Q&A: Is Esau Edom?
Is Esau Edom?
Question
Hello Rabbi,
How did the Sages, after the destruction of the Second Temple, turn “Esau is Edom” into Rome, and how did those two—Edom and Rome—become Christianity? Didn’t the Torah mean Esau / Edom specifically?
Best regards, Benjamin
Answer
I don’t know. This is a kind of midrashic interpretation and biblical exegesis, so I don’t answer questions like that. What practical difference does it make whether Rome/Christianity is Edom or not?
Discussion on Answer
The Sages always use biblical verses for their own purposes and for the reality in which they live. By the way, Christianity also uses biblical verses in order to justify its theology. For example, according to their view Esau represents Judaism, which sold the birthright to Jacob. Jacob represents the Christians. In general, the role of religious figures is to give interpretation to the biblical text according to the needs brought before them. Therefore, many times you will not find a connection between the plain meaning and the midrash, or between the context.
There is a long article about this by Gershon Cohen, “Esau as a Symbol in Early Modern Thought”
There is an opinion that this was a kind of censorship, just as in the Talmud they don’t say “Christian” but rather “Sadducee” or “heretic.”