Do Christians Worship the Penis Prepuce of Jesus?
This may seem like an outrageous article but it has come to my attention claims of Christians worshipping and or revering penis prepuce are abound in chat rooms on the internet – hence my addressing of these claims
Those of you who are familiar with the New Testament you will know Jesus (pbuh) was circumcised on the 8th day according to the Gospel of Luke (2:21)
What Happened to the Foreskin?
The penis prepuce is considered the foreskin which is removed through circumcision. The natural question is what happened to the foreskin (prepuce)? Relic hunters would have deemed it lucrative to collect such a relic – was the relic preserved?
No, the penis prepuce certainly does not appear to have been preserved and any claims of the preservation of such can be dismissed as a hoax. Jewish custom dictates the foreskin is to be buried after the (brit milah) [1]; thus it is considered the same occurred with respect to Jesus (pbuh). There is no authentic evidence to suggest the penis prepuce was preserved.
Desperation for Wealth leads to Church Hoaxes
For the churches of the past, relics meant wealth – any relic would attract visitors and subsequently wealth. Obviously a claim of possessing the prepuce would boost a church’s popularity, congregation, wealth and influence. This explains why different churches lay claim to possessing the relic simultaneously; yes, more than one church claimed possession at the same time!
Did Christians Worship these Alleged Prepuces?
Some may have but the more balanced view would be a reverence on the part of the Christians, though paradoxically this reverence would be deemed oddly irreverent. I would imagine orthodox Trinitarian apologetic would state the penis prepuce was part of the human nature and thus Christians are not required to worship it.
Do any Alleged Penis Prepuce Relics exist Today?
“In a 1997 television documentary for Channel 4, British journalist Miles Kington travelled to Italy in search of the relic. He was unable to find any remaining example” [2]
I would not rule out a struggling church, in the future, laying claim to it – wealth and desperation for popularity leads humans to irreverent measures.
A Modern Day Church Hoax
Rome, Apr 23, 2008 / 06:36 am (CNA).- A former church custodian accused of faking an incident where a Virgin Mary statue wept blood was put on trial in the northern Italian city of Forli’ on Friday, ANSA reports.
Police accuse Vincenzo Di Costanzo of dripping his own blood onto the face of the statue in Forli’s Santa Lucia Church in a March 2006 attempt to simulate a miracle.
Forensic experts who examined the blood found the DNA matched that of a saliva sample taken from Di Costanzo.
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References
[1] Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh Deah, 265:10 (sourced from wikipedia)
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Prepuce
More about Jesus and Christianity plus Islam:
Encouragement to learn about Islam:
http://thefactsaboutislam.blogspot.com/2010/08/assyrians-and-arab-christians-please.html
The Brothers of Jesus: Who are they?
http://yahyasnow.wordpress.com/2009/12/25/jesus-teaches-muslims-are-right/
Which incarnation? I personally feel both beliefs are gateways to paganism:
http://thegrandverbalizer19.blogspot.com/2010/08/two-incarnations-god-became-dove.html
