Cain. history of a crime

Cain and Abel is a story that has since been repeated countless times, in the most variety of options. A long line will stretch endless strings of murderers and their victims. If you think about it, then the victims can be called those who fell from a criminal hand, and those who went to this atrocity. The latter, as a rule, are victims of their dark spiritual passions. Greed, malice, envy and other creations of Satan, boiling in them, are the true culprits of crimes.

Expelled from Paradise

But let's return to the pages of the Bible, on which the story of Cain and Abel appears before us. After Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise, they found themselves in a world that was very similar to the one where we all live. The similarity lay in the fact that, like us, its inhabitants became mortal, subject to disease and old age, and for the first time learned what suffering is. In addition, there was nothing free in this world, everything had to be earned through hard work. Soon they had sons - Cain and Abel.

The story told in the Bible begins with the fact that each of them chose his career in life. The eldest - Cain - became a farmer, and his younger brother Abel - a shepherd. The brothers had no doubts in matters of faith, since the existence of God seemed to them an obvious reality, and when the time came for the sacrifice, each of them approached it with a sincere desire to please the Almighty. Both laid on the altar the fruits of their labors: Cain - the firstfruits of the harvest, and Abel - the firstborn lamb from his flock.

Abel and Cain: the story of a rejected victim

It is not given to us to comprehend the motives for which the Lord preferred the sacrifice of Abel to the sacrifice made by his elder brother, but that is exactly what happened. Cain, instead of humbly bowing before the will of God, was filled with envy and a sense of wounded pride. He even darkened his face and changed outwardly. The Holy Scripture says that the Lord tried to reason with him and turn away evil thoughts. He literally warns him that sin awaits a person who does not do good, but even in this case, he must find the strength in himself to refrain from it.

Abel and Cain - the story of a person's responsibility for his actions. Temptations lie in wait for each of us at some point in our lives, but it is one thing to desire something, and quite another to give free rein to our desires. Cain allowed the sin that was born in his soul to completely take possession of him. Choosing a moment when, in his opinion, there were no witnesses, he killed Abel.

Any murder is a sin, but shedding blood sibling- doubly wrong. Apparently, the feeling of anger clouded Cain's mind so much that it never occurred to him that there was no place in the world where one could hide from the eyes of the all-seeing God. There were no people nearby at that terrible moment, but the Spirit of God was invisibly present.

The crime has been committed, but the all-merciful Lord does not deprive the unfortunate Cain of his last hope for forgiveness. With his question: "Where is Abel, your brother?" - it gives him the opportunity to confess his deed and repent. But sin has already completely taken possession of the murderer. Answering that he does not know where his brother is, he lies to God himself, thereby finally breaking with him. Abel and Cain is the story of two brothers, related by blood, but so different in their spiritual constitution. One-womb brothers who have become symbols of righteousness and sin. This storyline will find an endless continuation in the world.

Punishment is severe and inevitable

As a punishment, the Lord curses Cain and dooms him to eternal wanderings on earth and to eternal rejection. He even marks the killer with a special mark, which is called the Cain seal, so that everyone he meets knows who is in front of him and does not dare to take away his despicable life from him. Deep philosophical meaning bible story about Cain and Abel. Who killed whom is a vulgar simplification of the problem posed by this passage of Scripture. In this case, the motives that prompted the crime, the consciousness of responsibility for one's actions and the duty of resisting sin, as well as the inevitability of retribution for what one has done, are important.

The story of the first fratricide among people is known to everyone - even to unbelievers and those who have not read the Bible. However, there is still debate as to why Cain killed Abel. Most people agree that envy was the driving force; on the second, that Cain was jealous. But, like all biblical stories, this one has a broader interpretation.

Before we figure out why Cain killed Abel, let's remember the story itself. There were two brothers: Abel - a cattle breeder and Cain - a farmer. Both brought sacrifices to God: Abel - the first offspring of their flocks, Cain - the fruits of their lands. Only the gift of Abel was accepted, which ascended in flames to heaven, and the agricultural gift was rejected. Cain "greatly grieved" and killed his brother. Moreover, when God asked him about Abel, he lied to him, saying that he did not know what had happened to him. This and other biblical parables can be studied in more detail in the article.

Christian interpretation

First of all, of course, God's rejection of the gift of the farmer is striking, for which Cain seems to have killed Abel - he envied his success. And jealousy, no doubt, is also present here. However, St. Sirin believes that the point is not so much jealousy and envy, but why the Lord did not accept the gift. Sirin says that Cain had flocks and other goods, but he limited himself to less valuable ones in his sacrifice. God understood this, and therefore did not accept it. So Cain's guilt is deeper and began before he became jealous and killed his brother.

Jewish interpretation

There is a broader view of the reasons why Cain killed Abel: Haggadah (a collection of parables and legends in Judaism) indicates that there was a fight between the brothers. Abel won, but forgave and released Cain; the same considered himself offended by the loss and vilely killed his brother.

The symbolic meaning of the image of Cain

No matter what Cain killed Abel for, he remained in world culture as a scoundrel, a liar and the first sinner - before the history of the brothers in the Bible, the word "sin" was not mentioned. The seal of Cain - the sign left by God on the forehead of a fratricide - still denotes the "seal of a criminal" in relation to a person, and not necessarily a murderer. Precisely because murder is not the only sin (or crime) committed by Cain.

Merciful God gave Adam and Eve children. The eldest son was Cain, and the other Abel, was younger than him. Cain was a farmer, Abel a shepherd. About these two brothers I have to tell a very sad story.

Once Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to God, each on his own. Cain lit a fire and laid a sheaf of ripe ears on it. Abel made a fire, slaughtered and put on it the best lamb that he had in his flock. Abel was kind, pious; he loved God and, in making his fervent sacrifice, believed in the promised Savior. Cain sacrificed only for appearances, so that they would not say about him that he did not believe the promise of God and did not love Him. He offered sacrifice in the same way that we often pray to God because we are forced to, or go to church just because we are sent there or taken there. How often do we read a prayer or stand in a church, while we ourselves think about something else, we rush to read the prayers as soon as possible and can’t wait until the service in the church leaves soon in order to run away and play with our comrades.

Children! God sees what a person thinks. He saw the zeal and faith of Abel, accepted his sacrifice and showed that it was pleasing to Him. The smoke from Abel's sacrifice rose to the sky, and the smoke from Cain's sacrifice floated on the ground. Yes! God did not accept the sacrifice from Cain, and so that Cain would continue to pray with greater faith and zeal, he showed him His displeasure. Well, children, do you think Cain has reformed? Not! He became annoyed that his sacrifice was not pleasing to God, and he became very angry with his brother.

As Cain became more and more angry, the Merciful God said to him, “Why are you angry, Cain? And why do you have such a sad face? Stop getting angry, it's a sin."

But Cain did not obey God and became more and more angry with Abel. And do you know, children, what he did because of his malice? He called Abel into the field, led him away from his parents' home, and killed his brother there. He did not feel sorry for killing him; he did not even want to hear when poor Abel, with tears in his eyes, asked him for mercy, he did not want to think that his father and mother would grieve and cry for the murdered Abel. This is what envy and anger drove Cain to. He killed a man, his own brother, ruined an innocent soul ...

Cain goes home and thinks that no one saw how he killed his brother. People did not see, but God saw, Who sees everything and everywhere, from Whom we cannot hide anything, Who sees not only what we have done, but also what else we want to do. And now God Himself appears to Cain, and in order to induce him to repentance, he asks: “Cain, where is your brother Abel?” Secretive and rude Cain replies: “I don't know where he is. Am I my brother's keeper?"

Then the Merciful God said: “Cain! Cain! What did you do?! There lies your dead brother, covered in blood, which calls to Me. And because you killed your brother, be you cursed. Don't you dare stay on this side, get away from your parents and run further from here. But wherever you go, you will never find peace. Your conscience will always torment you because you killed your brother without any fault. Then Cain said: "Yes, Lord, now I see that my sin is great and You will not forgive me." And imagine, children, Cain, who without any pity killed his poor brother, began to fear that he himself would be killed. He says: "Anyone who meets me will kill me!" But the Lord marked Cain with a special sign so that none of those who met him could kill him.

And so the unfortunate Cain went away from his native places, to a foreign land. But his heart always sank with fear, and his conscience constantly tormented him. A leaf fell from a tree, and he rushed to the side out of fear. Wherever he sat down to rest, everywhere it seemed to him that Abel was lying in front of him in the blood. It seemed to him that behind every bush there was a killer who was about to kill him. But people, looking at this man, groaning with remorse, shaking and wildly looking around, tried not to meet him and ran away when they saw Cain.

Everything in the world happens for the first time. The Bible Book of Genesis in the fourth chapter tells how for the first time in the history of mankind the greatest atrocity happened. Abel and Cain? story of the first murder. At that time, the newly created world was still young, but by no means innocent. Human nature was damaged by original sin, and a person born in the image and likeness of the Creator crossed out his likeness in himself.

Cain and Abel? a story that has since been repeated countless times, in a variety of ways. A long line will stretch endless strings of murderers and their victims. If you think about it, then the victims can be called those who fell from a criminal hand, and those who went to this atrocity. The latter, as a rule, are victims of their dark spiritual passions. Greed, malice, envy and other creatures of Satan boiling in them? Here are the real perpetrators of the crimes.

Expelled from Paradise

But let's return to the pages of the Bible, on which the story of Cain and Abel appears before us. After Adam and Eve were expelled from paradise, they found themselves in a world that was very similar to the one where we all live. The similarity lay in the fact that, like us, its inhabitants became mortal, subject to disease and old age, and for the first time learned what suffering is. In addition, there was nothing free in this world, everything had to be earned through hard work. Soon they had sons? Cain and Abel.

The story told in the Bible begins with the fact that each of them chose his career in life. Senior? Cain became a farmer, and his younger brother Abel? shepherd. The brothers had no doubts in matters of faith, since the existence of God seemed to them an obvious reality, and when the time came for the sacrifice, each of them approached it with a sincere desire to please the Almighty. Both laid on the altar the fruits of their labors: Cain - the firstfruits of the harvest, and Abel - the firstborn lamb from his flock.

Abel and Cain: the story of a rejected victim

It is not given to us to comprehend the motives for which the Lord preferred the sacrifice of Abel to the sacrifice made by his elder brother, but that is exactly what happened. Cain, instead of humbly bowing before the will of God, was filled with envy and a sense of wounded pride. He even darkened his face and changed outwardly. The Holy Scripture says that the Lord tried to reason with him and turn away evil thoughts. He literally warns him that sin awaits a person who does not do good, but even in this case, he must find the strength in himself to refrain from it.

Abel and Cain? history of human responsibility for their actions. Temptations lie in wait for each of us at some point in our lives, but is it one thing to desire something, and quite another? give free rein to your desires. Cain allowed the sin that was born in his soul to completely take possession of him. Choosing a moment when, in his opinion, there were no witnesses, he killed Abel.

Any murder? sin, but shedding the blood of a brother is doubly sinful. Apparently, the feeling of anger clouded Cain's mind so much that it never occurred to him that there was no place in the world where one could hide from the eyes of the all-seeing God. There were no people nearby at that terrible moment, but the Spirit of God was invisibly present.

Last chance to repent

The crime has been committed, but the all-merciful Lord does not deprive the unfortunate Cain of his last hope for forgiveness. With his question: "Where is Abel, your brother?" ? it gives him the opportunity to confess his deed and repent. But sin has already completely taken possession of the murderer. Answering that he does not know where his brother is, he lies to God himself, thereby finally breaking with him. Abel and Cain? the story of two brothers, related by blood, but so different in their spiritual constitution. One-womb brothers who have become symbols of righteousness and sin. This storyline will find an endless continuation in the world.

Punishment? harsh and inevitable

As a punishment, the Lord curses Cain and dooms him to eternal wanderings on earth and to eternal rejection. He even marks the killer with a special mark, which is called the Cain seal, so that everyone he meets knows who is in front of him and does not dare to take away his despicable life from him. The biblical story of Cain and Abel carries a deep philosophical meaning. Who killed whom? a vulgar simplification of the problem posed in this passage of Scripture. In this case, the motives that prompted the crime, the consciousness of responsibility for one's actions and the duty of resisting sin, as well as the inevitability of retribution for what one has done, are important.

Cain and Abel

It was hard for Adam and Eve to part with paradise, but it was even harder for them to get used to work and illness. The animals no longer obeyed and were afraid of them, and the earth did not always bring them fruits for food.

Soon Adam and Eve had children. They had two sons: Cain and Abel. The elder, Cain, was engaged in arable farming, and the younger, Abel, shepherded the flock.

One day the brothers wished to bring something as a sacrifice or a gift to God. They built two fires, Cain sprinkled grains of bread on the fire, and Abel put a lamb, and both lit their fires.

Abel brought a gift to God with all his heart, with love and prayer, and therefore the smoke from his fire rose in a straight column to Heaven. Cain offered his sacrifice reluctantly and carelessly and did not pray to God at all, and the smoke from his sacrifice spread over the ground. From this it was clear that Abel's sacrifice was pleasing to God, while Cain's sacrifice was unpleasant.

Cain became very annoyed, but instead of praying harder to God and asking the Lord to accept the sacrifice from him, Cain envied his brother and killed him out of anger. Then the Lord asked him:

“Cain, where is Abel, your brother?”

It was God who asked him so that the murderer himself would repent and ask for forgiveness. But Cain did not repent and boldly answered:

“I don’t know, am I my brother’s keeper?”

The Lord said to him:

- No, you killed your brother, and now you will not find peace anywhere!

Cain's murder of Abel

Cain was frightened and exclaimed:

- Great is my sin! Now the first person I meet will kill me!

But God said:

- No, I will put such a sign on you that no one will kill you, you will live, and your conscience will always torment you!

Since then, Cain has never been able to raise his face to the sky. Gloomy and thoughtful, tormented by shame, he found no peace anywhere and soon left his relatives for a distant land.

Adam and Eve cried and grieved a lot when they learned about the death of Abel. It was the first heavy grief on earth. Now they regretted paradise even more. If they had obeyed God, they would have lived in paradise, and such misfortune would not have happened there. God saw their tears and gave them a third son named Seth. He was a kind and meek boy, and the Lord loved him very much. Cain also had children, but they, like his father, were evil, irreverent and envious. The children of Cain began to be called children of men, because they thought only about earthly things and did not strive for God. The children of Seth were pious and turned to their Creator all the time, so they were called the sons of God.

It happens that you inattentively pray to God, especially before going to bed. But know that God does not listen to inattentive prayer. If you pray, then do it with all your heart, with love for God, then the Guardian Angel will convey your prayers to Heaven to God and the Lord will willingly fulfill all your requests.