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→Jewish men in Greek society
[[Circumcised]] Jewish men encountered significant issues when they tried to blend into Greek society.
Key features of Hellenistic culture were athletic exercises in gymnasia and athletic performances in public arenas, where men appeared in the nude. While the [[penis]] sheathed in an [[intact]] foreskin was normal and acceptable, ancient Greeks and their Hellenistic successors considered the [[circumcised]] penis to be offensive, as it was perceived as a vulgar imitation of [[erection]], unfit for public display.<ref name="kennedy2015" /> The ancient Greeks and their Hellenistic successors considered the "ideal prepuce" to be long, tapered, and "well-proportioned." Removing it was considered [[mutilation]]. Men with a short [[foreskin]], a condition known as ''lypodermos'', would wear a leather cord called a ''kynodesme'' to prevent its accidental exposure.<ref>{{REFjournal
|last=Hodges
|first=Frederick M.
}}</ref> and [[epispasm]] was invented. Up until the 2th century, [[Jewish circumcision]] involved only partial foreskin removal.
Rabbis of the 2th second century responded to the practice of epispsam to increase the injury by mandating ''[[Periah| peri’ah]]'' to change Jewish circumcision, or the complete ablation of the [[foreskin]] in order to prevent Jewish men from engaging in [[foreskin restoration]].<ref>{{REFbook
|last=Glick
|first=Leonard B.