The Connection between the Old and New Testaments in the Circumcision of the Lord: Fulfillment as Overcoming The event of the Lord's Circumcision (Luke 2:21) is a unique theological knot where the Old and New Testaments do not simply touch but enter into a paradoxical relationship of fulfillment-overcoming. This act is not a casual episode of Jesus' childhood but a programmatic theological statement revealing the continuity and radical novelty of Christian revelation. Through it, the essence of Christ's mission is formulated: not to destroy the Law but to fulfill it in such a way as to open a new reality of the Covenant. 1. Circumcision as the Seal of the Old Testament and Its Crisis. The Old Testament circumcision (brit milah) was established as an eternal sign of the covenant between God and Abraham (Genesis 17:9-14). It meant: Belonging to the chosen people, a physical "seal" in the community. Obligation to keep the entire Law (Galatians 5:3). A symbol of separation (from uncircumcised peoples) and dedication to God. However, by the 1st century AD, in the Jewish environment, there was an increasing understanding that an external sign without internal change of heart was insufficient. The prophets had already spoken of "circumcision of the heart" (Deuteronomy 10:16, Jeremiah 4:4). Thus, the ritual itself contained an internal tension between letter and spirit, external sign and internal reality. 2. Christ as the "End of the Law" (Romans 10:4) through His complete fulfillment. Entering this context, the Lord's Circumcision acquires several layers of meaning: An act of perfect obedience and kenosis: Jesus, being "born under the Law" (Galatians 4:4), voluntarily takes on its burden. This is the ultimate expression of humility (kenosis): the Son of God submits to an establishment given to people. He does not place Himself above the Law but passes through it completely. By doing so, He confirms the sanctity and divine origin of the Law but at the same time puts it in d ... Read more