Part II - Home Grown Humans! A Stunning New Invention!

Cain and Abel as the “first true humans”

November 20, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

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Now…into todays content!

Recap: Yesterday on Theophilus, Jon introduced our latest series- “Lurking at the Door”. Today, we will see what it means for Cain and Abel to be the “first true humans”.

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Cain and Abel were the first true humans.

Allow me to explain.

From Womb to Work

Though Adam and Eve are the first humans in the Bible, they aren’t exactly human in the same way we are.

For starters, they have no parents. Adam was created from the dust of the Earth and Eve was created from one of Adam’s ribs. On top of this, the text doesn’t suggest that Adam and Eve were created as infants, nor as children, but as full-grown adults. 

Then there’s the fact that, quite unlike us, they were created in a sinless paradise.

Cain and Abel, on the other hand, look a lot more like you and me.

Cain and Abel’s similarity to us creates a connection between them and the reader.

They were born as infants and grew into adulthood. They weren’t born in Eden but in the post-Edenic world that we are born into.

What’s the significance of this? 

It’s that the circumstances of their birth thematically tie Cain and Abel to you and me. It makes their experience relatable.

Same but Different

Cain and Abel were both inheritors of the world their parents left behind and they were both born needing to work in order to get by. One did not have an inherent advantage over the other.

Despite this, Cain and Abel go down different paths. Their careers are good examples: Cain the farmer and Abel the shepherd.

The Sower (1888) by Vincent van Gogh

But the differences run deeper still.

And that’s the takeaway, the way in which Cain and Abel (Cain in particular) choose to react to the life they’ve been given. 

We’ll explore that tomorrow by looking at the sacrifice each man brings to God. In doing so, we’ll see sacrifice not as some outdated and superstitious ritual but as an insight into what Cain and Abel valued the most.

For now, be blessed.

Application: Do you see aspects of yourself in Cain and Abel? If so, what exactly? Is there anything you can learn from this?

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

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