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Esau, My Brother: Father of Edom and Rome

Esau – Father of Edom and Rome - hero of Palestinian Talmud – the Yerushalmi - and Midrashic sources in the Tannaic and Amoraic period under Roman rule

by Dr. Irit Aminoff

Description

For two thousand years, Jews educated in their people`s traditions, have perceived Jacob and Esau as depictions of good versus evil, truth versus falsehood, purity versus impurity, and so on. Any Jewish child over the age of three, could depict Esau as that wicked personage who pursued his brother Jacob and wanted to destroy him in his fiery hatred. Esau whose blessing was denied him, rose against his brother to whom it was transferred. Indeed, Esau, in the form of the nations among whom Israel`s exile dwell, lays in wait for Jacob to this day, though, due to Esau moral and ethical inferiority, he will never realize his schemes. * The Christian, however, at mention of Jacob and Esau, immediately envisions the figures of the Genesis account [portions: Toledot & Vayishlah] as they are depicted according to the Biblical narrative form of diametrical opposites. * Esau and Jacob, heroes of the biblical account, portrays two opposite sets of fundamental traits: basic simplicity and fairness against cunning, treachery and sophistication. Through a process they become in the writings of the sages, contradictory figures who scarcely resemble the Biblical heroes. * The purpose of this book is to delineate this alternative Esau figure, the one created by Aggadic literature, and to try and understand the motivations behind this weighty shift of perspective. This is the book of Esau – Father of Edom and Rome - hero of Palestinian Talmud – the Yerushalmi - and Midrashic sources in the Tannaic and Amoraic period under Roman rule.

Esau, My Brother: Father of Edom and Rome

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Rights Information

Worldwide rights available

Bibliographic Information

  • Publisher Rubin Mass
  • Publication Date November 2015
  • Orginal LanguageHebrew
  • ISBN/Identifier 9789650903336
  • Publication Country or regionIsrael
  • Primary Price 45 USD
  • Pages400
  • ReadershipGeneral
  • Publish StatusPublished
  • Dimensions17 cm / 24 cm cm
  • Illustrationnone

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