Legends of Old Testament characters, from the Talmud and other sources — John Shaqi
Legends of Old Testament characters, from the Talmud and other sourcesBaring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Religion
Legends of Old Testament characters, from the Talmud and other sources
Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)
Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends
Abel’s offering, say certain Rabbis, was not perfect; for he offered the
chief part to God, but the remainder he dedicated to the Devil, and Cain
offered the chief part to Satan, and only the remainder to God.[120]
The Rabbi Johanan said, Cain exclaimed when accused by God of the
murder, “My iniquity is greater than I can bear,” and this is supposed
to mean, “My iniquity is too great to be atoned for, except by my
brother rising from the earth and slaying me.” What did the Holy One
then? He took one letter of the twenty-two which are in the Law, and He
wrote it on the arm of Cain, as it is written, “He put a mark upon
him.”[121]
After Abel was slain, the dog which had kept his sheep guarded his body,
says the Midrash. Adam and Eve sat beside it and wept, and knew not what
to do. Then said a raven whose friend was dead, “I will teach Adam a
lesson,” and he dug a hole in the soil and laid his friend there and
covered him up. And when Adam saw this, he said to Eve, “We will do the
same with Abel.” God rewarded the raven for this by promising that none
should ever injure his young, that he should always have meat in
abundance, and that his prayer for rain should be immediately
answered.[122]
But the Rabbi Johanan taught that Cain buried his brother to hide what
he had done from the eye of God, not knowing that God can see even the
most secret things.[123]
According to some Rabbis, all good souls are derived from Abel and all
bad souls from Cain. Cain’s soul was derived from Satan, his body alone
was from Eve; for the Evil Spirit Sammael, according to some, Satan,
according to others, deceived Eve, and thus Cain was the son of the Evil
One.[124] All the children of Cain also became demons of darkness and
nightmares, and therefore it is, say the Cabbalists, that there is no
mention in Genesis of the death of any of Cain’s offspring.[125]
When Cain had slain his brother, we are told in Scripture that he fled.
Certain Rabbis give the reason:—He feared lest Satan should kill him:
now Satan has no power over any one whose face he does not see, thus he
had none over Lot’s wife till she turned her face towards Sodom, and he
could see it; and Cain fled, to keep his face from being seen by the
Evil One, and thus give him an opportunity of taking his life.[126]
With regard to the mark put upon Cain, there is great diverging of
opinion. Some say that his tongue turned white; others, that he was
given a peculiar dress; others, that his face became black; but the most
prevalent opinion is that he became covered with hair, and a horn grew
in the midst of his forehead.
The Little Genesis says, Cain was born when Adam was aged seventy, and
Abel when he was seventy-seven.
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