There are many strong arguments pointing towards the book of Genesis as being more of an amalgamation of multiple creation legends, or at least a compilation/amalgamation of more than one variation.
(This is immediately noticeable in the first 2 chapters alone - which contains the first contradiction in the Bible, chronologically speaking. Namely, in chapter 1 mankind is created last - after all the land, plants, animals, etc. Then immediately in chapter 2, Adam is the first living organism created on earth, followed by vegetation, then animals, and then Eve. This is but one example.)
That in itself is not the biggest plot hole in Genesis, though.
In my opinion - what follows, is:
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We all know the story of Cain & Abel. But for the sake of effect, I will paraphrase the story in abbreviated satire...
Cain is a farmer of the land, while Abel tends to the animals. For some reason, both of them feel compelled to offer sacrifices to Jehova, to win his favor.
(Even though offering sacrifices was not an official requirement or part of the mosaic law as yet... which was to be set in place and effected thousands of years later. Up to that point, the only law that seemed to exist was the ban on eating from the tree of life. Strange.)
So they each prepare a sacrifice, and offer it to Jehova. Abel's sacrifice pleases Jehova, while Cain's offering does not. (I guess Jehova prefers animal sacrifice over a pile of grain. Come to think of it... I'm not much of a vegan myself)
So out of jealousy, Cain strikes down Abel in a field, and so becomes the world's first murderer. Jehova confronts him on this, and Cain is cast out of Eden.
Cain immediately expresses fear about what will happen to him, saying:
"I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me".
And this, folks, is where things really get interesting.
"But the Lord said to him, “Not so; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden."
Shortly thereafter, we are told that Cain and his wife have their first child, whilst Cain is building the world's first city. A few generations pass, and already one of the great grandkids has figured out the whole metallurgy thing, and has fast-forwarded thousands of years (technologically speaking) by producing bronze tools and weaponry
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There's just one little problem with all this.
Cain was one of three people on Earth. The other two being Adam, and Eve.
And let's just reasonably assume that Eve wasn't the "swinging" type, spending one weekend with Adam, the other with... (need I say more?)
* Who exactly did Cain marry?
* Who was Cain afraid of - to the extend where Jehova had to mark him with a transferable curse?
* And why was he building a city (and with whom)?
Keep in mind that Adam & Eve don't have another child (Seth) until Adam is 120 years old,
after which they are said to have had other sons & daughters.
So - according to literal interpretation - Cain would literally have the earth to himself, because at this point he was the only child of the primordial humans, Adam & Eve.
Even if there were, hypothetically, other unmentioned siblings at that time - none of them were cast out from Eden. Only Cain.
And hypothetically assuming that Cain already had a "sister-wife" (incestuous, but still)... that still doesn't rationalize Cain's fears. The only people on Earth, supposedly, were his parents and possibly unnamed siblings. In all cases, immediate family - who wouldn't have been very likely to kill him.
This little "slip" has massive ramifications.
Let's briefly explore them:
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Scenario 1: The creation story is geo-specific, and refers to the Genesis of a nation (Hebrew/Hyksos) in a localized area, rather than the entire universe. Thus, Cain's banishment would have essentially been exile to a foreign territory, with different "Gods" (rulership).
Scenario 2: The creation story is metaphorical, where the characters embody ideologies or otherwise abstract associations. Adam & Eve are, perhaps, the representation of the first conscious humanoids who "ate the knowledge of the Gods", and then became conscious of themselves (thus feeling naked).
They were then driven from "Eden" - the lifestyle of simply living in the garden, wandering and eating as needed, and instead were "cursed" and thus transitioned into agricultural society (which would allow for larger populations, and stability).
The friction between Cain & Abel could be symbolic of rivalry between herdsmen and farmers of distant antiquity. Thus, the creation story is a collection of "echoes" from the distant past, using metaphorical figures to preserve our early ancestors as they transitioned from hunting/gathering to building static civilization, and eventually progressing technologically.
Scenario 3: Genesis is to be taken literally, but is alarmingly incomplete - missing entire sections of history that has either been lost, purposely omitted, or somehow misinterpreted in its present form.
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This is just one of several such plot holes, but it is perhaps the most obvious, and unavoidable "hiccup" in Genesis, particularly for Young-Earthers and literalists.
What are your thoughts on this?
Can Cain's fears be rationalized- without resorting to vague assumptions or blind faith as a supporting arguments?
I'm eager to hear what others might have to say about this...
Cheers,
MoC
