A perusal of Voltaire and a study of his Jewish
critics on this subject, as found in the "Jews' Letters to Voltaire,"
will convince any reader that as to circumcision M. Voltaire is an
unreliable authority.

CHAPTER III.

SPREAD OF CIRCUMCISION.

From Chaldea, then, in the mountains of Armenia and Kurdistan, the
practice of circumcision was, in all probability, first adopted by the
Phoenicians, who finally relinquished the Israelitish rite as to age of
performance and exchanged it for the Egyptian rite. From Phoenicia its
spread through the maritime enterprises of this race to foreign parts
was easy. Egypt was the next place to adopt its practice; at first the
priesthood and nobility, which included royalty, were the only ones who
availed themselves of the practice. The Egyptians connected circumcision
with hygiene and cleanliness; this was the view of Herodotus, who looked
upon the rite as a strictly hygienic measure. History relates of the
existence of circumcision among the Egyptians as far back as the reign
of Psammetich, who ruled toward the end of the sixth century B.C. The
practice must then have been of a very religious and national nature, as
we are told that Psammetich, having admitted some noted strangers, whom
he allowed to dwell in Egypt without being circumcised, brought himself
into great disfavor among his subjects, and especially by the army, who
looked upon an uncircumcised stranger as one undeserving of favors.
During the next century Pythagoras visited Egypt, and was compelled to
submit to be circumcised before being admitted to the privilege of
studying in the Egyptian temples. In the following century these
restrictions were removed, for neither Herodotus nor Diodorus, who
visited the country, were obliged to be circumcised, either to dwell
among the people or to follow their studies. There is one curious habit
that is mentioned in connection with the rite of circumcision among
these people, this being its relation to the taking of an oath or a
solemn obligation. Among the Egyptians the circumcised phallus, as well
as the rite of circumcision, seemed to be the symbol of the religious as
well as of the political community, and the circumcised member was
emblematical of civil patriotism as well as of the orthodox religion of
the nation. To the Egyptian, his circumcised phallus was the symbol of
national and religious honor; and as the Anglo-Saxon holds aloft his
right hand, with his left r