I remember hearing Norman Lear say Edith acted like Jesus:
“We always thought Edith would react to things exactly the way Jesus would,” Lear said. “She’s somebody who swallowed the Sermon on the Mount and lived it. And that was always our guideline for Edith."
http://www.afajournal.org/1991/0491AFAJ.pdf
I was too young to understand the show when it was on, but in reruns, I'm amazed at how topical it still is. All credit to Jean for making Edith such a wonderful woman.