The brit milah or bris is the ceremony of circumcision in Judaism and Samaritanism, during which the prepuce is surgically removed. According to the Book of Genesis, God commanded the biblical patriarch Abraham to be circumcised, an act to be followed by his male descendants on the eighth day of life, symbolizing the covenant between God and the Jewish people. Today, it is generally performed by a mohel on the eighth day after the infant's birth and is followed by a celebratory meal known as seudat mitzvah.
"Isaac's Circumcision", Regensburg Pentateuch, c. 1300
Jewish circumcision in Venice around 1780, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme
Circumcision bench, 18th century. Jewish Museum of Switzerland.
Chair of Elijah used during the brit milah ceremony, Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme
Religion and circumcision
Religious circumcision is generally performed shortly after birth, during childhood, or around puberty as part of a rite of passage. Circumcision for religious reasons is most frequently practiced in Judaism and Islam.
Abraham circumcises his own penis - Circumcision of Abraham, from the Bible of Jean de Sy, ca. 1355-1357
"Scène de la circoncision de Jésus", a sculpture in the Cathedral of Chartres.
Ethiopian Orthodox children wearing traditional circumcision costumes
Rembrandt: The Apostle Paul, circa 1657 (National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.)
