Origin of Edom, Babylon, and Rome, or Christianity

By Warder Cresson (Michael Boaz Israel ben Abraham)

God has declared that he has "magnified his Word above all his name." (Ps. 138:2.) How very careful then should we be to give diligent heed to his Written Word.

It is, therefore, of the utmost importance that we become acquainted with the Genealogy of the Gentiles, who are Esau, or Edom, for God has declared "that every one of the Mount (or House) of Esau may, or shall, be cut off by slaughter," (see Obad. 9 v.,) and that "there shall not be any remaining of the House of Esau,* for the Lord has spoken it." Verse 18th.

* God confirms this and says "Amalek was first of the nations , (Amalek was son of Eliphaz, and grandson to Edom or Esau, see Gen. 36:9 and 12,) but his latter end shall be that he perish forever," (Num. 24:20,) and this corresponds with Obadiah and all the rest of the Prophets.

If these words of God be true--we cannot, and should not, spare any pains, however great, in order to ascertain who Esau, or Edom, is. See Gen. 27:30 and 36.

The Spirit of God identifies Edom with Babylon. (See Ps. 137:7 and 8.) "Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom, in the day of Jerusalem, who said Raze it, raze it," (i.e. make bare or destroy the Temple, as Edom did under the Romans,) "even to the foundation thereof." "O daughter of Babylon," &c. Here we see, without any possibility of mistake, that Edom is Babylon , and all sacred and profane history confirms it. Chaldea, or Babylon, was established by Assyria. Isaiah 23:13, says, "Behold the land of the Chaldeans, this people was not till the Assyrian founded it for them. The capital of Chaldea was Babylon. The Assyrian empire embraced the country on both sides of the Tigris. Babel, or Babylon, was founded by Nimrod, (see Gen. x. 10,) about A. M. 3416. The Assyrians descended from Taurus, and Caucasus conquered and destroyed Jerusalem, together with Syria; and these, with Phoenicia, became the Roman Empire, and was called Chaldea; as it was in the time of Jesus under Tiberius Caesar. (See Luke 3:1.) From the East the Chaldeans, or Romans, peopled all the west; first Italy, Rome, France, Germany, England and America. Rome was founded by Romulus, 750 B. C. After Jesus 325, Christianity became the established religion, under Constantine;* hence Babylon, Rome, Edom, and Christianity are synonymous.

* RELIGION OF MONARCHIES--"We may well say that despotism cannot be sustained without an established religion, an union of Church and State. A government tolerating freedom of opinion in religion, must tolerate freedom of opinion in politics; for as religion comprehends duties to society as well as to God, and as rights and duties in society are correlative, freedom in religion necessarily leads to freedom in everything else. All great despots have understood this, and have, therefore, always endeavored to surround themselves with an "odor of sanctity," by courting a connection between religion and politics. For this purpose Constantine the Great professed Christianity, made it the religion of the Roman Empire; and, to counteract its free tendencies, he corrupted it with the old State religion, that Heathen Mythology in which he had been educated. He, therefore, converted the Pantheon into a Church, gave to all its statues of gods and demigods and goddesses the nicknames of he and she saints, stuck up an old statue of Jupiter as an image of St. Peter, and changed all the fast and feast days of the gods in the Calendar to Saints' Days. Diana became the Virgin Mary, Venus, Mary Magdalene, and Minerva, so handy with her needle, was metamorphosed into Saint Dorcas, the patroness of sewing societies. Thus Christianity, which is purely spiritual, (they say,) which tolerates no idolatry, which places no human intermediaries (except Jesus) between God and man, was defiled with the grossness of the very superstitions which it was sent to dispel, to enable a crafty politician to stupefy mankind for the purpose of governing them absolutely."

History informs us that "Edom was conquered by Albianus, King of Chittim, and Edom became under the children of Chittim* from that day;" and this is the reason the Prophet Isaiah speaks, in his 23rd  chapter, connectively of Edom and Chittim as one and the same place and people. (See verses 1st, 12th and 13th, and compare these with Jer. ii. 10.)†

* This explains where "the ships of Chittim shall come from," (Rome or the Roman Empire,) mentioned in Numbers 24:24.

† Kedar, a descendant of Ishmael. See Gen. 25:13.

So Rome, Edom, and Christianity became, and are, synonymous with Babylon, and therefore is called mystical Babylon;* not only because she had her rise from them, but because of her great Confusion of Tongues as took place in Babel or Babylon, which is confusion, and also from her many sects and divisions springing from that cause. We know too, and are certain that all Protestants first separated themselves and CAME OUT FROM ROME, or the Roman Catholics, in the 16th century, at the Reformation, (so called by Martin Luther.) So by this we see Protestants are of the seed of Rome, and Rome is of the seed of Kittim, or Chittim. See Gen. x. 1-4, and the Book of Jasher, 90 c. 8 v.

* All Protestants declare that Mystical Babylon is Rome.

The Great Wise Men and Rabbis Kimchi, Ibn-Ezra, and Maimonides, and Abarbanel, all unite with the foregoing Scripture testimony in saying, that all the Gentile Christians are the seed, or children, of Esau, or Edom, and that "the prophets did not only prophecy against the land of Edom, which is in the neighborhood of the land of Israel, but against the seed of Rome, or Edom, which is of the root, or rather children of Kittim, or Chittim."

Kimchi says, in his commentary on Joel 3:19, "Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for their violence against the children of Judah."

"The prophet mentions Egypt and Edom; Egypt on account of the Turks, and Edom on account of the Roman Empire; and these two have now had the dominion for a long time, and will continue until the redemption. This is the fourth Beast in the vision of Daniel. And this is said because the majority is composed of Edomites. For although many other nations are mixed among them, as is also the case with the Turkish Empire, they are called from their root," or origin. Kimchi wrote in the 12th century, and therefore includes the Greek empire, because the government of Constantinople was long before overturned.

Ibn Ezra says, "Rome, which led us away captive, is of the seed of Kittim; and so the Targumist has said, in Num. 24:24. 'And ships shall come from the coast of Kittim.' And this is the same as the Greek monarchy, as I have explained in the Book of Daniel, and there were very few who believed on the man of whom they made a God. But when Rome believed, in the days of Constantine, who changed the whole religion, and put an Image of that man upon his standard, there were none in the world who observed the New Law, except a few Edomites, therefore Rome is called the Kingdom of Edom." See his comment on Gen. 20.

Abarbanel says, "From this you may learn that the prophet (Obadiah) did not prophecy only against the land of Edom, which is in the neighborhood of the land of Israel, but also against the people which branches off from thence, and is spread through the whole world, and is the people of the Christians in this our day, for they are the children of Edom."* Abarbanel's comment on Obadiah.

* And this is the reason, "as the literal Babylon is destroyed, and is no more, that Edom, or Christianity, is called the "Mystical Babylon."

The great Maimonides gives a like testimony. "The Edomites are Idolaters, and Sunday,* the first day of the week, is the day of their festival, therefore it is forbidden to have commerce with them in the land of Israel, on that day."

* "The solar is the true year, whether it begins at either solstice or either equinox; and a beginning at the winter solstice is the most natural commencement. In the Northern hemisphere, the SUN reaches the lowest point on the meridian upon the 22d of December: after remaining stationary for three days, it begins to rise on the 25th December, Christmas, a day celebrated by the ancients as the BIRTH-DAY OF THE SUN. From this point it begins to rise till it reaches the summer solstice in June. Hence this rising of a NEW SUN at the natural commencement of a new year, and hence the 25th of December should be New Year's Day," and their 8th Day should always be called SUN-day and never Sabbath.

"It is not necessary to say that the first day is everywhere unlawful." Hilchoth Akkum, c. ix. 4. Now if we will refer to the map in Samuel Baxter's English version of the Polyglot Bible, in tracing Edom or Rome in the 10th chap. of Gen. 2d. to 5th verse, we can there see that he traces Austria and also Italy to Kittim, and consequently Rome, (as Rome is the capital of Italy,) as I have done. It is self-evident to any person who will consult the above-mentioned chapter, viz., the 10th of Genesis, that the Five Powers, Russia, France, England, Austria and Prussia, constitute the Fourth Kingdom of Daniel, (Rome,) as is asserted by Kimchi and the rest of the Wise Men of Israel; and as we see is the case by comparing the 38th and 39th chapters of Ezekiel with the last-mentioned chapter of Genesis. Ezekiel mentions in his 38. c. and 2d. v., "Gog, the land of Magog, Meshech and Tubal," and in his 5th verse, "Persia, Ethiopia and Libya," i.e. Phut. Now refer again to the 10th c. of Gen. 2d. v.; there we find the descendants of Japheth (from whence "are the isles of the Gentiles, 5th v.,") were "Gomer, Magog, Tubal, Meshech," and from "Ham, Cush, Mitzrayim," or Egypt, or Ethiopia; we also find from the 6th verse that "Libya," or Phut, are descendants of Ham. Why Persia is included in the confederacy* that is to come against Israel, in these last days, I cannot say; for they are the descendants of Shem--but Russia, France, England, Austria, Prussia and Turkey, are descendants of Gog, Magog, Tubal, Meshech, Ethiopia, and Libya, or Phut, as the Word of God asserts, and as Samuel Baxter has traced them in his map in the Polyglot Bible, and compose the great army of Gog and Magog of Ezekiel, and the 4th Kingdom of Daniel: and the representatives of these Five Gentile Powers, are now all located at Constantinople; and what is most remarkable, they are all holding the Holy Land as a "balance of Power;" and the Prophet Ezekiel declares that they shall "all come against Israel in the last day." (See Ez. 38.; and Ps. 83.) So that any time the Great God sees fit, He can, by his Providence, let the Four Angels loose in the Great river Euphrates, which is acknowledged to symbolize the Turkish empire, and in whose hands both his Land and People are still held captive.

* Psa. 83:4 and 5.

Dr. McCaul asserts, that "as far as authentic history will carry us, the descendants of the Edomites are to be sought for rather amongst the Jews themselves than amongst any other people; for the last that we read of the Edomites is that they were subdued by John Hyrcanus, and converted to Judaism, at the point of the sword."* But is it not perfectly ridiculous for the Gentile Christians to deceive themselves, and thus try to evade the punishment declared against them in the "Day of the Lord," (see Obad. 15. and Joel 3:2-6 and 19th,) and mentioned by nearly all the Prophets? Let such as wish to be undeceived ask themselves candidly this question, viz.:

* Joist's Geschichte, Vol. i. 70 and 153.

How can all the Judgments declared by the Word of God come upon Edom, in the "Last Days" or in the "Great Day of the Lord," if there is NO EDOM IN EXISTENCE?"

Englishmen are descendants from the British Isles, and have tried to evade God's Judgments declared upon Rome and her 10 Horns, or Kingdoms, (see Dan. 7:20 to 27,) by denying that England is one of the "10 Toes,"* or "Horns," of the Roman Beast, or Fourth Kingdom of Daniel. Let such hear what her own Latin Poets or Geographers say, "Ultimos Orbis Britannos; penitus toto dividos orbe Britannos," &c. &c. Besides, all agree that the Geography of the Bible extended no further than the Roman empire, which is confirmed by the testimony of the Christians themselves, "That a decree went forth from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. See Luke 2:1.

* See Dan. ii. 35 and 40.

N.B. English, and afterwards American Christian, first came to this country from England. They first settled in Plymouth, New England, after their cruel and bloody war about the Prelacy, or the government of the Church under Bishops, and not Priests. The above quotation proves England to be one of the "10 Horns of the Beast" of Rome. Is this not their own testimony? Will they reject their own testimony? Do they not testify, in Rev. 17:5, that Rome is "Mystery Babylon?"* and we cannot confine it to the Roman Church, as all Protestants do, saying that she is exclusively "Mystery Babylon," for the same chapter and same verse declares that she is the "Mother of Harlots." Who then are her "Harlot" daughters if she be the Mother? Most assuredly the whole of Christendom, as all Ecclesiastical History declares, from the Church of England down to her last illegitimate offspring, or daughter.

* "As Babylon the Great, (Rev. 17:5,) was the chief of all Idolatrous cities, she is taken as a fit emblem of the enormous guilt and extensive influence of Idolatrous and Papal Rome, EACH IN ITS TURN BEING the "MOTHER OF HARLOTS and of the abominations of the earth:" the former corrupting the heathen world with her fornications: and THE LATTER THE CHRISTIAN." Here is thine own sentence, O Edom, passed upon thyself, that thou art a corruption and a corrupted HARLOT DAUGHTER from PAPAL ROME. So the "Union Bible Dictionary" under "Babylon the Great," page 87; Daniel's "Great Image," ii. 31 to 36, is but a Representation, or Picture, of Pagan and Papal Rome, under the "Head of Gold," or Babylon:--"his Breast and his Arms of Silver," or Persia--"his Belly and his Thighs of Brass," or Grecia--"his Legs of Iron and his Feet part of Iron (Roman) and part of Clay." (Republican,) and thank the God of Heaven, she is now in the DIVIDED form of the "Feet and Toes" of the Roman and Republican. Thus we see that "Babylon the Great" was the mother of all Idolatrous cities and their CORRUPTER.
So is Mystery "Babylon" Edom or Rome, the MOTHER OF HARLOTS," or of all her daughters, or Christian Churches, and is their CORRUPTER.

Martin Luther Protested and came out from the Church of Rome in the beginning of the 16th century, and if she did not possess the "unbroken succession and authority" down from the Apostolic church, the Church of England is without it, because it is the only source from whence that church sprung, and therefore could only derive the "unbroken succession and authority" from that source. PROTESTANTS must first have had something to Protest against and come out of.

If the Church of Rome is the only church against which the Protestants CAME OUT FROM and PROTESTED against, she must have been then the first church, and therefore must have first possessed the "UNBROKEN SUCCESSION AND AUTHORITY" from the Apostles, as is declared in Matthew 18:18, "Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye (the church, see the preceding verse) bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven."

And now most assuredly the Church of Rome never "loosed Martin Luther on earth" to set up the Church of England a separate Church, to lay claim to the "Unbroken succession and authority" of the Church of Rome, and call her all the bad names they can think of, as Old "Whore of Babylon," and Protest against her as the "Mother of Harlots," while she is the very oldest daughter, without we count the Lutheran Church, which only differed from her in a very few non-essential points.

What would we think of a company of wise master-builders, having the "unbroken authority" from heaven to build up the house of God at one end, while others were laying claim to the same "unbroken authority" to pull it down at the other!

As to the Church of England trying to go away round "to the Apostle Thomas in England," and thus try to exclude the Church of Rome, it is all sophistry and falsehood, because her very "Four Apostolic Fathers,* St. Clement, St. Polycarp, St. Ignatius, and St. Barnabas," who are her Guide-Posts, by which means she has to pass through the Fathers of the Church of Rome, both preceding and succeeding her four Fathers, before ever she can even reach any of the Apostles, either "Peter," "Thomas," "James," or "John," is DUST ONLY THROWN IN THE EYES so that she may succeed in covering her "inexpiable sin of schism." The fact is that the Church of Rome was first guilty of the "inexpiable sin of schism, in separating herself from the first only true Church of God, which was the Jewish Church, and then in about 1525 years afterward the Lutheran Church and the Church of England repaid her in her own coin.†

* See the "Apostolic Fathers of the Episcopal Church, translated and published by the most Reverend Father in God, William, late Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, from the Seventh London Edition."

† She FIRST ROBBED the Jewish Church, A.M. 4001, and then the Church of England ROBBED her 1525 years afterwards, and now the Democracy is trying to rob her.

The Divine Attributes, or Perfections, cannot be personified, or made personal, without idolatry. It was the personification of the Divine perfections, attributes, powers, or virtues, which laid the foundation, and upon which was built the whole system of the heathen mythology, or worship of the "fabulous deities," or "false gods." Thus we see, that all heathen or pagan Rome, (of which Christian Rome, or Daniel's "four (gentile) beasts" or kingdoms were but the great image . (see Dan. 2:31, 44, and 7:17,) and were set up and established upon the great error of dividing the Divine unity into separate and distinct gods, or attributes, perfections or virtues, personified or made substantive.* This we can see clearly and distinctly from Saturn,† Vesta, Jupiter, Mercury, Diana of Ephesus, down to the statue of the Virgin Mary, which succeeded Diana, and then came Jesus Christ, of whom they made a god, as they had done of all the rest of their extraordinary men, under the heathen mythology, whom they declared were all begotten, and sons, (as they declared he was,) by some of their gods having cohabitation with women.

* Substantive--to attach substance to principles.

† And this we can see by the Christians' Sunday, or Baal Samen, Lord of Heaven; so, with the names of their months, days, and nearly all their festivals, still bearing the names of their false gods, or tutelar deities.

The Virgin Mary was said to be the first of the "vestal virgins," and was the Divine purity personified, or made personal; Jesus, her son, was the Divine light* personified or made personal; Sophia, the Divine wisdom, made personal; the Spirit of God was even made a God, and called "God the Holy Ghost;" and this they made substantive, and even made it into the likeness and "bodily shape of a dove," (Luke 3:22;) and so up to their first and chief gods and idols. Rome, Pagan, had gods for every imaginary thing or virtue, as Christian Rome had canonized saints for every imaginable thing or virtue. Thus their forms, or rites and ceremonies, were more easily introduced, as Mosheim says, "That the leaders imagined that the nations would the more readily receive Christianity when they saw the rites and ceremonies to which they (the heathens) had been accustomed established in the churches, (i.e. Christian churches,) and the same worship paid to Jesus and his martyrs (saints) which they had formerly offered to their idol deities; hence it happened that in those times the religion of the Greeks and Romans differed but little in its external appearance from that of Christians." (Vol. i. B. i., p. 2, chap. 4.) But we can yet clearly see in Christian Rome the exact image of Pagan Rome, although she has almost, and soon will, become Infidel Rome, as the inevitable consequence of her having divided the Divine UNITY into her many false gods and deities. Indeed, it must be the result of her attempting to make the Divine perfections personal; for as soon as we make a pure spirit, bodily or corporeal, we come in direct contradiction to the schoolman's thesis or axiom, "That God is without body, parts, or passions.