Genesis 4 · The Lantern

And Adam lay wyth Heua ys wyfe which conceaved and bare Cain and sayd: I haue goten a ma of the LORde.

And she proceded forth and bare hys brother Abell: And Abell became a sheperde And Cain became a ploweman.

"She proceeded to give birth to his brother Abel." Since she proved to be grateful for the birth of the first child and acknowledged the former kindness, she enjoyed the good fortune of the second. Our Lord is like this, you see: when we display gratitude for previous good deeds and acknowledge the benefactor, he lavishes his gifts upon us more generously.

Cain was followed by Abel, who was killed by his brother and served as the first prophetic symbol of the City of God. He was like an alien on earth, destined to suffer cruel persecutions at the hands of the wicked men who can properly be called natives of earth because they love this world as their home and find their happiness in the worldly felicity of the earthly city.

Again, she bore his brother Abel. Abel is interpreted as grief or miserable, by which name from the earliest age was foreshadowed the condition of his lamentable untimely death.

And it fortuned in processe of tyme that Cain brought of the frute of the erth: an offerynge vnto the LORde.

(60) Why Cain after some days offers up the first-fruits of his fruits, but when it is said that "Abel offered up first-fruits of the first-born of his flock and of the fat," "after some days" is not added? (#Ge 4:3-4).

Consider how the Lord of nature added knowledge to conscience. After all, who brought this to our understanding? It was none other than knowledge associated with conscience. The text says, "He brought an offering of the fruits of the earth to the Lord." He knew and understood that he should offer from his own possessions some produce to God as to his master.

It came to pass after many days that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground: Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof.

And Abell he brought also of the fyrstlynges of hys shepe and of the fatt of them. And the LORde loked vnto Abell and to his offeynge:

It was not idly or in vain that in beginning this sermon we taught your good selves that our Lord does not recognize differences in appearance but takes account of intentions and rewards the will. Here, too, to be sure, notice this happening.

If it is true that before the Flood they did not eat flesh, why is it then written: Abel was a keeper of sheep, and brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof? If they did not eat flesh, why did they take upon them the care of sheep? And why did Abel, when he brought a lamb for sacrifice, not slay it?

Abel also offered from the firstborn of his flock and their fat. For the Lord, interceding with the Father on behalf of the saints, offers their vows to Him according to the form of the assumed humanity, that is, good works and the fat of inner love. For these are indeed the firstborn of his flock and their fat.

but vnto Cain and vnto his offrynge looked he not. And Cain was wroth exceadingly and loured.

(61) Why, when he had begun with Cain, he still mentions him here in the second place, when he says: "And God had respect unto Abel and unto his offerings; but unto Cain and unto his sacrifices he paid no attention?" (#Ge 4:5).

Cain was angry because the offering of his brother had been accepted. Cain became angry on account of the fire that had come down and distinguished between the offerings. His face became gloomy because there was laughter in the eyes of his parents and his sisters when his offering was rejected.

And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. How did Cain know that the Lord had looked favorably upon Abel and his offerings, but had turned away his face from himself and his offerings, unless, as some have interpreted, the Lord had set fire to Abel and his sacrifice, but had not set fire to Cain and his sacrifice, that is, by sending fire from the heavens, He accepted…

And the LORde sayd vnto Cain: why art thou angry and why loureste thou? Wotest thou not yf thou dost well thou shalt receave it?

God said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why is your face gloomy?" Instead of being filled with anger, you ought to be filled with distress. Instead of your face being gloomy, tears ought to be flowing from your eyes. "If you do well, I will accept it." Notice then that it was not because of the small size of Cain's offering that it was rejected.

(Verse 6.) And the Lord said to Cain: Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it. We are compelled to linger longer on each individual.

And the Lord said to him: Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do well, sin lies at the door? Why, he says, are you angry, and why are you tortured with envy of your brother, and you cast your eyes down to the ground?

But and yf thou dost evell by and by thy synne lyeth open in the dore. Not withstondyng let it be subdued vnto the ad see thou rule it.

And Cain talked wyth Abell his brother.And as soone as they were in the feldes Cain fell vppon Abell his brother and slewe hym

And ye LORde sayd vnto Cain: where is Abell thy brother? And he sayd: I can not tell am I my brothers keper?

(69) Why he who had slain his brother makes answer as if he were replying to a man; and says, "I do not know: am I my brother's keeper?" (#Ge 4:9).

The divine Scripture always cries out and speaks; hence God also says to Cain, "The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me." Blood, to be sure, has no voice, but innocent blood that has been spilled is said to cry out not by words but by its very existence. [It makes] demands of the Lord not with eloquent discourse but with anger over the crime committed.

He answered: I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper? A foolish and equally arrogant answer; foolish, since he thought he could deceive Him who knew his sinful conscience and accused him of the crime of fratricide even before it was committed, as the knower of secrets; arrogant, since he denied being his brother's keeper in the manner of an obstinate servant, who by manifestati…

And he sayd: What hast thou done? the voyce of thy brothers bloud cryeth vnto me out of the erth.

And now cursed be thou as pertaynyng to the erth which opened hyr mouth to receaue thy brothers bloud of thyne hande.

For when thou tyllest the grounde she shall heceforth not geve hyr power vnto the. A vagabunde and a rennagate shalt thou be vpon the erth.

Do you, who have but lately come to the catechesis, wish to see the loving kindness of God? Would you want to behold the loving kindness of God and the extent of his forbearance? Listen to the story of [Cain].… Cain, the firstborn man, became a fratricide, from whose wicked designings first stemmed murder and envy. Yet consider his sentence for slaying his brother.

Over Cain, who did not fear God of his own freewill, did fear rule of necessity, and he became a vagabond and a wanderer in the earth; for because he did not fear the One Who was worthy to be feared, he was filled with fears at everything which appeared unto him.

When you have worked it, it will not give you its fruits. The same people worked that land which the head of the Church Christ bore, that is, in his flesh our salvation, by crucifying him who died for our sins, and that land did not give him its fruits, because he was not justified by faith in his resurrection who rose for our justification: hence, neither did the resurrected o…

And Cain sayd vnto the LORde: my synne is greater then that it may be forgeven.

Beholde thou castest me out thys day from of the face of the erth and fro thy syghte must I hyde my selfe ad I must be wandrynge and a vagabunde vpon the erth: Morover whosoever fyndeth me wyll kyll me,

And the LORde sayd vnto hi Not so but whosoever sleyth Cain shalbe punyshed.vij. folde. And ye LORde put a marke vpo Cain that no ma yt founde hym shulde kyll hym.

Therefore as a slave he received a sign, but even thus he could not escape death. Thus the sinner is a slave to fear, to cupidity, to avarice, to lust, to malice, to anger, nay, he is a greater slave than if he were set under tyrants.

when Cain petitioned for death through horror at his fratricide, did God not give it, but rather delivered him over to a still heavier punishment, namely, to remain on the earth lamenting and trembling—an evil from which he said death would be a deliverance? God therefore said: Whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.

Christ is symbolized most of all by the murder of Abel; for Christ was killed by His brothers; and an inscription was placed among the Jews, that they be not killed, but become errant and fugitive on the earth.

And Cain went out fro the face of the LORde and dwelt in the lande Nod on the east syde of Eden.

The Scripture makes good sense: "Cain left God's presence and went to live in the land of Nod, opposite Eden." Nod means "disturbance," Eden, "the good life." The good life from which the transgressor was expelled consisted in faith, knowledge, peace. Those wise in their own eyes … are happy to transfer to the disturbance of a tossing sea.

After Cain received the punishment and the sign had been added to it … Moses said that "Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden." Cain, therefore, separated himself from his parents and his kin because he saw that they would not intermarry with him.

He dwelled in the land as a fugitive to the east of Eden. Eden is interpreted as pleasure or delight, by which name paradise is designated, about which it is said above: "And the Lord God planted a garden of pleasure from the beginning," which ancient interpreters have thus translated: "And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden to the east," from which it is understood that par…

And Cain laye wyth hys wyfe which conceaved and bare Henoch. And he was buyldinge a cyte and called the name of it after the name of hys sonne Henoch.

And Henoch begat Irad. And Irad begat Mahuiael. And Mahuiael begat Mathusael. And Mathusael begat Lamech.

And Lamech toke hym two wyves: the one was called Ada and the other Zilla.

And Ada bare Iabal of whome came they that dwell in tentes ad possesse catell.

And hys brothers name was Iubal: of hym came all that excercyse them selves on the harpe and on the organs

And Zilla she also bare Tubalcain a worker in metall and a father of all that grave in brasse and yeron. And Tubalcains syster was called Naema.

Then sayd Lamech vnto hys wyves Ada ad Zilla: heare my voyce ye wyves of Lamech and herken vnto my wordes for I haue slayne a man and wounded my selfe and haue slayn a yongman and gotte my selfe strypes:

Some, because they think that Cain was avenged for seven generations, say that Lamech was evil, because God had said, "All flesh has corrupted its path," and also because the wives of Lamech saw that the line of their generation would be cut off.

"Lamech said," the text in fact goes on, "to his wives Ada and Sella, Listen to my voice, wives of Lamech, hearken to my words: I killed a man for wounding me, and a young man for striking me. On Cain fell sevenfold vengeance, but on Lamech seventy times sevenfold." Apply your attention to the utmost.

And Lamech said to his wives Ada and Zillah: "Hear my voice, you wives of Lamech; give ear to my speech, for I have slain a man for wounding me, and a young man for bruising me." The man or young man that he mentions signifies Cain, whom the same Lamech unintentionally killed, as Jerome testifies to be written in a certain Hebrew volume.

For Cain shall be avenged sevenfolde: but Lamech seventie tymes sevenfolde.

Adam also laye with hys wyfe yet agayne and she bare a sonne ad called hys name Seth For god (sayd she) hath geven me a nother sonne For Abell whom Cain slewe.

And Seth begat a sonne and called hys name Enos. And in that tyme began men to call on the name of the LORde.

After Seth begot Enosh, Moses wrote "at that time he began to call on the name of the Lord." Because Seth had separated himself from the house of Cain, the Sethites were called by the name of the Lord, that is, the just people of the Lord.

(Verse 26) And he called his name Enos: this one hoped to invoke the name of the Lord God. Just as Adam () is interpreted as 'man': so also Enos () according to the variety of the Hebrew language is called 'man' or 'vir'.

But to Seth also was born a son, whom he called Enos. He began to invoke the name of the Lord. Enos is interpreted as Man or Vir: whence it is proper that he who has such a name begins to invoke the name of the Lord, imploring the help of the Creator all the more earnestly in his daily prayers, the more he remembers that he is made of frail nature.

Genesis4