Circumcision Controversy In Early Christianity
There is evidence of a controversy over religious male circumcision in Early Christianity. A Council of Jerusalem, possibly held in approximately 50 AD, did not include male circumcision as a requirement for Gentile converts. This became known as the "Apostolic Decree" and may be one of the first acts differentiating Early Christianity from Judaism. At roughly the same time Rabbinic Judaism made their circumcision requirement for Jewish boys even stricter.
According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, "the decision that Christians need not practice circumcision is recorded in Acts 15; there was never, however, a prohibition of circumcision, and it is practiced by Coptic Christians."
Read more about Circumcision Controversy In Early Christianity: Jewish Background, Circumcision of Jesus, Circumcision Controversy, Council of Jerusalem, Teaching of Paul, Later Views, Contemporary Practices
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