TWO CONTRASTING PASSAGES from the period of Late Antiquity discuss the significance of Genesis 27: 15. The first is by St Jerome (c.347–420 CE), from his Hebrew Questions on Genesis, written around 392 CE:

‘And Rebecca took with her in the house the garments of Esau her elder son, which were most desirable.’ Now in respect of this verse the Hebrews have a tradition that firstborn sons performed the duty of the priests and possessed the priestly raiment, in which they were clothed as they were offering the victims to God, in the time before Aaron was chosen for the priestly office.

THE SECOND PASSAGE IS FROM MIDRASH TANḥUMA:

‘And God made tunics of skin for the man and his wife and clothed them’ [Gen. 3: 21]. What are ‘tunics of skin’? The garments of the high priesthood with which the Holy One, blessed be He, clothed them, because [Adam] was the glory of the world. Furthermore, our teachers passed on to us the tradition that before the Tabernacle was set up, the high places were permitted and sacrificial worship was attached to the rights of the firstborn. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, clothed Adam, the firstborn of the world, in the garments of high priesthood. Noah came and passed them on to Shem, Shem gave them to Abraham, Abraham gave them to Isaac, and Isaac gave them to Esau his firstborn. Esau saw that his wives were engaged in idolatry, and entrusted [the garments] to his mother. When Jacob took the rights of the firstborn from Esau, Rebecca said, ‘Since Jacob has taken the rights of the firstborn from Esau, he should wear these garments,’ as Scripture says, ‘Rebecca took the desirable clothes of Esau her elder son’ [Gen. 27: 15]. Jacob went in to his father and [Isaac] delighted in his fragrance, as Scripture says, ‘[Isaac] smelled the fragrance of his garments and blessed him’ [Gen. 27: 27].

The clear parallel between the Hebrew tradition that Jerome briefly mentions and the one recorded in the Tanḥuma passage is just one example of the phenomenon that forms the subject of this article. It is typical of Jerome's exegetical approach, especially in his later years. However, first it is appropriate to give some background both to Jerome and to modern study of the man and his works.