“David” - Michelangelo - 1501 - 1504 (detail)
Commentators have noted David’s apparently uncircumcised penis, which is at odds with Judaic practice.
Some argue that this is simply a remnant of Greek influence on Italian art and the Greek dislike of circumcision (they regarded a man as truly “naked” only if his prepuce was retracted). Others argue that he is in fact circumcised in accordance with Jewish practices pre-140 AD.
The Abrahamic covenant of circumcision defined in the Bible was a relatively minor circumcision. This procedure was was named Brit Milah and involved cutting off only the foreskin that extended beyond the glans.
Some Jews tried to hide their circumcision status, as told in 1 Maccabees 1:11-15 and 1 Corinthians 7:18. Techniques for restoring the circumcised penis were known by the 2nd century BC. In one such technique, a copper weight (called the Judeum pondum) was hung from the remnants of the circumcised foreskin until, in time, it became sufficiently stretched to give the appearance of an uncircumcised penis.
In order to prevent foreskin restoration, a second more radical step was added to the genital mutilation procedure around 140 AD. This procedure is named Brit Peri’ah. In this step, the foreskin is cut further back, to the ridge behind the glans penis, called the coronal sulcus. The inner mucosal tissue is removed by use of a sharp finger nail or implement, including the excising and removal of the frenulum from the underside of the glans. Around 550AD a third step known as Metzitzeh was added by orthodox Jewish groups. In this step the mohel uses his mouth to suck the blood from the child’s wounded penis.
David and Jesus would have undergone milah and not periah. This gives us a clue as to the actual size of the Holy Prepuce.
