was an old man, and his wife an old and barren woman.  And in order that this declaration, and imitation of Abraham’s faith, might be fixed firmly in the hearts of the Jews, they received in their flesh such a sign as they could not forget, wherefore it is written (Gen. 17:13):  “My covenant shall be in your flesh for a perpetual covenant.”  This was done on the eighth day, because until then a child is very tender, and so might be seriously injured; and is considered as something not yet consolidated:  wherefore neither are animals offered before the eighth day.  And it was not delayed after that time, lest some might refuse the sign of circumcision on account of the pain:  and also lest the parents, whose love for their children increases as they become used to their presence and as they grow older, should withdraw their children from circumcision.  A second reason may have been the weakening of concupiscence in that member.  A third motive may have been to revile the worship of Venus and Priapus, which gave honor to that part of the body.  The Lord’s prohibition extended only to the cutting of oneself in honor of idols:  and such was not the circumcision of which we have been speaking.

The figurative reason for circumcision was that it foreshadowed the removal of corruption, which was to be brought about by Christ, and will be perfectly fulfilled in the eighth age, which is the age of those who rise from the dead.  And since all corruption of guilt and punishment comes to us through our carnal origin, from the sin of our first parent, therefore circumcision was applied to the generative member.  Hence the Apostle says (Col. 2:11):  “You are circumcised” in Christ “with circumcision not made by hand in despoiling of the body of the flesh, but in the circumcision of” Our Lord Jesus “Christ.”

Reply Obj. 2:  The literal reason of the paschal banquet was to commemorate the blessing of being led by God out of Egypt.  Hence by celebrating this banquet they declared that they belonged to that people which God had taken to Himself out of Egypt.  For when they were delivered from Egypt, they were commanded to sprinkle the lamb’s blood on the transoms of their house doors, as though declaring that they were averse to the rites of the Egyptians who worshipped the ram.  Wherefore they were delivered by the sprinkling or rubbing of the blood of the lamb on the door-posts, from the danger of extermination which threatened the Egyptians.

Now two things are to be observed in their departure from Egypt:  namely, their haste in going, for the Egyptians pressed them to go forth speedily, as related in Ex. 12:33; and there was danger that anyone who did not hasten to go with the crowd might be slain by the Egyptians.  Their haste was shown in two ways.  First by what they ate.  For they were commanded to eat unleavened bread, as a sign “that it could not be leavened, the Egyptians pressing them to depart”; and to eat roast meat, for this