Cain and Abel...Who recorded this tragic event?

by RULES & REGULATIONS 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  RULES & REGULATIONS

  
  

  3 The day came when Cain brought a gift of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. 4 But Abel brought a gift of the first-born of his flocks and of the fat parts. The Lord showed favor to Abel and his gift. 5 But He had no respect for Cain and his gift. So Cain became very angry and his face became sad. 6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why are you looking down? 7 Will not your face be happy if you do well? If you do not do well, sin is waiting to destroy you. Its desire is to rule over you, but you must rule over it.”

  8 Cain told this to his brother Abel. And when they were in the field, Cain stood up against his brother Abel and killed him.

  9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 The Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. 11 Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer give its strength to you. You will always travel from place to place on the earth.”

  
  

  Sometimes you stand back and you wonder how you ever believed any of these Bible stories. Genesis has direct quotes that Jehovah asks Cain about the whereabouts of Abel.

  Who wrote down these quotes Jehovah and Cain spoke as they happened? When and where were they written down? Since ink and scrolls were not invented yet, how was this conversation recorded?
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  Sea Breeze

  Archaeologists have found Ancient writings called "cuneiform" writings that date back to 3500 B.C. Adam was around 425 yrs. old at that time. So, writing could have gone back even farther. Adam could have composed his EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS of the things that happened in the beginning.

  There is a reference to writing found in Genesis 5:1 which says: "This is the book of the generations of Adam." This suggests that the that art of writing was known within the lifetime of Adam, which could make writing as old as the human race itself.
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  pseudoxristos

  Who recorded the "Sermon on the mount"? Matthew supposedly remembered it and wrote it down 40 years later?

  Quite a sermon. I have a hard time remembering what someone said last week.

  Matthew 5:1 - 7:29
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  pseudoxristos

  Matthew wrote about the "Temptation of Jesus" in third person as if he were there or as if he had very detailed information about what happened. I suppose that Jesus could have related the events to him, and then 40 years later he decided to write his gospel.

  The simpler explanation is "he made it up".

  This also explains his "flat earth" point of view:

  "the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory"

  The Temptation of Jesus

  1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4But he answered, “It is written,

  “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
  but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

  5Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple 6and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

  “‘He will command his angels concerning you,’

  and

  “‘On their hands they will bear you up,
  lest you strike your foot against a stone.’”

  7Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

  “‘You shall worship the Lord your God
  and him only shall you serve.’”

  11Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
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  smiddy3

  Are we to believe the tempter took him up into the mountain to be tempted ? And after 40 days the Devil put these questions to him ?

  Or did they dilly dance around each other for 40 days while he was being tempted ?

  In any case it seems that Satan was calling the shots as to when and where Jesus was going to be tempted .

  Luke 4:13 "So the Devil having concluded all the temptation retired from him until another convenient time "

  Whose in charge here ? Jehovah ? Jesus ? or Satan ?
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  Fadeaway1962

  At the mouth of two or three witnesses a matter is confirmed.

  Vs 6,9,10 the lord said to Cain ,no witnesses to these conversations .

  Where's Cain's version of the events?

  Was it self defense,did Abel fall over one of his sheep .

  And if the story is true what did Adam do regarding this murderer ,told him to take one of my daughter's your sister as a wife and banished them to the wilderness where if the Bible was true there are no other humans.

  And Adams final words to them as they walked away was to watch out for those dinosaur's .
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  Jeffro

  You know these are fictitious tropes in an origin myth, right?
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  Anony Mous

  There is an interesting story arc about Cain in the series Lucifer on Netflix. It’s quite interesting to hear the Devil and Cain’s side.
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  truth_b_known

  Modern day religious leaders of the Jewish faith will tell you that much of the Old Testament is just made up stories that teach a lesson. The Catholic Church even accepts that much of the Bible is allegorical in nature and not historical fact. It is because of Martin Luther and his Reformation that we get the ideology that everything in the Bible is to be taken literal.

  Because of Luther's Sola Scriptura teaching we have 40,000+ denominations of Christianity that try to make true history fit Bible history.
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  StephaneLaliberte

  Oh people of little faith! Don't you know that all those stories were inspired directly by God himself? Like a businessman dictates a letter to his secretary, God dictated the bible to Moses, Mathew, and all the other writers. This is a fact, cause the bible itself says so. What kind of human wisdom do you boast about to that you can't believe someone or a book when he or it says that it is inspired?

  On a side not, quite amazing how God inspired the Songs of Songs of Solomon, or the writings where Paul detailed his personal feelings/health or where king David wrote prayers to God in psalms and also detailed his personal feelings. Yes, word for word, everything comes from God.