Take a long look at the photo. To whom is this woman praying? It is hard to tell, isn’t it? Suppose we watch her for a while. We may see her bow low to the floor. Her lips may move, though perhaps it is too low for us to hear the words proceeding from her. But then, she may not even be praying in a language we understand. Her ethnicity is ambiguous, but if we knew where she was from... Read more
In Part 1 we examined the setting of the crime scene. In the Part 2 we looked at the offering of Cain and Abel at the gate of Eden, digging specifically into the probable reason that Cain’s offering was rejected by God. Now we approach the crime of Cain itself. Most of the details of the crime are well known and uncontroversial, so I won’t dwell on them too much. But there are certain details in the event and in... Read more
In Part 1 we determined the setting for Cain and Abel’s offerings as the Gate of Eden itself, where mankind would have come to bring their gifts to God. If you haven’t already, you can check out that post here. Next, let’s dig into the profiles of the characters in our case. Two of a Kind The two major players in our story are, of course, Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve. We know they are brothers,... Read more
Cain and Abel: Biblical CSI The story of Cain and Abel is well known for being the first murder case in the history of humankind. That is, of course, assuming we take the story as a history. This is exactly how I take the text. Though if you read under different assumptions, I hope you may still find this study beneficial and thought provoking. Let’s take on the role of investigators as we a look at the story of Cain... Read more
What kind of column title could be broad enough to encompass everything, but focused enough to suggest a thematic direction? I settled on this one: Four Faces, which may sound abstract at first, but is actually very rooted in reality. The four faces of ox, lion, eagle, and man—the four living creatures described in Ezekiel—are imprinted on the pattern of Scripture and life. They are the faces upon which Yahweh is enthroned. They describe the progress of humanity: from priest... Read more
Four Faces
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