Karin Neutel presents a working paper on 'Constructions of the Past in Recent Debates on Male Circumcision: How Paul Makes Circumcision History '

Male circumcision is a debated issue in many countries today, creating substantial social and political tension. Such tension has a long history: already in Antiquity, Greeks, Romans, Jews and Christians clashed over male circumcision. These ancient controversies play a significant role in recent public discourse, where both advocates and opponents can build their arguments on particular interpretations of this religious past. The question of how participants in contemporary debates on male circumcision construct their arguments with reference to ancient circumcision controversies is central to this study. Answering this question will not only increase scholarly understanding of attitudes towards circumcision, but could also have a positive impact on the contemporary cultural dialogue on this divisive issue.
This article examines a number of references to the New Testament author Paul in recent German publications that discuss male circumcision. It offers an exploratory analysis, looking at the way in which these sources present Paul in relation to circumcision, and how they see his relevance for the present. Its goal is to develop an understanding of the competing constructions of the past that support contemporary view on circumcision, as well as on contemporary conceptions of Paul.
Since this is, for the most part, a first exploration of these sources, I would be interested to hear whether the analysis presented here is useful and which further questions could be asked. I would also welcome any contributions on its possible relevance, as well as comments about translation and interpretation.