Texts in Conversation
Jubilees expands on the language of Deuteronomy, that God will circumcise Israel’s heart and create a holy spirit within them. Paul in Romans echoes this tradition, defining real circumcision as a work of the heart done by the Spirit.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Jubilees 1:23
Pseudepigrapha
22 Then the Lord said to Moses: “I know their contrary nature, their way of thinking, and their stubbornness. They will not listen until they acknowledge their sins and the sins of their ancestors. 23 After this they will return to me in a fully upright manner and with all their minds and all their souls. I will cut away the foreskins of their minds and the foreskins of their descendants' minds. I will create a holy spirit for them and will purify them in order that they may not turn away from me from that time forever. 24 Their souls will adhere to me and to all my commandments. They will perform my commandments. I will become their father and they will become my children.
Romans 2:29
New Testament
27 And the physically uncircumcised man, by keeping the law, will judge you to be the transgressor of the law, even though you have the letter and circumcision! 28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh, 29 but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart by the Spirit and not by the letter. This person’s praise is not from people but from God.
Search:
Notes and References
... Whereas the special laws of circumcision in Jubilees implored Israel to be circumcised in the flesh of the foreskin and avert the wrath of God — an imperative arising out of the necessity to maintain a separate identity from Gentiles — Paul focuses on the inward: circumcision is spiritual, not physical; it is a matter of the heart. But Paul did not initiate this hermeneutical move. Scripture has already redefined circumcision (Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6, 10; Jeremiah 4:4). The idea of the “inward” (things) from Romans 2:29, which may be translated “secret” or “hidden” things, is only found elsewhere in Scripture in the section of Deuteronomy concerned with Israel's covenant renewal (29:28), the much-anticipated eschatological event at which God will intervene to restore the covenant relationship by enabling Israel's obedience. ...
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.