Losing the privilege of living in the Garden of Eden had a tremendous price for Adam and Eve. They now had to work for their living and could never enjoy the same carefree days that were typical for their existence in Paradise. Soon, Eve gave birth to two sons, Cain and Abel. The narrative of the Bible switches from their parents to them. Cain was the firstborn and became a farmer. Abel followed and he became a shepherd. They both offered God the fruit of their work. Somehow, Abel seemed to be favored by God, for which reason Cain murdered him out of envy. This is the account of the first murder. Cain is exiled and sentenced to a miserable life. A mysterious mark was place on his forehead so that the other offspring of Adam and Eve would avoid him and not kill him in their turn. Was this a sign of mercy?The source of a greater mystery is the nature of the "mark of Cain". What kind of sign was it? There is no precise biblical specification, but this led to many dangerous interpretations. Racists have twisted it around to justify abusive behavior saying that "the sign" was in fact dark skin.
The readers usually focus on the drama lived by Cain, but there is another puzzling specification, namely the mentioning of Cain's wife. Where did she came from and who was she? The text lets us believe she was one of Cain's sisters as Adam and Eve had other children too. Cain goes away and builds a city named after his son, Enoch.
Anthropologists say that the biblical events beginning with the Garden of Eden and continuing with those up to the foundation of the first city allegorically render the development of social groups. The study of early forms of civilization say the first humans were hunters and gatherers who peacefully coexisted in nature. Gradually, these groups solidified and turned into villages which were supported by agriculture and animal domestication and breeding. Some specialists in anthropology claim that this lifestyle change had, besides benefits, negative effects as well. Bad acts of human behavior such as theft or envy of personal property were encouraged within these primitive communities. Problems such as the uneven distribution of wealth arose. Afterward, villages have expanded and developed generating cities. If we fold these anthropological discoveries to the biblical story, we find common points. At first, Adam and Eve lived in harmony with nature in the Garden of Eden. Then, they are driven away and start a harder life and bad things as murder start to happen. Then Cain lays the foundation of the first city.
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