A hermeneutic of vulnerability: Obadiah's depiction of Israel as victim and Edom as perpetrator

Abstract

The question to be answered in this paper is why Obadiah ignored any vulnerability on Edom’s side in its depiction as perpetrator. A hermeneutic of vulnerability is based on the ethical moment explored by Levinas’ interpretation of the 6th commandment: in any meeting both parties meet each other without anything, metaphorically naked, totally vulnerable to each other. In the Major and Minor Prophets’ representation of Edom they are not portrayed as fulfilling their role of vulnerability. In fact, their actions rendered Israel most vulnerable to the point of destruction or extinction. Subsequently, Edom will suffer the same fate Israel suffered. Edom is accused of a lack of solidarity and mutuality with Judah in terms of brotherhood. Brotherhood connects to social and cultural vulnerability. But when a perpetrator would invoke vulnerability, it is constituted differently. In my mind, this entails the following: one can only invoke one’s own vulnerability when one realises and respects the vulnerability of the other. From the text of Obadiah, there is no possibility for Edom to invoke its own vulnerability, but if one takes the tradition on which the notion of brotherhood is invoked, the Jacob and Esau tradition in Genesis, such vulnerability is clearly present on Esau’s side.

This paper will first define vulnerability and a hermeneutic of vulnerability, followed by a delineation of the notion of brotherhood as depicted in the Esau narrative before proceeding to a portrayal of the vulnerability of Israel and Edom in Obadiah and the world of text production (Persian Period) in which a hardline reception of Edom would have made sense.