Friday 26 June 2009

Background

Male circumcision seems to be an odd kind of marker for thepeople of Israel. Baptism makes sense for Christians because ritualwashing is consistent with the message of the gospel (the good newsof Jesus). The rainbow makes sense as a marker of God's covenantwith Noah (Genesis9:1-17), his descendants, and all living creatures, because itrecalls the story of the flood. But why male circumcision?

Historians of religion tell us that the practice was widespreadamongst many peoples in the ancient near east. Some also tell usthat circumcision was important in patriarchal societies (wherefamilies are dominated by a male figure). It marked thetransmission of power and authority through the male.

Curiously, this text speaks of Sarah alongside Abraham as theancestor of nations and kings. This is surprising in a societybuilt upon the principles of primogeniture (the right of thefirstborn son to inherit) and polygamy (where a man can take morethan one wife). The firstborn male could be born of anyfemale.

Against a patriarchal backdrop, the text before us is radicallysubversive. "With one stroke," says Old Testament scholar WaldemarJanzen, "God subverts two of the bases of patriarchal identity andpower." Primogeniture is displaced because Isaac, not Ishmael, isto be heir of the covenant. Inheritance is tied to the mother aswell as the father.

This double subversion of the social norms of the day areadditional reasons to make Abraham and Sarah laugh. Thiscircumcision marks a radical re-conception of the everyday notionsof power and authority in that society. Conventional understandingsare replaced with trust in the divine promise.

Abraham's response to the promise of a child through Sarah islaughter. We cannot be sure whether this is a moment of levity orof bitter, ironic laughter. Either way, it allows Abraham a momentin which to ponder the words of his unconventional god.

To Ponder

Are you sympathetic to the reading of the textoffered above? In other words, are you sympathetic to theinterpretation which suggests that - with the principle ofprimogeniture displaced and inheritance tied to the mother as wellas the father - Yahweh subverts the social norms of the day? What,if any, subversion of social norms is seen today?

Which other biblical texts encourage you to thinkof God either subverting social norms or springing surprises onGod's people? Which is your favourite? Why?