Genesis 4: The Development of Humanity
The term "myth," as used here, is defined as a parabolic or hero-story designed to teach certain fundamental truths about a culture's understanding of the world.
We see in Genesis 4 an attempt to undertand how certain elements of Jewish culture came into existence. This is not to say that the stories did or did not happen. I am focusing on the purpose of the preservation of these stories.
First of all, we see that the sin of Cain (murder) and God's mercy on his life has led to further corruption of God's intended plan. Cain's descendants take more than one wife for themselves, and they follow in the footsteps of their ancestor with disregard for human life. They even take the next step in their "de-evolution:" bragging about their conquests and evil intentions. Pride in evil has now taken root in the human heart. At least Cain was shamed by his actions. We also see the development of nomadic herders, musicians, and metal workers--all valued skills in early cultures.
Did you notice the last portion of this chapter. "At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD." While Cain descendants suffered the separation that their father suffered, the descendants of Seth began to call out or proclaim the name of the Lord. So, early on we see the spiritual haves and have nots, so to speak. And whereas Adam and Eve could see and talk to God, their grand children were able to call out to God and tell of their knowledge of him. In spite of the difficult and changing human landscape, God made himself available to humanity. Those that called out to him presumably knew him.
We see in Genesis 4 an attempt to undertand how certain elements of Jewish culture came into existence. This is not to say that the stories did or did not happen. I am focusing on the purpose of the preservation of these stories.
First of all, we see that the sin of Cain (murder) and God's mercy on his life has led to further corruption of God's intended plan. Cain's descendants take more than one wife for themselves, and they follow in the footsteps of their ancestor with disregard for human life. They even take the next step in their "de-evolution:" bragging about their conquests and evil intentions. Pride in evil has now taken root in the human heart. At least Cain was shamed by his actions. We also see the development of nomadic herders, musicians, and metal workers--all valued skills in early cultures.
Did you notice the last portion of this chapter. "At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD." While Cain descendants suffered the separation that their father suffered, the descendants of Seth began to call out or proclaim the name of the Lord. So, early on we see the spiritual haves and have nots, so to speak. And whereas Adam and Eve could see and talk to God, their grand children were able to call out to God and tell of their knowledge of him. In spite of the difficult and changing human landscape, God made himself available to humanity. Those that called out to him presumably knew him.
posted by Randy Rogers at
11:38 AM
3 Comments:
It is odd to see it called a myth, when I always felt a little guilty for enjoying reading the myths of Greece and Scandinavia, as well as a few Indian stories.
Yes, myth is a word with multiple layers of meaning. I treat "myth" in the Bible differently than I do for other books because of my faith in the Bible as God's Word. I think we can still see Genesis 1-11 as myth in terms of "Jewish stories that reflect their desire to answer ultimate life questions and worldview issues." Yet, there is ultimate truth in the stories as well. The art of interpretation is determining how to express teh ultimate truth in the passages that contain Jewish myth.
I am sure that looking back many curves beome straitened(sp intentional)
reporting from China 08-08-08
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home