Background
The exact date of composition is unknown, but it is possible that Milton wrote the ode while attending Christ's College, Cambridge, and it is commonly dated to 1633. However, the ode, along with The Passion (Milton) and On the Morning of Christ's Nativity, were first published in 1645, and they are found within a manuscript that was not started before May 1634. They were composed during a time in which Milton became deeply concerned with Scripture but also one who still relies on myth. They were written during a time of experimentation in genre and subject for Milton.
Read more about this topic: Upon The Circumcision
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