Perhaps even a person who has not read the Old Testament knows the names of Adam and Eve. Many have heard about the descendants of Adam, who took Eve as his wife.
Well, those who know what the names of the children of the first human couple on earth were called are suddenly faced with a question. There are three sons, the firstborn Cain killed Abel. Then Seth was born. How did the Eden couple get grandchildren? Doesn't add up!
The smart ones are silent, because who and how God created, they themselves did not have to read. But militant atheists immediately rush in with the desire to debunk the Holy Scriptures and shame the Christian Church. But in vain. It was worth reading.
Orthodoxy considers Adam and Eve the first people on earth, other teachings have their own views
We will not talk in detail about the creation of the world and the birth of Adam. The biblical story is known to everyone.
Let's talk about something else. There are different interpretations of the first chapters of Genesis. We are considering the Orthodox view here. But no religion has a monopoly on the Holy Scriptures, so everyone has the right to draw their own conclusions.
Titian "Adam and Eve"
For example, in the story of the expulsion from the Garden of Eden there is the following fragment:
Genesis 3:21
And the Lord God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
Leather clothing is interpreted by esotericists as flesh, and Adam and Eve are represented as disembodied souls. The story of the Fall itself turns not into expulsion from a certain garden, but into the transition of the soul into material nature. The literature of Hermeticism is rich in such episodes.
Also, Adam and Eve can be seen as allegorical characters who illustrate human eras or entire worlds.
Orthodoxy does not consider Adam and Eve to be allegorical characters.
Another point of view is the opinion that Adam and Eve were not the first people on earth, but an ordinary family that lived side by side with other people. Then the question of how their descendants appeared immediately disappears.
Orthodoxy does not set itself the task of entering into polemics with all these and other opinions. It only develops its creed.
Therefore, further reasoning will follow the traditional views of Orthodoxy, without taking into account alternative, non-Christian interpretations.
Other meanings of this word:
- "First Killer"
- Adam's offspring
- biblical. killer with his stamp
- Biblical a murderer with his own seal.
- biblical brother lip
- Biblical fratricide
- biblical hero “associated” with the novel “East of Eden” by Amer. writer John Steinbeck
- Biblical hero “associated” with the novel “East of Eden” by the American writer John Steinbeck
- Biblical hero, whose blood “painted” the Shammar Mountains on the Arabian Peninsula
- biblical killer with his stamp
- Abel's brother
- Brother of Abel (biblical)
- Fratricide
- fratricide (biblical)
- fratricide (myth.)
- Fratricide in the Bible
- In biblical mythology, the eldest son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother Abel
- in the Bible, the eldest son of Adam and Eve, a farmer; out of envy he killed his brother Abel, the “shepherd of the sheep”
- in the Bible - the eldest son of Adam and Eve, farmer, the first murderer on earth, who killed his brother Abel because of envy
- type of clothing among the peoples of Southeast Asia - a cloth (up to 2.5 m) wrapped around the waist, reaching the knees (mainly as work clothes) or ankles (ethnographic)
- Abel's sinful brother
- sinful son of Adam
- Drama by J. Byron (1821)
- Abel's Murderer
- the famous thief Vanka...
- Monster, criminal
- Kainka M. Brannoe is the most arrogant tomboy, a desperate head, ready for anything
- WHAT WAS THE NAME OF ABEL'S BROTHER?
- Who did Eve and Adam give birth to first?
- Criminal son of Adam
- The person who killed his brother (biblical)
- A mishmash of the word “Nika”
- He raised his hand to Abel
- Not the best son of sinners
- not the best son of sinners expelled from heaven
- One of Adam's sons
- he reduced the population by a quarter
- Marked with a seal
- Scion of Adam
- Scion of Adam (biblical)
- First victim of cruelty
- Adam's firstborn
- Firstborn in Adam's family
- Eve's firstborn
- The first mokrushnik on earth
- The first fratricide
- The first fratricide.
- The first murderer in human history
- The first farmer on earth
- First of the Adamoviches
- First born
- First with patronymic Adamovich
- First son of Adam
- First son of Adam and Eve
- The first son of man
- First killer
- first killer on earth
- The first one who was “choked by a toad”
- Biblical mythology character, son of Adam and Eve
- Traitor, criminal, murderer
- cursed son of Eve
- God-cursed son of Eve.
- Is he Abel's keeper?
- Is he Abel's keeper?
- A number of legends attribute to Samael, that is, Satan, a carnal relationship with Eve. And who was conceived as a result of this
- The origin of the word “cursed” is associated with the name of which biblical character?
- The origin of the word “cursed” is associated with the name of which biblical character?
- the very first "mokrushnik"
- The very first “mokrushnik”.
- The very first human son
- The very first killer on Earth
- The very first killer
- Ruined Abel
- Reduced the population by a quarter
- Adam's eldest son
- Eldest son of Adam and Eve
- Eldest son of Adam and Eve in biblical mythology
- Eve's eldest son
- Son of Adam
- Son of Adam (biblical)
- Son of Adam and Eve; drama by J. Byron
- Son of Eve and Adam
- The son of the evil one and Eve, the first man born on Earth. Cain is the father of Enoch and the founder of his line
- Son of Adam
- Son of Adam and Eve
- the one who killed Abel
- The Sheep Shepherd Killer
- Abel's killer
- The Killer of Abel (biblical)
- killer with a seal (biblical)
- The Assassin with the Seal (biblical).
- killer of his brother (biblical)
- Killed his brother out of envy
The first child of Adam and Eve is Cain, who killed his brother
You might think that, according to the Bible, Cain is the first child on earth. In fact, there is no basis for such conclusions. He could have been conceived in the Garden of Eden - and even born there. The Holy Scriptures do not go too far into chronology.
“Cain and Abel” (Klodt M.P.)
In the public consciousness, Cain established himself as a rather cruel, evil and unprincipled character, ready to sacrifice the life of his brother out of envy. The name of Cain has become a household name, and the image is borrowed by mass culture in the most negative variations, for example:
- His image was identified with the Eternal Jew (Ahasfer);
- He was called the first vampire.
There is also evidence from Irenaeus of Lyons about the Cainite sect - people who considered God Yahweh (God the Father) to be evil and Cain to be his victim. The Cainites are depicted in very creepy tones, but a specialist in ancient texts, Dmitry Alekseev, notes that Irenaeus of Lyons does not understand the issue and creates a broth of delusions, and the Cainite sect is a fiction.
So is Cain's vilification fair? In fact, there are two opposing views on this figure.
Version 1. Cain is an envious murderer and the first sinner on earth
He was a farmer, and then one day he decided to make a sacrifice to God:
Genesis 4:3-5
After some time, Cain brought a gift to the Lord from the fruits of the ground, and Abel also brought from the firstlings of his flock and from their fat. And the Lord looked upon Abel and his gift, but did not look upon Cain and his gift. Cain became very upset and his face fell.
Abel is Cain's younger brother. God accepts his sacrifice, for which Cain became embittered and killed his brother. God punishes Cain:
Genesis 4:13-16
And Cain said to the Lord: My punishment is more than can be endured; behold, You are now driving me from the face of the earth, and I will hide from Your presence, and I will be an exile and a wanderer on the earth; and whoever meets me will kill me. And the Lord said to him: therefore, whoever kills Cain will be avenged sevenfold. And the Lord made a sign for Cain, so that no one who met him would kill him. And Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Fernand Cormon's painting "Cain", which depicts the flight of Cain and his descendants
Version 2. Cain is a defender of the law, a compassionate and capable person.
Cain, unlike his brother, is passionate about peaceful work - farming. His occupation is bringing creativity into the world, and not the exploitation of livestock.
When the need arises to make a sacrifice to God, he brings what he has - fruits. This will not cause harm to anyone, the tree has not died, it will regenerate the fruits again.
Abel acts selfishly: in order to “curry favor” with God, he takes away the life that he did not give - he brings a killed animal to the altar.
To establish his position as a “righteous man,” he does not feel sorry for an innocent creature.
He imagines himself to be something greater, and this is pride.
According to one version, Cain was a compassionate righteous man and punished the murderer. Cain equalizes the value of any life.
He does not see the difference between an animal and a person, and therefore his brother’s act shocks him.
Actually, Abel is the first murderer on earth, and Cain only stops him, takes retribution and thus acts as a defender of the future commandment “thou shalt not kill,” and also illustrates the principle of “an eye for an eye.”
This point of view was expressed by the philosopher Yosef Albo, although the text of the Bible does not agree with it. In Scripture, God condemns the actions of Cain.
The second child of Adam and Eve left no descendants
The second of Adam's sons is Abel (Habil). Among the first people, he is the first martyr. His image is usually viewed exclusively in a positive way, considered a righteous and godly person.
“Murdered Abel”, sculpture by J. Dupre
In early Christianity there was a movement of Avelites. They believed that Abel was capable of being reborn, so that his soul came to earth from time to time.
Abel's tomb is located in the vicinity of Damascus, in the Nabi Habil Mosque. It is noted that its length is almost six meters and its width is almost two.
From this, a number of researchers conclude that Abel could have been a giant. But what the contents of the tomb look like is unknown, since local authorities do not allow it to be opened.
Abel left no descendants.
Abel's grave is located 50 km from the capital of Syria, Damascus.
Third son of Adam and Eve - Seth
For many people far from Christianity, the children of Adam and Eve end with Abel and Cain. Others, when asked how many children Adam and Eve had, answer that they were three. They remember Seth.
According to the Bible, he was born in the 130th year of Adam:
Genesis 4:25
And Adam also knew his wife, and she gave birth to a son, and called his name Seth, because, she said, God gave me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.
Apocryphal literature loves to speculate on the figure of Seth, but we will not do this. Seth became the ancestor of Noah and other prominent righteous people. How? We'll tell you everything in order.
Third child
Some time after the death of Abel and the expulsion of Cain, Adam and Eve had another Son, who was named Seth. He, like his older brother, married his sister, whose name was Azura. The first-born of this couple was a son named Enos.
According to the Bible, Adam and Eve had a third son, Seth.
It is generally accepted that the descendants of the third son of Adam led a righteous lifestyle, striving to get closer to the Lord. Noah, a righteous man marked by God, belongs to this branch of the human race. Like the progenitor Adam, Noah had three sons - Shem, Ham and Japheth. After the Great Flood, which cleansed the earth of sinful filth, Noah's family again filled the earth with people.
Lilith, Adam's first wife, is not described in any way in Orthodoxy
Another character you can’t ignore is Lilith.
If Adam is the son of God, then Lilith can well be called His daughter (this is in no way the role of Eve’s older sister, because they have different origins). She was created equal to her husband - from clay.
There is no mention of this character in the Bible. But a number of researchers point to the following verse:
Genesis 1:27
And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them.
John Collier's painting "Lilith", 1892, which depicts Adam's first wife according to non-Orthodox sources.
There is an opinion that the verse is not talking about Eve, since she was created from Adam's rib, but here someone equal to a man is described.
Lilith is an ancient character, older than Christianity and Judaism. It dates back to the times when matriarchy still reigned in the world. Her name is rooted somewhere in the lost roots of human history. However, we know about it from some sources:
- Apocrypha;
- Kabbalistic works;
- Jewish traditions;
- Esoteric treatises.
According to various legends, Lilith was punished by God and became either an evil demon or the mother of various evil spirits. According to another version, she was punished with infertility, for which Lilith is now taking revenge on humanity.
A number of sources mention Lilith as the wife or mistress of Cain. The Orthodox tradition is indifferent to this woman and does not seriously explore her role and possibility of existence.
Adam and Eve gave birth to wives for their sons
So, we know the three sons of Adam and Eve:
- Cain;
- Abel;
- Sif.
Two of them are alive and can potentially have offspring. It would be from someone. From Lilith?
But Orthodoxy ignores the legend about her. Then from monkeys, so that people on earth reproduce according to Darwin's theory? No, of course it's not. From Eve herself? It’s unlikely, there is no such thing in Scripture.
Then who did the children of Adam and Eve marry?
The Bible never stated that Adam and Eve had only three children.
Cain married a woman from the land of Nod and had offspring from her:
Genesis 4:17
And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. And he built a city; and he named the city after the name of his son: Enoch.
The Apocryphal Book of Jubilees even tells us the name of this woman:
And Cain took his sister Awan as his wife, and she bore him Enoch at the end of the fourth jubilee. And in the first year of the first week of the fifth jubilee houses were built on the earth, and Cain built a city and named it after the name of his son Enoch.
Where did Cain's wife come from? In the same book of Jubilees there is a hint:
And Adam knew his wife Eve, and she gave birth to nine more sons. And in the fifth week of this jubilee Seth took his sister Azura as his wife, and she bore him Enos in the fourth year.
So, Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters? This is where the wives of Adam's children came from!
But this is an apocryphal source. Does the Bible support this version? Yes:
Genesis 5:4–5
The days of Adam after he begat Seth were eight hundred [700] years, and he begat sons and daughters. All the days of Adam’s life were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.
We do not know who these people are, what their names are or where the descendants of Adam lived. But his long life suggests that people's health was different then, so giving birth in huge numbers may well have been a standard situation in those days.
Today, few people decide to marry someone other than their sister. At a minimum, there is a risk of degeneration of the race due to the appearance of genetic abnormalities.
There is no reason to say, but it can be assumed that ancient people existed according to different laws of nature and more steadfastly resisted such negative scenarios for the development of the body.
After all, the modern average person is unlikely to live for seven centuries.
Painting by Andrey Ivanov “Adam and Eve with children under a tree”
There are no details of the genealogy of Adam and Eve in the Holy Scriptures. Still, the Bible is not a historical book, but an edifying and instructive book. She completes her task and talks about the rest in passing.
According to the Bible, we are all descendants of Cain and Seth. Perhaps this symbolizes the evil and good principles in people, who knows. The question also remains open as to whether Cain and his offspring survived the flood.
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Other descendants of the ancestors
The Bible does not mention other children of the first people, but apocryphal texts give several versions that speak of the existence of a large number of offspring among the first people.
- The apocrypha “Life” says that after the birth of Seth, Adam and Eve had 60 more male and female children. By entering into marriage relations with each other, they populated the earth.
- Jewish researchers, interpreting the first verses of the book of Genesis, argue that, while wandering the earth after the Fall, Adam and Eve had relationships with spirits, from whom children were born who populated the earth. Perhaps it was they who inhabited the country of Nod, where Cain settled.
- Before Eve was created, Adam was married to Lilith. According to various sources, she was either a woman created from clay who rebelled against the will of the creator, or a female demon. Their descendants, who settled throughout the world, carried within them the stamp of evil, which, as a result of marital unions, was passed on to the offspring of Adam and Eve.
Interesting: some sources voice the opinion that the family of Adam and Eve was only one of the few created by the Lord. They stood out from the crowd by committing the Fall. Therefore, Cain and Abel were not limited in their choice of spouse by the boundaries of their clan.
