Esau and the Edomites
Nations of Esau in Ancient Times
A Brit-Am, Lost Ten Tribes of Israel, Report
To read article scroll down:
The Nations of Esau: Ancient Times
Edomite elements were later to be found amongst colored peoples but on the whole
Esau (Edom) is of Caucasian type and proud of it.
Esau was also known as Edom. He gave rise to the Edomite Nations. One of the
Edomite peoples created a small kingdom to the southeast of Judah. The region known as Edom contained only a small
portion of the Edomite people. There were
however several Edomite polities and groups of Edomites that merged with other
nations often as the military elites and aristocracy.
EDOMITES.
DUKE MAGDIEL
[Genesis 36:43] one of the early leaders of Edom was the real founder of Rome
according to tradition.
Early Rulers of Edom were to be found in Mesopotamia e.g. Saul of Rehoboth on the River (Genesis 36:31-43).
A reference is made to the daughter of Edom, " You who dwell in the land of Uz".
This according to Nachmandies meant the region later known as Armenia. It is to
be identified with the country referred to in Assyrian inscriptions as
Idamaraz meaning Edom (Idam) Land Araz (Michael Banyai).
See:
Edom to the North of Israel
Teman was one portion of Edom
Cf. The extract from "Ephraim":
TEMAN
was an ethnic group once scattered here and there throughout the Middle East.
The Temenu
had had a centre in Gozan
in northern Syria on the Khabor
River. This was also the area of the
Mitanni
of "Indo European" culture. These polities were destroyed and their inhabitants
moved elsewhere. Later the Neo Assyrians were to deport Israelites to these same
areas. At all events, the Temmenu
were to become an important element in ancient Mesopotamia and Babylon and are
assumed to have been Aramaic in language and culture. The "Tummana"
(i.e. Temeni)
were located in northern Anatolia in Hittite territory whence developed a
migration to Germany. The early founders of Rome traditionally came from
Anatolia and in the later Roman Empire the population of Rome was largely of
Syrian, Anatolian, and related Eastern origin. In the Book of
Maccabees
and History of Josephus it is related how both the Spartans of Greece and Romans
of Republican Rome established contact with the then-independent kingdom of
Judah and how both claimed to be related to the Jews through a mutual descent
from Abraham. Esau and Jacob were twin-brothers sons of Isaac son of Abraham.
One authority states that the Romans owe their origins to the
Albanes
of Latinium
in Peloponesus
(southern Greece) descendants of the
Laconian-Spartans
and Ausones
migrating to Italy where they intermixed with the
Sabines
and Ombrians.
Alexander the Great King of Macedonia and onetime conqueror of much of the then
known world claimed descent from the
Temenidae
descendants of Temenus
one time king of Argos in Greece.
The Temenidae
came to Macedon in ca.650 b.c.e.
Amongst the Thracian (modern Romania) and Anatolian (modern Turkey) peoples were
the Edoni,
and Odomants.
"Who cut the skin of the membrum
of the Odomants?"
says a passage from Aristophanes apparently referring to circumcision. The
Edons
and Odomants
are believed to have been descendants of Edom. The "Kiasos"
were a mystical dynasty of the
Edones and have a name recalling
that of Kas
or Kos
the national god of Edom. Julius
Kaesar (i.e. Caesar) gave his
family name to the Rulers of Rome. In his
honour
were retained the titles of Kaiser and Czar. Alexander the Great, Caesar, and
several of the Roman Emperors are considered by some to have been truly great
men who contributed to the advance of
civilisation.
In addition we find elements of Edom in Italy, Spain, Gaul, Britain, and elsewhere in Europe. We deal with this elsewhere.
In most cases the edomites settled as a minority though they often may have reached to leadership positions.
Descendants of Esau settled in Babylon and in some of the Phoenician Cities such as Tyre. Both Babylon and Tyre in Scripture
are associated with Edom.
According to Don Isaac Abarbanel (1437-1508) a tradition existed that many of the early Christians were Edomites.
One authority who dealt with this matter Ernest L. Martin, 1932-2002.
Martin claimed ("The People That History Forgot", 1993, USA) that most of the Edomites from Edom (southeast of Judah) and many from Tyre went to the West (Italy, etc)
where they became Christian. Martin admittedly had an agenda. He was making an historical-cultural point rather than a racial one.
His book says that Non-Israelite Samaritans (originally from Cutha in Babylon) along with other Middle Eastern peoples (such as the Edomites)
migrated en masse to western regions of the Roman Empire. They became Christian but retained something of their previous practices and influenced early Christainity with their pagan traditions
Martin belonged to a group that considered most other forms of Christianity to be paganised whereas they themselves were on the right track.
Despite his ideaological prejudices his work on this matter is of interest and worth considering.
Below is an extract:
The People That History Forgot: Martin
http://www.askelm.com/people/peo020.htm
This was only intensified at the end of the Bar Kohkba period in 135 C.E.
with the final defeat of the Jews. The area of Judaea, along with the other
areas contiguous to it, were turned into a desert type of economy. Peoples left
the areas by the droves and most went north or into the west.
For all practical purposes the nationalities of the Moabites, Ammonites and
Edomites (Idumaeans), ceased to be reckoned as distinct peoples any longer in
the Middle East. Their areas were, as we have explained earlier, reverted into a
type of desert environment and peoples from the peripheral lands (the desert
Arabs) came into these unpopulated regions. This is when the Idumaeans and other
nations around Palestine disappear from history and become a part of that group
of races who blended in with The People That History Forgot.
That does not end the matter, however, especially with the Idumaeans (or
Edomites). This is because the Jewish authorities kept up with the migrations of
their brethren the Edomites (Edom or Esau was a twin brother to Jacob and their
descendants were kin to the Jews). The Jews reckoned that many of the Edomites
migrated west, even into North Africa and Rome.
To understand this matter from the Jewish point of view, a few historical
indications have to be taken into account. It was reckoned that in early times,
even before the time of David, descendants of the Edomites (or a portion of
them) moved from their area south and east of Jerusalem into the northern
coastal towns of Sidon, and then to Tyre where they made their northern capital.
Early history shows that the original city of Tyre was formerly located on an
island just off the coast, until Alexander created a causeway to it, turning the
island into a peninsula.
The city of Tyre was colonized by a king with the name of "Erythras" (meaning
"King Red") who came from an area on the Red Sea. Indeed, even the "Red Sea"
itself which included all of what we call the Indian Ocean today (and the
Persian Gulf too) was named after this "King Erythras." This "King Red" (or in
Hebrew, "Edom") was supposed to be the first to sail rafts on the waters of the
Red Sea for trading purposes. The first references to him show him in the
Persian Gulf part of the "Red Sea." Justin Martyr, however, in his garnering of
early Tyrian historical events (Justin Martyr, Dialogues with Trypho, xviii.3)
said that the original Tyrians came to Tyre from the "Assyrian Sea" (which many
actually feel was the Dead Sea). This, indeed, was the original territory where
Edom first resided. But Edom expanded. Trading colonies were established on the
Mediterranean coast, in the Red Sea at Akaba and on the Persian Gulf. These
people were the first "Phoenicians" (the word also meaning "Red") and in Roman
times the name became "Punic."
One of the chief gods of the early Phoenicians, according to Sanchaniathon who
was the first historian to write about them, was "Ousoos," who is clearly
identified with Esau, whose other name was "Edom" ("Red"). These people were
called "Red" after their first king who was probably red-headed (not because
they had red in their complexions). They established trading colonies all along
the North African coast and in several areas of Spain. Strabo said that the
chief city of Spain called "Gades" (the Holy), or Cadiz today, was established
by the first king "Erythra" ("Red") (Geography, III.5,4). They also built the
famous Carthage that gave rise to Hannibal who gave the early Latins such
trouble. To the Jews, they reckoned that these Phoenicians (or Tyrians) were
descendants of Esau (or Edom). Rashi in his commentary on Genesis 25:23 states
that "Tyre was colonized by Esau." There is the prophetic statement by the
prophet Amos which seems to show a strong affinity between Tyre and Edom (Amos
1:9-10).
We see that in Ancient times Edom was to be found amongst several Ancient Peoples. Other sources show Edomite elements in China
(as claimed recently by an erudite Chinese scholar) and possibly also Japan.
Edom on the whole may well have had a major civilizing influence amongst many of the world populations.
We deal more with this matter in our articles on Edom amongst Israelite Nations, Esau in Europe, and Esau in Germany.
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