Adam's Family Chronicle continued
We now move from myth and legend to family archive, with a selection of key names. Obviously this is not a complete list. Following the social mores of the time, where women were regarded as subject to men, there are only a few females named after Eve, and we can safely assume that the list is not complete even of males, since we read later (in the next archive) that Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters.
Because of the probability that this part of the family legend is based on real events, I have reached the point where I will move from retelling to commenting. Here is the rest of the Adam legend to read again, with chapter and verse indications omitted but with topic headings added (as will be from now for the rest of the book):
Cain and Abel
The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, "I have gotten a man with Yahweh's help." Again she gave birth, to Cain's brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
As time passed, Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground. Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Yahweh respected Abel and his offering, but he didn't respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell. Yahweh said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen? If you do well, won't it be lifted up? If you don't do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it." Cain said to Abel, his brother, "Let's go into the field." While they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.
Yahweh said to Cain, "Where is Abel, your brother?" He said, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?" Yahweh said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the ground. Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. From now on, when you till the ground, it won't yield its strength to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth."
Cain said to Yahweh, "My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me out today from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from your face, and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. Whoever finds me will kill me." Yahweh said to him, "Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." Yahweh appointed a sign for Cain, so that anyone finding him would not strike him.
It is interesting to note Cain's concern that 'whoever finds me will kill me', which certainly implies there were hominids alive whom Cain might justly fear. This provides another reason for supposing that when Adam received the transforming in-breathing of Yahweh's spirit he was not the only being of his kind.
Cain's family line
Cain left Yahweh's presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain knew his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad. Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech. Lamech took two wives: the name of the first one was Adah, and the name of the second one was Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother's name was Jubal, who was the father of all who handle the harp and pipe. Zillah also gave birth to Tubal Cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron. Tubal Cain's sister was Naamah.
Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice. You wives of Lamech, listen to my speech, for I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for bruising me. If Cain will be avenged seven times, truly Lamech seventy-seven times."
Seth's family line
Adam knew his wife again. She gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, saying, "for God has given me another child instead of Abel, for Cain killed him." A son was also born to Seth, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on Yahweh's name.
Retrospective concluding title
This is the book of the generations of Adam.
We move in this section from the direct involvement of Yahweh with individuals (once again asking awkward questions) to a more remote stage: Cain left Yahweh's presence; men began to call on Yahweh's name, implying no direct contact. Yahweh will contact men again, but much less often.
It will always be a conundrum for us to imagine Yahweh's presence. Obviously visible and audible, but with no description. Did Yahweh simply look like any other man? We shall never know. How did people like Cain, and later Noah, Abraham, and Jacob, know that it was Yahweh they were in the presence of? We shall never know, but apparently these men did somehow, if these legends contain this sort of truth in them.
It is worth noting that the Cain and Abel episode, so familiar to us, brings to our attention what archeologists have discovered, that early man progressed from gathering to what we can call organised farming. Here is the archetypal tension between crop culture and domesticating animals for their produce. Why did Yahweh prefer an animal sacrifice to a cereal one? This is a theme throughout the religion given to the people who worshipped Yahweh. Christian commentators would stress that these sacrifices were a type, a foreshadowing, of an even greater sacrifice, yet to come.
Within the family archive of Cain we get three important highlights:
Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother's name was Jubal, who was the father of all who handle the harp and pipe. Zillah also gave birth to Tubal Cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron.
We see here, in what archaeologists would call the correct sequence, nomadic life (those who dwell in tents and have livestock), artistic expression (the father of all who handle the harp and pipe), and finally metal working (the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron). It is quite difficult to dismiss these details, and much easier to suppose that they represent reliable memories handed down from generation to generation.