Abel

Biblical figure

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This article is about the biblical figure. For other uses, see Abel (disambiguation).

Abel

Sacrifice of Abel by Juan Antonio de Frías y Escalante, c. 1667

Parents|

* Adam (father)
* Eve (mother)

Religious life
Religion| Abrahamic religions

Abel[a] (Hebrew: הֶבֶל Hébel, in pausa הָבֶל‎ Hā́ḇel; Biblical Greek: Ἅβελ Hábel; Arabic: هابيل, Hābēl) is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within the Abrahamic religions. Born as the second son of Adam and Eve, the first two humans created by God, he was a shepherd who offered his firstborn flock to God as a religious offering. God accepted Abel's offering but not the offering of his older brother Cain, leading Cain to stone Abel to death out of jealousy. This act marked the first death in biblical history, making Abel the first murder victim.

## Life and death

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This section is an excerpt from Cain and Abel § Genesis narrative.[edit]

Cain leadeth Abel to death, by James Tissot, c. 1900

The story of Cain's murder of Abel and its consequences is told in Genesis 4:1–18:[1]

> Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, "I have produced a man with the help of the Lord."[2] Next she bore his brother Abel.[3] Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. The Lord said to Cain,

>> "Why are you angry,
>  and why has your countenance fallen?
>  If you do well,
>  will you not be accepted?
>  And if you do not do well,
>  sin is lurking at the door;
>  its desire is for you,
>  but you must master it."

> Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out to the field."[4] And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.

> Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?"[5] And the Lord said, "What have you done? Listen; your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground! And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.[6] When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth." Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear! Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me." Then the Lord said to him, "Not so! Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance." And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him.

> Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch; and he built a city, and named it Enoch after his son Enoch.

— Book of Genesis, 4:1–18[7]

## Interpretations

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### Jewish and Christian interpretations

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According to the narrative in Genesis, Abel is Eve's second son. His name in Hebrew is composed of the same three consonants as a root meaning "the air that remains after you exhale" also synonymous in Hebrew to "nothing", as stated in Ecclesiastes. Julius Wellhausen has proposed that the name is independent of the root.[8] Eberhard Schrader had previously put forward the Akkadian (Old Assyrian dialect) ablu ("son") as a more likely etymology.[9]

The First Mourning (Adam and Eve mourn the death of Abel); oil on canvas 1888 painting by William-Adolphe Bouguereau

In Christianity, comparisons are sometimes made between the death of Abel and that of Jesus, the former thus seen as being the first martyr. In Matthew 23:35 Jesus speaks of Abel as "righteous", and the Epistle to the Hebrews states that "The blood of sprinkling ... [speaks] better things than that of Abel" (Hebrews 12:24). The blood of Jesus is interpreted as bringing mercy; but that of Abel as demanding vengeance (hence the curse and mark).[10]

Abel is invoked in the litany for the dying in the Roman Catholic Church, and his sacrifice is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass along with those of Abraham and Melchizedek. The Alexandrian Rite commemorates him with a feast day on December 28.[11]

According to the Coptic Book of Adam and Eve (at 2:1–15), and the Syriac Cave of Treasures, Abel's body, after many days of mourning, was placed in the Cave of Treasures, before which Adam and Eve, and descendants, offered their prayers. In addition, the Sethite line of the Generations of Adam swear by Abel's blood to segregate themselves from the unrighteous.

In the Book of Enoch (22:7), regarded by most Christian and Jewish traditions as extra-biblical, the soul of Abel is described as having been appointed as the chief of martyrs, crying for vengeance, for the destruction of the seed of Cain. A similar view is later shown in the Testament of Abraham (A:13 / B:11), where Abel has been raised to the position as the judge of the souls.

In Bereshit Rabbah (22:2), a discussion of Gen. 4:1 ff. has Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha mentioning that Cain was born with a twin sister, and Abel with two twin sisters. This is based on the principle that the otherwise superfluous accusative article "et" always conveys some additional teaching (Pesachim 22b). The "et"'s are parsed slightly differently in Yebamot 62a where the two "et"'s in Gen. 4:2 indicate Cain and his sister, and Abel and his (one) sister.

### Sethian Gnostic interpretation

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In the Apocryphon of John, a work belonging to Sethian Gnosticism, Abel is the offspring of Yaldaboath and Eve, who is placed over the elements of water and earth as Elohim, but was only given his name as a form of deception.[12][13]

### Mandaean interpretation

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Main article: Hibil

According to Mandaean beliefs and scriptures including the Qulasta, the Book of John and Genzā Rabbā, Abel is cognate with the angelic soteriological figure Hibil Ziwa,[14] (Classical Mandaic: ࡄࡉࡁࡉࡋ ࡆࡉࡅࡀ, sometimes translated "Splendid Hibel"),[15] who is spoken of as a son of Hayyi[16] or of Manda d-Hayyi,[17][18] and as a brother to Anush (Enosh) and to Sheetil (Seth),[19] who is the son of Adam.[20] Elsewhere, Anush is spoken of as the son of Sheetil, and Sheetil as the son of Hibil, where Hibil came to Adam and Eve as a young boy when they were still virgins, but was called their son.[21] Hibil is an important lightworld being (uthra) who conquered the World of Darkness.[17] As Yawar Hibil, he is one of multiple figures known as Yawar (Classical Mandaic: ࡉࡀࡅࡀࡓ, lit. 'Helper'), being so named by and after his father.[19]

### Islamic interpretation

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Grave of Abel within the Nabi Habeel Mosque

Main articles: Cain and Abel in Islam and Al-Ma'ida

The Mausoleum of Abel in the Nabi Habeel Mosque

According to Shi'a Muslim belief, Abel ("Habeel") is buried in the Nabi Habeel Mosque, located on the west mountains of Damascus, near the Zabadani Valley, overlooking the villages of the Barada river (Wadi Barada), in Syria. Shi'a are frequent visitors of this mosque for ziyarat. The mosque was built by Ottoman Wali Ahmad Pasha in 1599.

## In modern media

[edit]

* Abel is portrayed by Franco Nero in the film The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966).
* Paul Rudd played the role of Abel in the 2009 film Year One.
* In the SCP series, an anomaly named Able with the codename SCP-076 is based on Abel.
* In Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor, the main character Kazuya is the reincarnation of Abel.
* Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher penned a song titled "Guess God Thinks I'm Abel", which appears on the band's 2005 album Don't Believe the Truth.
* Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Fall Out Boy, will voice the role of Abel in the upcoming second season of Hazbin Hotel.

## Notes

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1. ^ /ˈeɪbəl/ ⓘ; Hebrew: הֶבֶל Héḇel, in pausa הָבֶל‎ Hā́ḇel; Biblical Greek: Ἅβελ Hábel; Arabic: هابيل, romanized: Hābīl

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Alter, Robert, trans. 2008. "Genesis 4." In The Five Books of Moses. p. 29.
2. ^ 4:1 – The Hebrew verb "knew" implies intimate or sexual knowledge, along with possession. The name "Cain", which means "smith", resembles the verb translated as "gotten" but also possibly meaning "to make". (Alter 2008:29).
3. ^ 4:2 – Abel's name could be associated with "vapor" or "puff of air". (Alter 2008:29).
4. ^ 4:8 – "Let us go out to the field" does not appear in the Masoretic Text, but is found in other versions including the Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch.
5. ^ 4:9 – the phrase traditionally translated "am I my brother's keeper?" is Hebrew "Hă-šōmêr 'āḥî 'ānōḵî?". "Keeper" is from the verb shamar (שמר), 'guard, keep, watch, preserve.'
6. ^ 4:10–12 – Cain is cursed min-ha-adamah, from the earth, being the same root as "man" and Adam.
7. ^ Genesis 4:1–18
8. ^ Julius Wellhausen, Skizzen und Vorarbeiten, volume 3, (1887), p. 70.
9. ^ Eberhard Schrader, Die Keilinschrift und das Alte Testament, 1872.
10. ^ For copies of a spectrum of notable translations and commentaries see Hebrews 12:24 at the Online Parallel Bible.
11. ^ Holweck, F. G., A Biographical Dictionary of the Saints. St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co., 1924.
12. ^ Marvin Meyer; Willis Barnstone (June 30, 2009). "The Secret Book of John". The Gnostic Bible. Shambhala. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
13. ^ "Gnosticism - Apocryphon of John". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
14. ^ Drower, E.S. (1932). The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Gorgias Press.com. ISBN 978-1931956499. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
15. ^ Häberl, Charles G.; McGrath, James F. (2019). The Mandaean Book of John: Text and Translation (PDF). Open Access Version. Berlin/Boston: De Gruyter. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-10-09.
16. ^ Al-Saadi, Qais; Al-Saadi, Hamed (2019). "Book Five: The Descent of the Savior". Ginza Rabba. Vol. Right Volume (2nd ed.). Germany: Drabsha. p. 78\. "My Father, Hayyi, said to me, "Why are you standing down Yawar? You are Yawar Hibil the messenger![…]""
17. ^ a b Al-Saadi, Qais; Al-Saadi, Hamed (2019). "Glossary". Ginza Rabba. Vol. Right Volume (2nd ed.). Germany: Drabsha. pp. 206–213.
18. ^ Al-Saadi, Qais; Al-Saadi, Hamed (2019). "Book Five: The Descent of the Savior". Ginza Rabba. Vol. Right Volume (2nd ed.). Germany: Drabsha. p. 83\. "In gratitude we give thanks to Manda ʼd Hayyi and to his son Hibil, who established the order of Hayyi."
19. ^ a b Al-Saadi, Qais; Al-Saadi, Hamed (2019). "Book Five: The Descent of the Savior". Ginza Rabba. Vol. Right Volume (2nd ed.). Germany: Drabsha. pp. 70–83.
20. ^ Al-Saadi, Qais; Al-Saadi, Hamed (2019). "Book One, 1st Glorification: The Return of Sheetil, son of Adam to the World of Light". Ginza Rabba. Vol. Left Volume (2nd ed.). Germany: Drabsha. pp. 1–9.
21. ^ Al-Saadi, Qais; Al-Saadi, Hamed (2019). "Book Twelve: The Second Illumination". Ginza Rabba. Vol. Right Volume (2nd ed.). Germany: Drabsha. pp. 130–135. [Note: this is book 10 in some other editions.]

* v
* t
* e

Cain and Abel

Book of Genesis

Biblical characters|

* Adam
* Eve
* Cain
* Abel
* Enoch
* Awan

Portrayals in media|

| Film|

* East of Eden (1955)
* Caín (1984)
* La Biblia en pasta (1984)
* The Last Eve (2005)
* Year One (2009)
* Abel Cain (unmade)

|

Plays|

* Le Jeu d'Adam (12th century)
* Cain (1821)

Musicals|

* Children of Eden (1991)
* Here's Where I Belong (1968)

Literature|

* Book of the Penitence of Adam
* East of Eden (1952 novel)
* Abel Sánchez: The History of a Passion (1917)
* The Book of Lies (2008 novel)

Songs|

* "Should the Bible Be Banned" (1988)
* "Cain's Blood" (1995)

Other|

* Cain and Abel (Titian) (c. 1545 painting)
* Cain and Abel (Tintoretto) (c. 1550 painting)
* La mort d'Abel (1810 composition)
* The First Mourning (1888 painting)
* Cain and Abel (2009 TV series)
* Cain and Abel (DC Comics)

Related theology|

* Adam and Eve
* Gospel of Judas
* Curse and mark of Cain
* Serpent seed
* Cain and Abel in Islam
* Balbira and Kalmana

Other|

* Generations of Adam
* Timeline of Genesis patriarchs
* Land of Nod
* Dracula: The Dark Prince

* v
* t
* e

Adam and Eve

Source|

* Genesis creation narrative in the Book of Genesis
* Adam
* Eve

Offspring|

* Cain and Abel
* Cain
* Abel
* Aclima
* Luluwa
* Seth
* Awan
* Azura
* Jumella

Related theology|

* Fall of man
* Original sin
* Garden of Eden
* Tree of the knowledge of good and evil
* Serpents in the Bible
* Forbidden fruit
* Apple
* Fig leaf
* Figs in the Bible
* Adam's ale
* Adamic language
* Camael
* Protevangelium
* Rosh Hashanah
* Seed of the woman
* Shamsiel
* Lilith
* Tree of life
* Allegorical interpretations of Genesis

Other cultures|

* Adam–God doctrine
* Adam and Eve in Mormonism
* Adam in Islam
* Adam in rabbinic literature
* Al-A'raf
* Book of Moses
* Endowment
* Manu (Hinduism)
* Mashya and Mashyana
* Serpent seed
* Tree of Jiva and Atman
* Tree of life (Quran)
* Our Lady of Endor Coven

Film|

* Mama's Affair (1921)
* Good Morning, Eve! (1934)
* The Broken Jug (1937)
* The Original Sin (1948)
* The Private Lives of Adam and Eve (1960)
* El pecado de Adán y Eva (1969)
* La Biblia en pasta (1984)
* The Annunciation (1984)
* Second Time Lucky (1984)
* Adipapam (1988)
* Adam (1992)
* Babs (2000)
* The Last Eve (2005)
* Year One (2009)
* The Tragedy of Man (2011)
* Adam and Dog (2011)
* Tropico (2013)

Plays|

* Le Jeu d'Adam (12th century)
* The Broken Jug (1808)
* The Tragedy of Man (1861)
* The Creation of the World and Other Business (1972)

Musicals|

* The Apple Tree (1966)
* Dude (1972)
* Up from Paradise (1973)
* Children of Eden (1991)

Compositions|

* The Creation (1798)
* structure
* La mort d'Adam (1809)
* Ève (1875)
* Genesis Suite (1945)
* Lilith (2001)

Literature|

* Apocalypse of Adam
* Book of Moses
* Book of Abraham
* Books of Adam
* Book of the Penitence of Adam
* Cave of Treasures
* "El amigo de Él y Ella"
* Genesis A and Genesis B
* Harrowing of Hell
* Life of Adam and Eve
* Testament of Adam
* Testimony of Truth (3rd century)
* Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan (6th century)
* "Old Saxon Genesis" (9th century)
* "Adam lay ybounden" (15th century)
* Paradise Lost (1667)
* Le Dernier Homme (1805)
* Extracts from Adam's Diary (1904)
* Eve's Diary (1905)
* The Book of Genesis (2009)
* The Rise and Fall of Adam and Eve (2017)

Art|

* Bernward Doors (1015)
* Tapestry of Creation (11th century)
* Expulsion from the Garden of Eden (1425)
* Vienna Diptych (15th century)
* The Last Judgment (1482)
* The Garden of Earthly Delights (1504)
* Adam and Eve (1507)
* The Creation of Adam (1512)
* The Haywain Triptych (1516)
* Eve, the Serpent and Death (1510s or 1520s)
* Adam and Eve (1528)
* Adam and Eve (1550)
* The Fall of Man (1550)
* Adam and Eve (c. 1550)
* The Garden of Eden with the Fall of Man (1617)
* The Fall of Man (1628)
* Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (c. 1650)
* The Four Seasons (1660s)
* The Koren Picture-Bible (1692–1696)
* Paradise Lost (19th century)
* Expulsion from the Garden of Eden (1828)
* The First Mourning (1888)
* Adam and Eve (1905)
* Adam and Eve (1909)
* Eve (1911)
* Eve (1931)
* Adam and Eve (1932)
* The Serpent Chooses Adam and Eve (1958)
* Genesis (1960)

Songs|

* "Dese Bones G'wine Rise Again"
* "Adam-ondi-Ahman" (1835)
* "Forbidden Fruit" (1915)
* "The Garden of Eden" (1956)
* "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (1968)
* "Let's Give Adam and Eve Another Chance" (1970)
* "Man Gave Names to All the Animals" (1979)

Albums|

* The Cainian Chronicle (1996)
* Visions of Eden (2006)
* Snakes for the Divine (2010)

Geography|

* Adam-ondi-Ahman
* Tomb of Eve

Biology|

* Mitochondrial Eve
* Y-chromosomal Adam
* The Real Eve

Story within a story|

* Doraemon: Nobita's Diary on the Creation of the World
* Island of Love
* The Visitors

Television|

* "Adam & Eve" (1992)
* "Probe 7, Over and Out" (1963)
* "Simpsons Bible Stories"
* "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela"
* "Daesong Heavy Industries II: Return to Innocence"
* "Holly Bibble"

Games|

* Demon: The Fallen (2002)

Other|

* Pre-Adamite
* Generations of Adam
* Cave of the Patriarchs
* Adam and Eve cylinder seal
* Genealogies of Genesis
* Carnal knowledge
* Legend of the Rood
* Ystorya Adaf
* Ransom theory of atonement

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* 2
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* Czech Republic
* Poland
* Vatican
* Israel
* Catalonia

People|

* DDB

Other|

* Yale LUX

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