Why Aren't Jewish Women Circumcised?

Shaye J. D. Cohen is Littauer Professor of Hebrew Literature and Philosophy at Harvard University. He is the author of The Beginnings of Jewishness: Boundaries, Varieties, Uncertainties (California, 1999), From the Maccabees to the Mishnah (1987), and Josephus in Galilee and Rome: His Vita and Development as a Historian (1979).

"This book represents engaged scholarship at its very best. Cohen presents the vast range of texts at his command with brevity and wit. Elegantly written, this is a very stimulating book that is sure to provoke admiration, discussion, and controversy." - David Biale, author of Cultures of the Jews "A distinguished and wide-ranging work of scholarship. Cohen's definitive discussion of the covenant of circumcision enhances our understanding of Jewish identity formation, women's status in Judaism, Jewish-Christian polemic, and the impact of diverse cultural environments on the evolution of Jewish tradition." - Judith R. Baskin, author of Midrashic Women"

• List of Illustrations Preface Part One. Jewish Circumcision and Christian Polemics 1. A Canonical History of Jewish Circumcision 2. Were Jewish Women Ever Circumcised? 3. Christian Questions, Christian Responses 4. From Reticence to Polemic Part Two. Why Aren't Jewish Women Circumcised? Four Responses 5. The Celebration of Manhood 6. The Reduction of Lust and the Unmanning of Men 7. True Faith and the Exemption of Women 8. The Celebration of Womanhood Part Three. Conclusion: Challenges to the Circumcision of Jewish Men Notes Bibliography Index