Cain's New World

Gen 4:16-18

16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch; and he built a city, and named it Enoch after his son Enoch.
NRSV

In addition to exile from God's presence, verse 16 tells us about two important facets of Cain's new circumstances. First, we are told that Cain "settled in the land of Nod." This is an oxymoron. Nod literally means "place of wandering." How does one settle in the land of wandering? It can't be done, but this is Cain's new mission.

Second, Genesis also locates Cain's new home as east of Eden. How do we commonly orient ourselves when you and I look at a map? We find a legend that tells us which way is north. Not so with ancient people. For the Jews and many other ancient cultures, everything was oriented toward the east. The east was where the sun rose. It was the place of beginning—the sunset in the west. The west was the place of completion and fulfillment. To be sent eastward (just as Adam and Eve were from the garden) symbolized regression. It was a descent into chaos.

So, Cain left the presence of God to settle in a land where he could not be settled, and he descended into chaos. The tiller who planted himself, and would not embrace God's mission to fill the earth, was cursed by losing his ability to be a tiller and being forced to wander. Cain was stripped of both his relationship with God and his illusion. So, what was Cain's response? Time for a new illusion.

Verse 17 says that Cain had a son, built a city, and named them Enoch. The name "Enoch" means "initiate." Cain was confronted with his mortality and the meaninglessness of his existence. One way to achieve a kind of immortality was to create a lineage that we would carry on his name and values. So, part of Cain's plan was to "initiate" life apart from God was to start a family. Is it possible that his idolatry of questing for immortality is part of what led to the debasement of women in ancient culture? Rather than living as the fully complementary beings God created in his image, did women become a means to the idolatry of immortality through the family? Was this the flower of the curse, "your desire shall be for your husband, and she rule over you?"

But Cain also built a city. The word in Hebrew means a "fortified encampment." The contrast to God's plan cannot be more striking. God created the earth with the intent that it be filled with humankind. They would be a race of beings in a loving relationship with God and participating in creation as overseers and co-creators with God. Instead, we have humanity holed up in a city, out of a relationship with God, and hiding behind defenses to protect a pathetic and deluded existence. The city in ancient times was the center of culture, and Genesis tells us that not only did Cain personally sin, but he manufactured an illusion (human culture) that would perpetuate his delusions and hide him from the absurdity that had become his life. Humanity went from glorious co-regents of creation to defiant, pathetic, and deluded fools.

Welcome to Cain's "brave" new world. Welcome to human existence.

[Index]

Comments

[Michael Kruse]

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will spotts said...
This is a very interesting series.

I happen to be reading The Cost of Discipleship (Bonhoeffer), and this parallels his train of thought at the beginning.

June 19, 2005 1:59 AM

[Michael Kruse]

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Michael W. Kruse said...
How interesting that you brought this up. Part of where I am headed with this disillusion thing is about being prophetic, both as a community and as individuals. Bonhoeffer and M. L. King are two of the people I am studying. I hadn't thought about this discussion in terms of Cost of Disipleship. What do you see as parallel?

June 19, 2005 7:40 PM

[Michael Kruse]

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will spotts said...
In as short a form as I can say this: the chapter "The Call to Discipleship" where he discusses the Jesus calling people and the qualifications they would put on following. For example, the man who said "I will follow you, Lord, but suffer me first to bid farewell . . ." He was setting conditions which, in effect, nullified the concept of following Christ. He apparently truly wanted to follow, but he wanted to do so on his own terms -- this seems similar to Cain's apparently strong desire to have God's approval but on his own terms. When we try to do this we usually tell ourselves we really are disciples. And there is a tendency to persist in this as a downward spiral seeking always to justify ourselves and our own plans.

June 22, 2005 6:40 AM

[Michael Kruse]

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Michael W. Kruse said...
Okay. I see what you mean. I have been thinking I need to go back and read Bonhoeffer's "Life Together." I think it touches on some of these issues as well and will particularly some future posts I want to make.

Alas,... so many books, so little time.

June 22, 2005 4:10 PM

[Michael Kruse]

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will spotts said...
You said it.

June 22, 2005 5:35 PM