On the Sacrifice of Abel and Cain (1-5)

urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0018.tlg004.1st1K-eng1:1-5

Refs	`{'start': {'reference': '1', 'human_reference': 'Section 1'}, 'end': {'reference': '5', 'human_reference': 'Section 5'}}`
Ancestors	`[]`
Children	`[]`

plain text • XML

"And he also added, that she should bring forth his brother." [*] The addition of one thing is a taking away of some other; as for instance, of particles in arithmetic, and of reasons in the soul. If then we must say that Abel is added, we must also think that Cain is taken away. But that the unusual character of expression may not cause perplexity to many we will endeavour to explain accurately the philosophy which is apparent beneath them, as clearly as may be in our power.

It happens then, that there are two opinions contrary to and at variance with one another; the one of which commits everything to the mind as the leader of all reasoning, or feeling, or moving, or being stationary; and the other, attributing to God all the consequent work of creation as his own. Now the symbol of the former of these is Cain, which name, being interpreted means, "possession," from his appearing to possess all things; and the symbol of the other is Abel; for this name, being interpreted, means "referring to God."

Now both these opinions were brought forth by one soul. But it follows of necessity that as soon as they were born they must have been separated; for it was impossible for enemies to dwell together for ever. Until then the soul brought forth the God-loving doctrine Abel, the self-loving Cain dwelt with her. But when she brought forth Abel, or unanimity with God, she abandoned unanimity with that mind which was wise in its own conceit.

And this will be more evidently shown by the oracle which was given to Perseverance, that is to Rebecca; [*] for she also, having conceived the two inconsistent natures of good and evil, and having considered each of them very deeply [*] [*]

v.1.p.208

according to the injunctions of prudence, beholding them both exulting, and making a sort of skirmish as a prelude to the war which was to exist between them; she, I say, besought God to explain to her what this calamity meant, and what was the remedy for it. And he answered her inquiry, and told her, "Two nations are in thy womb." This calamity is the birth of good and evil. "But two peoples shall be divided in thy bowels." And the remedy is, for these two to be parted and separated from one another, and no longer to abide in the same place.

God therefore having added the good doctrine, that is Abel, to the soul, took away from it evil doctrine, that is Cain: for Abraham also, leaving mortal things, "is added to the people of God," [*] having received immortality, and having become equal to the angels; for the angels are the host of God, being incorporeal and happy souls. And in the same manner Jacob, the practiser of virtue, is added to the better one, [*] because he had quitted the worse.

And	1	w	4
he	1	w	6
also	1	w	10
added	1	w	15
that	1	w	20
she	1	w	23
should	1	w	29
bring	1	w	34
forth	1	w	39
his	1	w	42
brother	1	w	49
Genesis	1	w	58
iv	1	w	60
2	1	w	62
The	1	w	66
addition	1	w	74
of	1	w	76
one	1	w	79
thing	1	w	84
is	3	w	86
a	5	w	87
taking	1	w	93
away	1	w	97
of	2	w	99
some	1	w	103
other	2	w	108
as	1	w	111
for	2	w	114
instance	1	w	122
of	3	w	125
particles	1	w	134
in	5	w	136
arithmetic	1	w	146
and	1	w	150
of	4	w	152
reasons	1	w	159
in	6	w	161
the	3	w	164
soul	1	w	168
If	1	w	171
then	1	w	175
we	1	w	177
must	1	w	181
say	1	w	184
that	2	w	188
Abel	1	w	192
is	4	w	194
added	2	w	199
we	2	w	202
must	2	w	206
also	2	w	210
think	1	w	215
that	3	w	219
Cain	1	w	223
is	5	w	225
taken	1	w	230
away	2	w	234
But	1	w	238
that	4	w	242
the	5	w	245
unusual	1	w	252
character	1	w	261
of	5	w	263
expression	1	w	273
may	1	w	276
not	1	w	279
cause	1	w	284
perplexity	1	w	294
to	1	w	296
many	1	w	300
we	3	w	302
will	1	w	306
endeavour	1	w	315
to	2	w	317
explain	1	w	324
accurately	1	w	334
the	6	w	337
philosophy	1	w	347
which	1	w	352
is	6	w	354
apparent	1	w	362
beneath	1	w	369
them	1	w	373
as	3	w	376
clearly	1	w	383
as	4	w	385
may	2	w	388
be	3	w	390
in	10	w	392
our	2	w	395
power	1	w	400
It	1	w	403
happens	1	w	410
then	2	w	414
that	5	w	419
there	1	w	424
are	2	w	427
two	1	w	430
opinions	1	w	438
contrary	1	w	446
to	3	w	448
and	2	w	451
at	8	w	453
variance	1	w	461
with	1	w	465
one	2	w	468
another	1	w	475
the	11	w	479
one	3	w	482
of	6	w	484
which	2	w	489
commits	1	w	496
everything	1	w	506
to	4	w	508
the	12	w	511
mind	1	w	515
as	5	w	517
the	13	w	520
leader	1	w	526
of	7	w	528
all	1	w	531
reasoning	1	w	540
or	3	w	543
feeling	1	w	550
or	4	w	553
moving	1	w	559
or	5	w	562
being	1	w	567
stationary	1	w	577
and	3	w	581
the	14	w	584
other	4	w	589
attributing	1	w	601
to	5	w	603
God	1	w	606
all	2	w	609
the	16	w	612
consequent	1	w	622
work	1	w	626
of	8	w	628
creation	1	w	636
as	7	w	638
his	2	w	641
own	1	w	644
Now	1	w	648
the	17	w	651
symbol	1	w	657
of	9	w	659
the	18	w	662
former	1	w	668
of	10	w	670
these	1	w	675
is	8	w	677
Cain	2	w	681
which	3	w	687
name	1	w	691
being	2	w	697
interpreted	1	w	708
means	1	w	713
possession	1	w	725
from	1	w	731
his	3	w	734
appearing	1	w	743
to	6	w	745
possess	2	w	752
all	3	w	755
things	1	w	761
and	4	w	765
the	20	w	768
symbol	2	w	774
of	11	w	776
the	21	w	779
other	5	w	784
is	10	w	786
Abel	2	w	790
for	4	w	794
this	1	w	798
name	2	w	802
being	3	w	808
interpreted	2	w	819
means	2	w	825
referring	1	w	835
to	7	w	837
God	2	w	840
Now	2	w	845
both	1	w	849
these	2	w	854
opinions	2	w	862
were	1	w	866
brought	1	w	873
forth	2	w	878
by	1	w	880
one	4	w	883
soul	2	w	887
But	2	w	891
it	6	w	893
follows	1	w	900
of	12	w	902
necessity	1	w	911
that	6	w	915
as	8	w	917
soon	1	w	921
as	9	w	923
they	1	w	927
were	2	w	931
born	1	w	935
they	2	w	939
must	3	w	943
have	1	w	947
been	1	w	951
separated	1	w	960
for	6	w	964
it	8	w	966
was	1	w	969
impossible	1	w	979
for	7	w	982
enemies	1	w	989
to	8	w	991
dwell	1	w	996
together	1	w	1004
for	8	w	1007
ever	2	w	1011
Until	1	w	1017
then	3	w	1021
the	28	w	1024
soul	3	w	1028
brought	2	w	1035
forth	3	w	1040
the	29	w	1043
God-loving	1	w	1053
doctrine	1	w	1061
Abel	3	w	1065
the	30	w	1069
self-loving	1	w	1080
Cain	3	w	1084
dwelt	1	w	1089
with	2	w	1093
her	8	w	1096
But	3	w	1100
when	1	w	1104
she	2	w	1107
brought	3	w	1114
forth	4	w	1119
Abel	4	w	1123
or	16	w	1126
unanimity	1	w	1135
with	3	w	1139
God	4	w	1142
she	3	w	1146
abandoned	1	w	1155
unanimity	2	w	1164
with	4	w	1168
that	7	w	1172
mind	2	w	1176
which	4	w	1181
was	2	w	1184
wise	1	w	1188
in	33	w	1190
its	2	w	1193
own	2	w	1196
conceit	1	w	1203
And	2	w	1207
this	2	w	1211
will	2	w	1215
be	11	w	1217
more	1	w	1221
evidently	1	w	1230
shown	1	w	1235
by	2	w	1237
the	31	w	1240
oracle	1	w	1246
which	5	w	1251
was	3	w	1254
given	1	w	1259
to	10	w	1261
Perseverance	1	w	1273
that	8	w	1278
is	14	w	1280
to	11	w	1282
Rebecca	1	w	1289
Genesis	2	w	1297
xxv	1	w	1300
24	1	w	1303
for	11	w	1307
she	4	w	1310
also	3	w	1314
having	1	w	1321
conceived	1	w	1330
the	32	w	1333
two	2	w	1336
inconsistent	1	w	1348
natures	1	w	1355
of	13	w	1357
good	1	w	1361
and	6	w	1364
evil	1	w	1368
and	7	w	1372
having	2	w	1378
considered	1	w	1388
each	1	w	1392
of	14	w	1394
them	2	w	1398
very	2	w	1402
deeply	1	w	1408
Genesis	3	w	1415
iv	4	w	1417
2	3	w	1419
Genesis	4	w	1427
xxv	2	w	1430
24	2	w	1433
according	1	w	1443
to	12	w	1445
the	34	w	1448
injunctions	1	w	1459
of	15	w	1461
prudence	1	w	1469
beholding	1	w	1479
them	3	w	1483
both	2	w	1487
exulting	1	w	1495
and	8	w	1499
making	1	w	1505
a	100	w	1506
sort	1	w	1510
of	16	w	1512
skirmish	1	w	1520
as	13	w	1522
a	102	w	1523
prelude	1	w	1530
to	13	w	1532
the	36	w	1535
war	1	w	1538
which	6	w	1543
was	4	w	1546
to	14	w	1548
exist	1	w	1553
between	1	w	1560
them	4	w	1564
she	5	w	1568
I	3	w	1570
say	2	w	1573
besought	1	w	1582
God	5	w	1585
to	15	w	1587
explain	2	w	1594
to	16	w	1596
her	9	w	1599
what	1	w	1603
this	3	w	1607
calamity	1	w	1615
meant	1	w	1620
and	9	w	1624
what	2	w	1628
was	5	w	1631
the	38	w	1634
remedy	1	w	1640
for	12	w	1643
it	17	w	1645
And	3	w	1649
he	49	w	1651
answered	1	w	1659
her	10	w	1662
inquiry	1	w	1669
and	10	w	1673
told	1	w	1677
her	11	w	1680
Two	1	w	1685
nations	1	w	1692
are	3	w	1695
in	44	w	1697
thy	1	w	1700
womb	1	w	1704
This	1	w	1710
calamity	2	w	1718
is	23	w	1720
the	39	w	1723
birth	1	w	1728
of	17	w	1730
good	2	w	1734
and	11	w	1737
evil	2	w	1741
But	4	w	1746
two	3	w	1749
peoples	1	w	1756
shall	1	w	1761
be	16	w	1763
divided	1	w	1770
in	45	w	1772
thy	2	w	1775
bowels	1	w	1781
And	4	w	1786
the	40	w	1789
remedy	2	w	1795
is	24	w	1797
for	13	w	1801
these	3	w	1806
two	4	w	1809
to	18	w	1811
be	17	w	1813
parted	1	w	1819
and	12	w	1822
separated	2	w	1831
from	2	w	1835
one	6	w	1838
another	2	w	1845
and	13	w	1849
no	4	w	1851
longer	1	w	1857
to	19	w	1859
abide	1	w	1864
in	46	w	1866
the	43	w	1869
same	1	w	1873
place	1	w	1878
God	6	w	1882
therefore	1	w	1891
having	3	w	1897
added	3	w	1902
the	45	w	1905
good	3	w	1909
doctrine	2	w	1917
that	9	w	1922
is	25	w	1924
Abel	5	w	1928
to	20	w	1931
the	46	w	1934
soul	4	w	1938
took	1	w	1943
away	3	w	1947
from	3	w	1951
it	19	w	1953
evil	3	w	1957
doctrine	3	w	1965
that	10	w	1970
is	26	w	1972
Cain	4	w	1976
for	15	w	1980
Abraham	1	w	1987
also	4	w	1991
leaving	1	w	1999
mortal	1	w	2005
things	2	w	2011
is	27	w	2015
added	4	w	2020
to	22	w	2022
the	47	w	2025
people	2	w	2031
of	18	w	2033
God	7	w	2036
Genesis	5	w	2045
xxv	3	w	2048
8	1	w	2050
having	4	w	2057
received	1	w	2065
immortality	1	w	2076
and	14	w	2080
having	5	w	2086
become	1	w	2092
equal	1	w	2097
to	23	w	2099
the	48	w	2102
angels	1	w	2108
for	16	w	2112
the	49	w	2115
angels	2	w	2121
are	4	w	2124
the	50	w	2127
host	1	w	2131
of	19	w	2133
God	8	w	2136
being	4	w	2142
incorporeal	1	w	2153
and	15	w	2156
happy	1	w	2161
souls	1	w	2166
And	5	w	2170
in	57	w	2172
the	51	w	2175
same	2	w	2179
manner	1	w	2185
Jacob	1	w	2190
the	52	w	2194
practiser	1	w	2203
of	20	w	2205
virtue	1	w	2211
is	30	w	2214
added	5	w	2219
to	24	w	2221
the	53	w	2224
better	1	w	2230
one	7	w	2233
Genesis	6	w	2241
xlix	1	w	2245
33	1	w	2248
because	1	w	2256
he	67	w	2258
had	1	w	2261
quitted	1	w	2268
the	54	w	2271
worse	1	w	2276