into abeyance. And again for the second time God gave the law of
Circumcision to Joshua, after the crossing of Jordan, according as
it is written in the book of Joshua, the son of Nun: At that time
the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee knives of stone from the sharp
rock, and assemble and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time;
and a little later: For the children of Israel walked forty and two
years in the wilderness of Battaris, till all the people that were men
of war, which came out of Egypt, were uncircumcised, because they
obeyed not the voice of the Lord: unto whom the Lord sware that He
would not shew them the goad land, which the Lord swore unto their
fathers that He would give them, a land that floweth with milk and
honey. And their children, whom He raised up in their stead, them
Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not
circumcised them by the way. So that the circumcision was a sign,
dividing Israel from the Gentiles with whom they dwelt.
It was, moreover, a figure of baptism. For just as the circumcision
does not cut off a useful member of the body but only a useless
superfluity, so by the holy baptism we are circumcised from sin, and
sin clearly is, so to speak, the superfluous part of desire and not
useful desire. For it is quite impossible that any one should have no
desire at all nor ever experience the taste of pleasure. But the
useless part of pleasure, that is to say, useless desire and
pleasure, it is this that is sin from which holy baptism circumcises
us, giving us as a token the precious cross on the brow, not to divide
us from the Gentiles (for all the nations received baptism and were
sealed with the sign of the Cross), but to distinguish in each nation
the faithful from the Faithless. Wherefore, when the truth is
revealed, circumcision is a senseless figure and shade. So
circumcision is now superfluous and contrary to holy baptism. For he
who is circumcised is a debtor to do the whale law. Further, the
Lord was circumcised that He might fulfil the law: and He fulfilled
the whole law and observed the Sabbath that He might fulfil and
establish the law. Moreover after He was baptized and the Holy
Spirit had appeared to men, descending on Him in the form of a dove,
from that time the spiritual service and conduct of life and the
Kingdom of Heaven was preached.
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