Don't Know Much About the Bible - Kenneth C. Davis [29]
Scholars who approach the Bible from a “feminist” viewpoint suggest that Lilith was actually created before Eve, but male authors then introduced Eve as her opposite. In their view, Eve was more acceptable as the docile and dependent woman, a kind of biblical Betty Crocker. These feminist readings celebrate Lilith as headstrong, self-reliant, even sexually aggressive—a biblical version of rock and roll’s Madonna. That is totally at odds with how women were viewed in the male-dominated society of the ancient Near East. In any case, if you stick to Genesis, there was no Lilith and Adam never had to choose between Betty Crocker and Madonna.
BIBLICAL VOICES
“Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:9)
PLOT SUMMARY: CAIN AND ABEL
Cain and Abel are Adam and Eve’s sons. Cain, the firstborn, whose name possibly meant “smith,” was a farmer. Abel (“emptiness”) was the first shepherd. Both bring offerings to God, but God rejects Cain’s offering of grain without explanation, preferring Abel’s, which was the firstborn of his flock. Angry that God rejects his offering, Cain decides to take it out on Abel and kills his brother. God discovers this act when he asks Cain where Abel is, and the famous “brother’s keeper” reply is given. God curses Cain by making him a wanderer, the Original Fugitive, and marks him with an unspecified sign. This so-called “Mark of Cain” is actually a protective sign from God that will prevent anyone from murdering Cain, who heads off to the Land of Nod, “East of Eden.” It is not precisely clear why God gives the murderer this mark of divine protection. Perhaps God wants to reserve judgment on Cain for himself. After Cain leaves, Adam and Eve give birth to a third son, Seth.
Where did Cain’s wife come from?
So we have Adam, Eve, and their sons, Cain and Abel. The story of Cain and Abel introduces many of the themes that will recur throughout Genesis and the Hebrew scriptures. Of course, it marks the first murder. But there is also the first appearance of sibling rivalry, and the enmity between brothers will be replayed throughout Genesis. The two characters also symbolically represent the farmer (Cain) and the nomadic herder (Abel). Tension between these groups was common throughout ancient times, so the story stands as a mythical explanation for the conflict between these two ancient callings—the true “oldest professions.”
The most interesting, and misinterpreted, aspects of Cain and Abel’s tale come after God discovers the crime. First the Lord asks Cain what happened, and Cain plays dumb. But God poignantly tells him, “Your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground.” God then sentences Cain to wander the earth and tells him that the ground will no longer yield to him. But Cain begs for mercy and, in fear, thinks that someone will kill him. God marks him, perhaps with a birthmark or tattoo of some kind. Widely viewed and long misunderstood as a sign of guilt, the so-called “Mark of Cain” is actually a symbol of divine mercy. Opponents of the death penalty point to this first murder, and God’s merciful sentence on the murderer, as a biblical rejection of capital punishment. For his crime, Cain basically receives a life sentence of hard labor.
But Cain’s request for mercy raises another question: Who was he afraid of, since nobody else existed? Which raises a related question: Cain goes off to the land of Nod—which means “wandering”—and finds an unnamed wife. Where did she come from? The Scriptures contain no explanation for Cain’s wife or the people Cain fears might murder him. One simplistic rationale—unsupported by the text—is that God kept creating more people after Adam and Eve. Another is that Adam and Eve had more children and they all were able to intermarry, as incest was not yet deemed out-of-bounds. This inconsistency is only one of many blows to the “literal” interpretation of the Bible. This is the chief argument for viewing the Genesis account as a mythical folktale tracing the primeval beginnings of humanity, steeped