Kyle and Abel. Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Vorobyovy Gory

The Holy Bible describes many interesting and mysterious stories that science fiction writers seize on as plots for films and other legends. One of these events is the first fratricide on earth. Cain and Abel were the first people born on earth, the sons of Adam and Eve.

What happened: the history of the conflict

After their fall, Eve and Adam were returned to earth, and in order to survive they needed to cultivate the land, engage in animal husbandry and other labor. The family tried to live according to the commandments of God, wanting to regain the kingdom of heaven.

Over time, they had two sons, Abel and Cain, who also tried throughout their lives to please the Almighty. Abel was engaged in cattle breeding, and the eldest son grew plants.

The sons of Eve made sacrifices to the Creator, wanting to appease Him and receive His mercy, the farmer threw a bunch of fresh ears of corn into the fire, and Abel threw a lamb. The Lord saw the sincere faith of Abel, who often prayed and always lived with faith in his soul. That's why The Creator accepted the sacrifice of the younger brother, but ignored the older one.

Abel and Cain make sacrifices to the Creator

Cain lived with pride in his soul and began to envy Abel and his luck. Every day the elder brother hated his blood younger brother more and more. The Creator tried to reason with the sinner, instill in him good thoughts and love in his heart. But the anger was stronger, and the eldest son killed the youngest, bringing grief to his parents by this act. The eldest son was blind from his hatred and was sure that no one knew about his act, and in this he was wrong.

The Almighty sees everything. God asked Cain, “Where is your brother?”, to which the sinner replied: “How should I know? I am not his shepherd.” With this question, the Creator gave the sinner a chance to repent. Any murder is a sin, but shedding the blood of a brother is doubly sinful.

Apparently, the feeling of anger clouded Cain’s mind so much that it did not even occur to him that there was no place in the world where he could hide from the eyes of the all-seeing God. There were no people nearby at that terrible moment, but the Spirit of God was invisibly present.

The Creator decided to punish Eve's eldest son for this behavior:

• sent him away from his family to live in a foreign country;
• branded him with the mark of a killer so that all the people around would know who they were dealing with;
• Not for a second did Cain suffer the pangs of conscience for what he had done; he could not find peace of mind.

The killer spent the rest of his life far from his family and constantly thought about how he shed the innocent blood of his loved one. Cain continued to grow crops.

The parents of their sons were very sad and at first did not know what had happened, but the insidious devil laid out everything in detail before Eve. The woman did not know how to console herself and how to live on. From this story, the greatest grief in the world descended on humanity - the loss of a loved one.

The grief of Adam and Eve

The Creator took pity on Eve and gave her another child, who after birth was named Seth.

Important! This story is instructive for many people; no one has the right to take away the life from a person that God himself gave him! Anyone who has committed such a sin will suffer in soul for the rest of his earthly life and after it.

Cain killed his half-brother out of envy of his luck, for which he paid. The Almighty turned away from the killer and forced him to wander the planet and suffer from remorse.

Why didn't God accept Cain's gift?

This story confirms that God does not care about the sacrifice and its size; what matters to him is a person’s faith, the state of his soul, and his attitude towards his neighbors. The eldest son treated his family and the Lord inappropriately, his thoughts were only about his own benefit and success, so the Creator did not accept his sacrifice.

Why were there two brothers like this different

It’s strange that being born into the same family and having the same upbringing, the two sons were so different.

states that at birth, each soul receives free will, and a person becomes what he wants to be. In order to become a good person and lead a righteous life, you need to work on yourself every second. Anyone who is overcome by laziness slides into the abyss of sins, from which it is then difficult to climb out.

Murder of Abel

Cain was blind in soul and lazy, waiting for luck and divine recognition, without doing anything for this, without working on his thoughts and soul. Sin was waiting for him at the door, and the eldest son gladly accepted it and kindled in his soul hatred for his younger brother. Envy and anger, having committed the first atrocity in the history of mankind - fratricide.

This is a story about the second generation of people. They were the first to be born on earth and not to be created supernaturally. Their names were Cain and Abel. History has made their names household names.

Very little time has passed since the fall of Adam and Eve.. Wanting to regain lost communication with God, they lived according to the first commandments: to have dominion over animals, to cultivate the land and to bear children.

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How it all happened

The two eldest sons, Cain and Abel, became their consolation and helpers. The first was engaged in agriculture, the second preferred cattle breeding. Both brothers offered sacrifices to God from the fruits of their labor. But only the younger one’s gift was accepted. The elder, angry, lured Abel into the field and killed him there.

God called Cain and asked where his brother was. But he responded with insolence, declaring in response that he was not his brother’s keeper. But the Lord already knew about the first crime committed on earth. And His sentence was harsh: from that moment on, the murderer does not receive strength from the earth, and also becomes a wanderer and an exile. Cain considers this punishment very severe; he is afraid that for his crime, anyone he meets on his way will also kill him. But God makes a mark on the forehead of the first murderer and says that the one who killed Cain will be rewarded seven times more.

And the eldest son went far away, to the land of Nod, where God gave him a wife, from whom came the descendants of Cain.

And Adam and Eve had other children who began to call on the name of God, that is, they were pious.

Questions and answers

This simple story still raises many questions. And the most important of them:

Why did Cain kill Abel?

Really, what happened between the brothers? After all, the Bible does not say that they quarreled or had hostile relations. Even Cain and Abel had different occupations and were unlikely to communicate often. Having planned to kill his younger brother, the elder called him into the field, and he went. This means that he could not even imagine how this would turn out for him. There was no discord between the brothers.

All interpretations cite envy as the cause of the tragedy. Indeed, envy may be completely invisible outwardly, but its results are destructive for human relationships. It became the cause of many crimes, wars, and tragedies. Cain was jealous of his brother that his offering was accepted by God and was unable to cope with his feelings.

Why didn't God accept Cain's gift?

Any Bible interpreters point out that what pleases God is not the sacrifice itself made by a person, but the feeling with which a person makes it. And the gospel story about the widow who put only two small coins into the temple piggy bank is proof of this. Christ says about her that since the woman gave all her daily food, her gift is more valuable than all others. Only out of great love can you give what you really need, and it was precisely such a sacrifice, with love, that was pleasing to God. Its material expression does not matter.

Abel brought “of the firstborn” and “of their fat.” This means that he brought the best he had, and his offering was with love.

It is written about Cain that he brought “from the fruits of the earth,” without specifying the quality and quantity. Most likely, he simply separated some part without particularly choosing. This approach indicates the elder brother’s carelessness in relation to God, lack of reverence for his Creator. That's why his sacrifice was not accepted.

How the brothers determined whose sacrifice was accepted

In all Old Testament times, the main method of sacrifice was to place the gift on a stone altar and set it on fire. Traditions and interpreters report that when Abel’s sacrifice was burned, the smoke from it rose upward. Cain had smoke spreading across the ground. This is exactly how this is reflected in various pictures and engravings for this story.

What was Cain's punishment?

The punishment for the first murder was very severe:

• God cursed the first murderer
• Cain will no longer receive strength from the earth,
• will become an eternal exile.

Not receiving strength from the earth meant, that from now on agriculture will be an even more complex trade. If Adam was prescribed as punishment that he must work to obtain food, then for his son from now on this work became not only diligent, but often not entirely successful. So that the results are enough only for existence, but not for prosperity.

God makes the first murderer an eternal exile, that is, it completely deprives him of communication with his parents and himself. And this is probably even scarier. People need to communicate, share thoughts, feelings, hopes. If a person is deprived of such an opportunity, he may even go crazy from loneliness. So Cain says that his punishment is more than can be endured.

In addition, he fears that anyone he meets could kill him. But God puts a mark on his forehead and says that the killer of Cain will be avenged sevenfold. If we remember that in those days people lived for a thousand years, Cain’s punishment seems absolutely terrible. To wander the earth for a thousand years, deprived of communication with the closest people, eat poorly, endure various disasters and illnesses and not even have the opportunity to die for it all to end.

Although God, in his mercy, still gives his older brother a wife and children.

Who did Cain marry?

At the time of the events described, there are only 4 people on earth:

• Adam,
• Cain,
• Abel.

Where did Cain's wife come from? Just because Scripture doesn't mention other people doesn't mean they didn't exist. Perhaps they were created from the earth, like Adam, maybe this wife was created from the flesh of her husband, like Eve. But if God created the entire Earth, plants, animals and people, what could stop him from increasing the population both naturally and supernaturally?

How did this happen?, that the same parents had such different children: the pious, meek Abel and the envious, capable of murder, Cain? Of course, in our time we can see how children in the same family have radically different characters. But every modern person has thousands of different ancestors behind him, and no one can say with certainty whose genes will dominate in each specific person.

The first brothers had only a father and mother, who were, in fact, one flesh; therefore, they could not have different genes. Abel and Cain, too, could only take their example from their parents, who throughout their subsequent lives tried to atone for the sin they had committed, which means they were very virtuous. There was no influence of the environment, that is, the brothers could not find themselves in different environments, because there were no other people.

The Bible says God gave man free will. People live and become what they themselves want to be. Original sin distorted human nature, but if you try, it is possible to influence this process. God Himself speaks directly to the elder brother about this: “If you do not do good, then sin lies at the door. He attracts you to himself, but you dominate him.” That is, it is a matter of internal work on oneself. Abel coped with this task, but Cain did not.

The story of the conflict between Cain and Abel You can read it not only in the Bible. There are similar legends in other faiths. And there are many versions of the origin of these legends. According to one of them, the description of the first murder is a story about the relationship between the first farmers and livestock breeders, who were at enmity with each other. Everyone chooses for themselves what to read and what to believe.. But one thing is for sure: this story is very instructive and will raise many more interesting questions.

Do you think the Bible says that his Father is Adam?
If so, you've missed a crucial piece of the puzzle. I talked a little about this already: The Origin of the Chinese from Cain
It was not Adam, but the serpent who gave birth to Cain. Now look carefully
And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and said: I have acquired a man from the Lord. It’s a strange thing to say, right?
According to midrashic tradition, Cain and Abel had twin sisters whom they were to marry." http://www.answers.com/topic/cain-and-abel
In the book The Secret of the Serpent's Seed (William Branham, it was noted that before Adam knew Eve, there was a serpent ahead and from him knowledge came And then Eve gave birth
The book by the scientist The Serpent Seed - The Original Sin (Richard l. s. Gan) says that a serpent committed adultery with a woman and introduced the animal’s seed into her uterus. A very interesting and useful book http://www.propheticrevelation.net/original_sin/the_serpent_seed_3 .htm
Here's another book: Who Is The Serpent of Genesis 3? By Patrick Heron. It says that Lucifer is not described as a serpent, but as a very attractive man http://www.raptureready.com/soap/heron4.html
The Greek New Testament directly states that Cain is the son of the Serpent from the Garden of Eden
This book says the same thing as the Serpent Father of Cain Jewish legend, (Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews, Vol.1, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998, ISBN 0-8018-5890-9, p.105- 9)
Here's about dizygotic twins https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterozygous_twins Heterozygous twins are not necessarily conceived during the same sexual intercourse - the difference can be several days (this explains the different degrees of maturity of twins in some cases. Read. This has to do with birth of Cain and Abel
Interestingly, Cain's genealogy is separate from Adam's.
The genealogy of Cain is given separately, before Adam, in chapter 4. This genealogy begins with Cain, naming neither Adam nor anyone else before him. While this is not conclusive proof that Adam is not Cain's father, it should at least raise suspicions.
Abel had no children. For Adam and Eve gave birth to Seth. She said, “God gave me another offspring instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.”
Cain, who was of the evil one and killed his brother, and for what reason did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, but his brother's deeds were righteous. This was stated in John 3:12
What happened at the tree shows the outrages of the famous Vigeland Park http://www.bugaga.ru/jokes/1146713650-park-skulptur-vigelanda.html

CAIN AND ABEL, in the Bible, two brothers, sons of Adam and Eve. According to the Book of Genesis, Cain was the first murderer in history, and Abel was the first murder victim. The Hebrew name Cain is similar to the verb kana (to bring into being), used by Eve when she said, “I have brought forth man” (Gen. 4:1), as well as to the words “kain” (blacksmith) and “kana” (jealous). . The name Abel (Hebrew Hevel) may be derived from the Hebrew word hevel (breath).

The story of Cain and Abel is found in Genesis 4 and is not mentioned anywhere else in the Hebrew Bible. Abel was a cattle breeder, Cain was a farmer. Cain brought a gift to God from the fruits of the earth, while Abel sacrificed the firstborn animals of his flock. Cain, angry that God favored Abel's sacrifice, killed his brother. When God asked him, “Where is Abel your brother?” - he answered: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Genesis 4:9). God punishes Cain with a curse: “you will be an exile and a wanderer on the earth” (Gen. 4:12), but at the same time marks him with the “Seal of Cain” so that no one will kill him. Cain goes to the "land of Nod" (land of wandering), east of Eden.

Running throughout the Bible is the motif of God's preference for younger brothers, such as Jacob, Joseph or David; Abel is the first in this row. Some researchers see in the biblical story a reflection of the conflict between two ways of life, pastoral and agricultural. More significantly, however, the gifts brought by Cain and Abel are the first sacrifices mentioned in the Bible. It has therefore been suggested that this tradition reflected the belief that God was more pleased with animal offerings rather than plant offerings.

It is especially important that in this story the theme of moral responsibility, first heard in the previous story about Adam and Eve, is further developed. When Cain begins to envy his brother, God says to him: “If you do good, don’t you raise your face? and if you do not do good, then sin lies at the door; he draws you to himself, but you must rule over him” (Gen. 4:7). This is the first appearance of the word “sin” (“het”) in the Bible. Cain's sin is especially striking because it is not just murder, but fratricide.

According to rabbinic tradition, Cain repented of his sin and was subsequently accidentally killed by his descendant, the blind Lamech. If Cain in the New Testament is mentioned as an example of villainy (1 John 3:12), then Abel is mentioned as the first righteous man to suffer a violent death (Matthew 23:35), and as an example of faith (Heb 11:4). In the Christian exegetical tradition, Abel is a typos (type) of Christ. On the other hand, there is evidence that some Gnostics worshiped Cain as the enemy of Israel's Creator God, whose worship they rejected.

The Bible says that Cain married, had children, and built the first city (Gen. 4:17-24). Apparently, Cain's wife was one of his sisters (Gen. 5:4). Cain's descendants in the male line did not survive the flood, but the "Keneites", a tribe of blacksmiths and metallurgists mentioned as contemporaries of Abraham (Gen 15:19), Moses (Judg 1:16), Deborah (Judg 4:11) and Saul (1 Sam. 15:6), possibly descended from Cain. In Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf The monster Grendel is a descendant of Cain.

The man who committed the first murder in the world could not get lost in history. The name of the main sinner is engraved in the Bible and will forever remain in the hearing. True, the reason for the murder still remains a mystery. Cain was held responsible for the licentiousness and intemperance of the human race. It is impossible to imagine how much the man disappointed his own family.

The history of Cain

The first mention of the eldest son is found in the fourth chapter of the Book of Genesis, where the secret of the birth of the first people on Earth is revealed. It also briefly tells the story of the first murder and the exile of Eve's firstborn.

In the fifth chapter of the Book of Genesis, the name of the fratricidal sinner no longer appears. This attitude towards the characters of Scripture causes a lot of controversy among theologians. Word of God scholars claim that a portion of the Bible is missing that deals with the life of a sinner after the exile. There is no reliable evidence for the theory put forward.

In Judaism, Christianity and Islam, there are post-biblical traditions dedicated to the illustrious brothers, but they are all based on the Old Testament and subjectively reveal the topic of why Cain killed. Despite the significance of the figure of the fratricide for several religions, the Bible contains almost no information about the first earthly sinner.

Biography

Cain is the first man born on Earth. The eldest son of Eve (according to followers of Kabbalah and Gnosticism, the son of the angel Samael and Eve) chose agriculture as his life’s work. Cain's younger brother, Abel, took a different path and became interested in raising sheep. Both men revered God and regularly made offerings to the Almighty.

At the next sacrifice, God rejected Cain's sacrifice, but Abel's was accepted. The unequal attitude of the Almighty towards the children of Adam hurt Cain. In a fit of emotion, the first person on Earth kills his younger brother:

“And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.”

Ancient scriptures claim that Cain did not know how to commit murder. The young man remembered the act of sacrificing a sheep, which Abel performed, and also cut his brother’s throat. According to another version, during a quarrel between the brothers, crows flew into the field. One of the birds killed the other with a stone. Cain exactly repeated the behavior of the raven.

As punishment, God banished Cain to the land of Nod, a territory located east of Eden. Finally, the Lord placed a seal on Cain’s forehead, which depicted the first letter of the name of the Most High. Marked with a mark, Cain wandered the earth and met a woman who in the future became the wife of a sinner. The name of Cain's beloved is unknown. Soon the man had a son. Cain, Enoch's father, founded a city in honor of his firstborn:

“And he built a city; and he named the city after the name of his son, Enoch.”

Theologians adhere to three options for the death of Cain. The first - a man died under the rubble of his own house. The second theory is that the first murderer on Earth died during the Great Flood.

A third theory states that Cain died at the hands of his own descendant. Blind Lamech (grandson in the seventh generation) went hunting with his son. The young man pointed his father’s hand towards the horns visible from behind the tree. Lamech shot an arrow and hit Cain in the head (God gave the man not only a seal, but also horns). Realizing his mistake, Lamech killed his own son.

Cain in religion

The story of the first murder on Earth is exploited in many religions, but has different interpretations. In Christianity and Islam, the cause of Abel's death is considered to be Cain's envy. Unlike his younger brother, the man made sacrifices formally. Cain did not experience a true sense of faith and righteousness, so the Lord preferred Abel's offerings.

The Jews believe that Abel deserved death for killing an animal. The herdsman who sacrificed a sheep acted no less disgustingly than Cain. In later versions, the interpretation of Abel’s death is considered more broadly - Cain was not only a fratricide, but also a deceiver. The murder was preceded by a fight in which Abel won. Humiliated Cain asked for help, and when he received it, he killed a relative. Another theory was put forward by Rabbi E. Essas:

“They were two brothers. And this meant that the world did not belong entirely to any of them. And Cain committed murder."

In addition to the classic options, there are more extravagant versions. It is theorized that the legend of Cain and Abel demonstrates the conflict between the agricultural and pastoral rhythms of life.

Radical-minded representatives of religious movements believe that Eve was the cause of the murder. The only representative of the opposite sex was not only a mother, but also a lover of men. Therefore, the name of Cain's wife is not mentioned anywhere. Torn by feelings of jealousy, Eve's firstborn got rid of his rival.

Film adaptations

The biography of a fratricide is an intriguing basis for a film. Screenwriters prefer to exploit the biblical motif, adding their own vision of the situation.

A striking example is the series “Supernatural”. In one of the episodes, the main characters encounter a biblical character. Only Cain appears to the audience as not a bad guy at all. A man killed his brother to save his soul. Abel goes to heaven, and the older brother becomes a powerful demon. The role of the servant of Lucifer went to actor Timothy Omundson.

The creators of the series "Lucifer" have their own vision of Cain's life after the death of Abel. Having wandered the Earth for hundreds of years, the fratricide occupies the post of police lieutenant in Los Angeles. A man fights crime, making amends for his sins before the Lord. The image of the immortal policeman was embodied on the screen.

The film Noah, released in 2014, reminds the viewer of a classic interpretation of the biblical story. Before telling the legend of, the director recalls Cain, who became the founder of human vices. The role of the fratricide was played by Johannes Høikur Johannesson.

• The meaning of the name of the first person on Earth is diverse. The word "Cain" may come from the verb "kana" and mean "to produce." Or the name of the fratricide comes from the word “blacksmith”.
• The legend claims that Cain is 3 years older than Abel. The first-born took up farming at the age of 12.
• According to researchers and philosophers, Cain’s wife (if we put aside thoughts about Eve) was the man’s own sister. The names most often mentioned are Sawa and Avana.