INTRODUCTION

A story of firsts

The story of Cain and Abel is a story of firsts. Readers of the Bible are accustomed to hearing that the first ever recorded murder happened in Genesis 4. But that notorious act was only one among a number of “firsts” in biblical history that are located in Genesis 4. The declaration in 4:1 that “Adam knew Eve” is the first act of sexual intercourse in the Bible. Eve’s subsequent pregnancy and bearing of two sons repre- sents the first time that human beings appear on the earth devoid of a creative act by God. In Gen 3:17 Adam’s role as farmer is thrust upon him by God as part of the cursing of the earth, whereas the mention of Cain and Abel’s activities as farmer and shepherd is the first time that human beings chose their occupation (4:2). The account of the brothers’ sacrifice is the earliest presentation of deity worship in the Bible. It is also the first ever account of God rejecting a worshipper’s offering. While Adam and Eve both clearly disobeyed God by par- taking of the forbidden fruit, their act is never labeled as “sin.” The first appearance of the word “sin” is in Gen 4:7 when God imparts a warning to Cain. Genesis 4 is also the first time a human being dies. In spite of the fact that God forbid Adam to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and warned him that “in that day you eat of it you shall die,” he lives to the ripe age of 930 (Gen 2:17; 5:5). The first person to die is Abel at the hands of his brother, which is also the first time that blood is mentioned in the Bible (4:10–11). Strangely, the first murder is accompanied by the first promise of divine protec- tion that allows the murderer to go off, raise a family and build the first recorded city (4:15–17). Among other notable firsts that appear in this chapter are: a genealogy, bigamy, vendettas, exile, and the appear- ance of music and metallurgy. The Cain and Abel story provides the genesis for a number of biblical topics. On the other hand, the story generates more questions than answers. The initial, perhaps most puzzling question is: Why did God reject Cain’s sacrifice? What was it about Abel’s offering that pleased God more than that of Cain? Following upon that question would be the mystery of why Cain killed Abel. While commentators ancient and 2 introduction modern suggest that it was because Cain was jealous of Abel, the Bible provides no more a specific reason for the murder than it does for what makes Abel’s sacrifice better than Cain’s. The Bible simply is silent on both of those topics. Even when details are provided, they often raise questions rather than provide answers. For instance, why should the first murderer receive divine protection and be allowed to marry, raise a family and initiate a monumental building project? How, in light of the crime, is this justice for murdered Abel? Even more significantly, what does this say about God and the way that the affairs of the world are handled by the divine? The more one digs into these questions the more theological dilem- mas appear to bedevil the interpreter. Moreover, these are questions that are formulated by a mere cursory reading of the text. A critical analysis of the story, with the aid of the original languages, reveals a host of problems. Gaps in details, unusual terminology, and tortured syntax add to the confusing mix one encounters when trying to read, let alone interpret and understand, this story. One would think that such an important story detailing the origins of so many things from sex to city planning would have been put together rather more carefully.

How ancient exegetes interpreted the Bible

We would be presumptuous, of course, to assume that modern inter- preters are the first to notice the difficulties latent in the story. In fact, the questions raised above have been with translators and interpret- ers from the beginning. If anything, they were more familiar with the interpretive challenges presented by Genesis 4 than most modern students of the Bible usually appreciate. Generally speaking, modern readers of the Bible are not aware of the numerous attempts to answer these and other questions. Sometimes the answers that are so read- ily accepted in the modern age are not appreciated for their antiq- uity. For instance, the oft-repeated explanation that Cain’s wife was his sister has been part of the interpretive history of Genesis 4 for at least 1800 years. The result of these types of encounters between the story and interpreters is a set of well-documented traditions that attempt to answer questions generated by the story and not answered by the author. The very nature of the story, indeed of the whole Bible, requires that every encounter be an act of reading that includes, at the same time, the process of interpretation.