Abel

Abel is found dead by Adam and Eve. Picture by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, The Awakening of the Sadness (1888).

Abel (Hebrew: הבל‎ Habel "breath, fragile", Greek: Αβελ, Akkadian: 𒌉𒍑 Ablu "son") according to the Tanach (Old Testament) is the second son of Adam and Eve. He was killed by his brother Cain, who envied the divine satisfaction with Abel's offerings; According to the story, his was the first murder of humanity.

History

The story, told in Genesis, states that Abel herded sheep and his older brother farmed. Cain made an offering of fruits and vegetables while Abel sacrificed the firstborn of his sheep. God displeased Cain's offering and accepted Abel's. The reason for divine favor according to the Talmudic tradition emphasizes the nuance of generosity with which Abel offers God the choicest sheep from his flock to emphasize that Cain's offering, born out of obligation and not generosity, does not it was desirable.

The reason why God only approved Abel's offering is explained in later writings. The epistle to the Hebrews cites Abel as the first man of faith, and shows that this faith resulted in his sacrifice being of "greater value" than Cain's offering.

Irenaeus of Lyon, following the text of the Septuagint, affirmed that:

"God put his eyes on the Oblates of Abel, for he offered them with simplicity and righteousness; instead he did not look at the sacrifice of Cain, for his heart was divided by jealousy and evil intentions against his brother, according to God Himself said to him by rebuking him for what he hid: "Do you not sin even if you offer your sacrifice straightly, if you do not share with righteousness? Calm down.» For God is not applauded with sacrifice. Therefore, if anyone tried to offer his sacrifice so that it seemed pure, righteous and legitimate, instead in his soul he did not share with his brother rightly or fear of God, not because he had offered an externally correct sacrifice would seduce God: inside he would be full of sin and his oblation of nothing would serve him if he did not cease to do the evil that he had conceived internally; for by simulating a work, the sin It is not the sacrifices that purify the human being, for God does not need them; but the pure consciousness of those who offer it is what sanctifies the sacrifice."

Several interpreters see here a retroactive application of Christian sacrificial soteriology, expounded in Hebrews 9:22. To redeem sins, God demanded the sacrifice of animals and not of the fruits of the earth, "without shedding of blood there is no remission". This retrospective view interprets that when Adam and Eve sinned, animals were sacrificed, for it was thus that God provided the skins to make clothing to cover them (Genesis 3:21). Abel complied with God's wishes, but Cain only offered fruit.

Representation of Cain leading Abel to death, by James Tissot

Cain kills Abel (the painting of the 15th century).

According to oral tradition, Abel's offerings were consumed by fire sent by God. Cain, not satisfied with his favor, and despite the divine warning that it was the justice of his works, which would decide whether his offering was accepted or not, killed his brother. According to Jerónimo de Estridón, who collects an ancient tradition, the place of the events is the location of present-day Damascus; other hagiographers fix it next to Hebron, although there are no local traditions that support any of the legends.

By the death of Abel, Cain was expelled "from the presence of Yahveh," and went to dwell in the land of Nod, "east of Eden". Jewish tradition says that Abel was buried by his parents, following the indications of a raven sent by God for that purpose; the Koran, on the contrary, maintains that it was Cain who was instructed by a raven to bury him. In chapter 22 of the book of Enoch, which is part of the canon of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, mention is made of the spirit of Abel; indicating that this would be in the place where the spirits of all human beings await the great judgment at the end of time. In that place Abel would make the accusation of him and denounce his brother Cain until the seed of his brother disappears from the face of the earth; and justice be done.

The New Testament frequently mentions Abel as a prototype of the righteous. Jesus canonizes him in Matthew as the first of the dead in the name of justice, and his example serves the apostles as an analogy and premonition of Jesus'. The fathers of the Church count him among the martyrs. In the Koran, the pacifism of Abel, who refuses to respond to Cain's violence, is the virtue that saves him; it is the main example of humility and meekness for Muslims.

Critical interpretations of the biblical text have seen in history a stylized version of the conflicts between agricultural peoples and the Hebrews, fundamentally pastoralists; the philologist Thomas Kelly Cheyne maintains that it is an ancient Israelite legend, undoubtedly prior to the compilation of Genesis, used by the Yavist for its moral value. The similarity between the term, of dubious etymology, and the Arabic jibil, "camel", has also been noted. It is possible that Cain is an eponym of the Kenites, in which case Abel would probably be a mythical hero from Judea.

Another explanation is to see in the story one of the most common human interactions. In later tradition, Abel has passed as the prototype of the just man.