And Cain married...

[Orthodox_Servant86]

Glory to Jesus Christ, Logos incarnate!

I would like to ask everyone here a question regarding this section of the sacred scriptures, that is, in Genesis 4, after having killed Abel and being told to leave eastward into Nod, where did he find a wife, and also, how did humanity grow from this? I understand that it may not be very patristic to interpret scriptures in such a literal manner, though I would like to ask for all those who do take the beginning of the bible in a literal fashion the questions mentioned before.

Is it at all possible that it may be a reference to the different species of human that were in existence, that is, neanderthal or homo erectus, and the arrival of the first humans capable of complex thought, free will and being in the fallen state mated with these "primitive" humans therefore starting the human race?

Just some questions to toss around for discussion or whatnot.

peace,

[Justin Kissel]

I was gonna give my opinion, but I'd better not Hopefully someone can post what the Fathers say!

[Denis]

A very interseting question that has always puzzled me. Would love to see what the Orthodox Church comments have been on this topic.

[Daniel]

I would suggest reading The Six Dawns by Dr. Alexander Kalomiros. It is very nice and concise explination of the creation narrative, that will answer you questions.

My answer is....That by the time Cain married Homo Sapien was the only homonid in existance. Homo Neanderthalinsis and Homo Erectis were fairly well extinct by that time. Following the geneology and time line given in Holy Scripture we are only about 7000-8000 years from Adam. Fossil evidence places the emergence of Homo Sapien any were from 30,000 to 150/200,000 years ago.

Read the Six Dawns it explains this really well.

[Denis]

Thanks Daniel. I started to read it and love it.

[Monk George]

Actually Kalomiros went off the deep end on the evolution teaching. Saint Basil the Great condemns it in his works, as the invention of the Greek pagans, saying that we should never imagine that simple life forms evolved into more complex forms in a nutshell.

No, the descendants of Adam did not copitulate with animals, or sub humans, or primitive forms of human beings.

Look at a mule. The mule is the offspring of a horse and a donkey. But two mules cannot make another mule. The hybrid cannot propigate itself.

Thus, if the descendants of Adam had committed beastiality with some other creature, the offspring of that union would not have been able to propigate itself. It would have died out rapidly.

Since we are the descendants of Adam and are able to reproduce our race, it is impossible that we are mixed with another species.

George, hegumen

[Seraphim Reeves]

While I do not put unquestioning creedence in Jewish religious lore (particularly since the Talmud contains all sorts of blasphemies and inanities; Christ is described as a sorcerer, Rabbis are portrayed besting God in arguments, etc.), I have read that according to Jewish tradition, it is said Cain and Abel were born twins, each having a female twin sister, and in the earliest period of mankind, "incest" was not taboo - thus these sisters were their wives.

While I see nothing to support that particular interpretation, I do think it likely (indeed the only possible explanation) that Adam and Eve had daughters who were taken as spouses by the first human males. Reading the Biblical geneologies, it seems clear that only males are being tracked, and perhaps not even all of these males, but only the line of descent leading to righteous Noah (whose descent from Adam begins with Seth.) The other line of descent traced is that of Cain - perhaps a contrast between the most ruinous bloodline, with the most righteous (and even this one was not without it's problems...thus not a good commentary on the state of the world before the Flood.)

Seraphim