Bible Lexicons

περιτομή, περιτομῆς, ἡ (περιτέμνω), circumcision (on which see περιτέμνω);

a. properly, α. the act or rite of circumcision: John 7:22; Acts 7:8; Romans 4:11; Galatians 5:11; Philippians 3:5; οἱ ἐκ τῆς περιτομῆς (see ἐκ, II. 7), the circumcised, they of the circumcision, used of Jews, Romans 4:12; of Christians gathered from among the Jews, Acts 11:2; Galatians 2:12; Titus 1:10; οἱ ὄντες ἐκ περιτομῆς, Colossians 4:11. β. the state of circumcision, the being circumcised: Romans 2:25-28; Romans 3:1; 1 Corinthians 7:19; Galatians 5:6; Galatians 6:15; Colossians 3:11; ἐν περιτομή ὤν, circumcised, Romans 4:10. γ. by metonymy, 'the circumcision' for οἱ περιτμηθέντες the circumcised, i. e. Jews: Romans 3:30; Romans 4:9, 12; Romans 15:8; Galatians 2:7-9; Ephesians 2:11; οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς πιστοί, Christian converts from among the Jews, Jewish Christians, Acts 10:45.

b. metaphorically, α. of Christians: (ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν) ἡ περιτομή, separated from the unclean multitude and truly consecrated to God, Philippians 3:3 ((where see Lightfoot)). β. ἡ περιτομή ἀχειροποίητος, the extinction of the passions and the removal of spiritual impurity (see περιτέμνω, at the end), Colossians 2:11a; ἡ περιτομή καρδίας in Romans 2:29 denotes the same thing; περιτομή τοῦ Χριστοῦ, of which Christ is the author, Colossians 2:11b. (The noun περιτομή occurs three times in the O. T., viz. Genesis 17:13; Jeremiah 11:16; for מוּלָה, Exodus 4:26; besides in Philo, whose tract περί περιτομῆς is found in Mangey's edition 2, pp. 210-212 (Richter's edition 4, pp. 282-284); Josephus, Antiquities 1, 10, 5; (13, 11 at the end; contra Apion 2, 13, 1, 6); plural, Antiquities 1, 12, 2.)