Murders Are People, Too

Murders Are People, Too Kari Allegretto Religion 113: Old Testament Dr. Knauth Fall 2007 person who knows of the Abrahamic in the fourth chapter of Genesis. If this is the A faiths knows of the story of the brothers case, then Cain created the job of farming. Cain and Abel. One of the reasons the fourth Abel became “a keeper of sheep” (Genesis chapter of Genesis fascinates readers is be- 4:2). While he created the post of a shepherd, cause of God’s treatment of Cain after the Abel’s job required no other acts of creation. murder of Abel. The story of Cain and Abel Cain’s job required the creating of farm land has an underlying message that murderers through plowing and the creation of vegeta- can also be creators. While one would expect tion through planting seeds. By caring for the God to heavily punish Cain and forfeit his life land, Cain raises plants from the dirt as God after he killed Abel, God continues to act the had created human life from the mud (Swen- part of a strict parental figure in Cain’s life and son 373). This creation of life appears to be a deals kindly with him, allowing him to live with connection between God and Cain. When and create a family. Cain is banished to a life of wandering from Cain is introduced in the Bible as “a the land for murdering his brother, he laments, tiller of soil” (Genesis 4:2), meaning that he “Today you have driven me from the soil, and became a farmer. This meant that Cain fol- I shall be hidden from your face” (Genesis lowed in the steps of his father, who became 4:14). Cain mourns the fact that he will be a farmer after his banishment from the Gar- separated from God, the one who was similar den of Eden. It is doubtful, though, that Cain to him. learned how to farm under Adam’s instruc- Never in the Bible does God request tion, since Adam is not mentioned by name Cain and Abel make a sacrifice to Him. The text clearly explains that Cain brought his of- ter the birth of his son, Cain builds the first city fering to God first, sacrificing fruits of his har- and names it Enoch, after his firstborn. The act vest. Abel only makes an offering after Cain of single-handedly building a city would be a makes his (Breitbart 122), and he offers to God huge accomplishment for a man of any era. the firstborns of his flock. By some sign God -re To build a city when there were no previous veals that he prefers the sacrifice presented blueprints or ideas to be worked from makes to him by Abel over the sacrifice presented by Cain’s act even more amazing. By giving Cain. The Bible never gives any indication as Cain credit for the creation of the first city, the to why Abel’s sacrifice was preferred, though Bible also makes Cain the possible creator of the scholar Julian Morgenstern argues that roads, public buildings, city walls and fortifica- Abel’s sacrifice is rewarded by God because tions, and water works. Of course, this would his job would have been more favorable to be a large number of things for a single man the nomadic, herding Israelites who told the to create, but nothing can be discredited, as story (61). However, since the Bible itself fails the Bible gives no description of Enoch. to present a reason to God’s choice, it means Through his son Enoch, Cain creates a that the reason why one sacrifice was pre- line that bears creators of many different forms ferred over the other was not as important as of livelihoods and arts (Litke 197). In the blood another message in this portion of the story. line of Cain there is Jabal, who was “… the It is considered more important to know who ancestor of those who live in tents and have sacrificed first than who gave the better sac- livestock” (Genesis 4:20). This makes Jabal the rifice, as the order of sacrifice is given in the creator of nomadic herders and the methods Bible. It was Cain who gave the first sacrifice that are used in herding. Jabal’s brother was without God’s prompting. Thus, Cain created named Jubal and he became “… the ances- the concept of making sacrifices to God. His tor of all those who play the lyre and pipe” sacrifice may not have been as good as his (Genesis 4:21). This makes Jabal creator of a brother’s, but without Cain there may never line that created music, instruments, and mu- have been the concept of religious sacrifice. sicians. Jabal and Jubal have a half-brother This would also explain the severity of Cain’s called Tubalcain, who “… made all kinds of anger after Abel’s sacrifice is rewarded by bronze and iron tools” (Genesis 4:22). This God. Cain’s jealousy would have been fu- makes Tubalcain the creator of the art of met- eled by anger that his brother gained a com- allurgy. Tubalcain can be used as the link be- pliment from God for doing something that he tween Cain and the closely named tribe of had created. Kenites, who were a group of wandering met- After banishment to the land east of al smiths in the ancient near East (Hess 807). Eden, Cain continues to create. He eventually Names in the Bible often have signifi- comes to the land of Nod and finds a woman cance, and Cain’s name is no exception. In who becomes his wife. She bears him a son, Hebrew the name can be interpreted to mean whom he names Enoch. Since Cain’s wife is “spear” (Von Rad 99). This name links him never named, the focus is on Cain when it once again to the wandering tribe of smiths, comes to the idea of creating this child. Af- the Kenites (Hess 807). Those two names also Schemata | Spring 2010 sound similar if the vowels that were given to but instead of implementing the “eye for an them in modern time are removed as they eye” concept familiar to later parts of the Old would have been in ancient Hebrew. Spears Testament, God makes the land unyielding to create as well. As weapons, spears lead to any of Cain’s attempts of cultivation. the creation of warfare. Warfare creates new- The most important thing that Cain cre- er and more advanced weapons. With newly ated was created unintentionally. After his created weapons, new forms of warfare are brother’s murder, God comes to Cain and created. To counteract this, even newer and asks where Abel is. Cain responds with the more advanced weaponry is created. This cy- now legendary line, “I do not know, am I my cle of lethal creation has continued into our brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). God does modern world. Though it is an abstract inter- not give this question a direct answer, but pretation, it is one that cannot be dismissed. responds with a much more emotional an- Lines in Genesis 4 seem to contradict swer by crying out that Abel’s innocent blood the underlying message of Cain being a cre- called out to him from the ground of the field. ator. After all, the plot revolves around the fact Such an answer reveals that Cain was much that Cain killed his brother. The Bible leaves no more than the keeper of his brother. He had doubt to this, as it clearly states, “And when been the keeper of another human being. He they were in the field, Cain rose up against would have been Abel’s keeper even if they his brother Abel, and killed him” (Genesis 4:8). had not been related. He was supposed to There is no ambiguity in the statement; the two feel joy for the other’s triumphs, sadness for the brothers had gone out into the field and Cain other’s defeats. He was expected to protect killed Abel. To kill is to destroy, and destruction his fellow man from danger. He had not been is the complete opposite of creation. What expected to do all of this because Abel was this argument does not address is that prior to his brother; rather, he was expected to do all Abel’s death there had been no murder. Out of this because Abel was another human be- in the field, Cain committed the first murder ing. Hicks’ theory that Abel represents all hu- (Wiesel 21). In this action Cain created not just man beings (4) solidifies the idea that each murder, but fratricide (Sarna 340). person is a keeper for mankind. Another seeming contradiction to the God does not answer Cain’s question message that Cain is a creator is that the land directly because of the complexity of the duty will no longer bear fruit for him after his broth- being presented. To directly confirm that Cain er’s death, as Abel’s blood soils the land. Due was his brother’s keeper would be permitting to this, God condemns Cain to the life of a cruelty between those who were not relat- drifter. But, if it were not for his time as a wan- ed by blood. By decrying the deed that has derer, Cain would never had built Enoch, the been done instead of answering Cain’s ques- first city, nor would he have met his wife, who tion, God reveals that Cain had never been bore him his son similarly named Enoch, whose the keeper of his brother, but he had been line created the crafts of the musicians, metal put in the position of a keeper of a human be- smiths, and nomadic herders (Litke 197).

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