Sunday, February 18, 2007
The Wickedness of Cain
I came across an interesting passage recently while reading Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews. It relates what happened after Cain murdered Abel:
"However, he did not accept of his punishment in order to amendment, but to increase his wickedness; for he only aimed to procure every thing that was for his own bodily pleasure, though it obliged him to be injurious to his neighbors. He augmented his household substance with much wealth, by rapine and violence; he excited his acquaintance to procure pleasures and spoils by robbery, and became a great leader of men into wicked courses. He also introduced a change in that way of simplicity wherein men lived before; and was the author of measures and weights. And whereas they lived innocently and generously while they knew nothing of such arts, he changed the world into cunning craftiness. He first of all set boundaries about lands; he built a city, and fortified it with walls, and he compelled his family to come together to it; and called that city Enoch, after the name of his eldest son Enoch." (Book 1, Ch. 2, sect. 2)
Josephus was a Jewish historian who wrote this shortly after the time of Christ. I thought it was interesting that he associated the wickedness of Cain with the desire for bodily pleasure and acquisition of wealth. He introduced weights and measures, which would have been essential to the beginning of commerce, and introduced the concept of private property, by defining the boundaries of land. He built the first city. Before this, we are told, all men lived innocently and generously. When no one had boundaries to define their ownership of land, or weights and measures to keep track of how much they gave each other, people were more willing to give generously to those who needed something. I don't imagine that we could eliminate private property, or commerce, but perhaps it would be helpful if we could at least try to use what we have in a more innocent and generous way, like all men did before the introduction of greed and wickedness.
"However, he did not accept of his punishment in order to amendment, but to increase his wickedness; for he only aimed to procure every thing that was for his own bodily pleasure, though it obliged him to be injurious to his neighbors. He augmented his household substance with much wealth, by rapine and violence; he excited his acquaintance to procure pleasures and spoils by robbery, and became a great leader of men into wicked courses. He also introduced a change in that way of simplicity wherein men lived before; and was the author of measures and weights. And whereas they lived innocently and generously while they knew nothing of such arts, he changed the world into cunning craftiness. He first of all set boundaries about lands; he built a city, and fortified it with walls, and he compelled his family to come together to it; and called that city Enoch, after the name of his eldest son Enoch." (Book 1, Ch. 2, sect. 2)
Josephus was a Jewish historian who wrote this shortly after the time of Christ. I thought it was interesting that he associated the wickedness of Cain with the desire for bodily pleasure and acquisition of wealth. He introduced weights and measures, which would have been essential to the beginning of commerce, and introduced the concept of private property, by defining the boundaries of land. He built the first city. Before this, we are told, all men lived innocently and generously. When no one had boundaries to define their ownership of land, or weights and measures to keep track of how much they gave each other, people were more willing to give generously to those who needed something. I don't imagine that we could eliminate private property, or commerce, but perhaps it would be helpful if we could at least try to use what we have in a more innocent and generous way, like all men did before the introduction of greed and wickedness.
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