Jesus Christ--our true calling - A guest post by Heather Schopp

Dear friends,

I am really happy to have wonderful guest post here from Heather Schopp. Heather can often be found on Karen Campbell's wonderful page - www.thatmom.com - Heather has a number of lectures on Karen's page from some of the conferences that she has taken part in. My recommendation? Listen to everything from Heather and Karen that you can get your ears around!

Heather is one of the most powerful and elegant writers you will find anywhere on God's great blogosphere. Check out some of her work here below.   

Jesus Christ--our true calling

We tend to make rigid fences of our denominations. The denomination's list of doctrines become the acceptable "truth"--anyone outside that fence is at best not as Christian, at worst condemned. People within the fence sometimes throw the word "heretic" at anyone who doesn't interpret the Bible according to their code. So we stand behind our fences and feel safe as the "chosen" or the "one true church."

But who am I to think I have the corner on truth?

My friend said it well: "I'm a Christian first, and I happen to feel comfortable practicing my faith as a Lutheran." ....not because Luther had all the correct answers, not because non-Lutherans are all wrong -- but simply because she feels content there and is growing in her faith. I too attend a denominational church, and I think it's natural and appropriate to find a place where it feels comfortable to worship, where one shares a common belief system with other attenders.

We are called not to take on the identity of our pastor or priest or church or denomination -- but to take on the identity of Jesus Christ. We have been given minds that question and doubt and are capable of learning and growing and changing -- are we allowing those questions to spring forth, the doubts to arise, that learning and changing and growing to happen? If we sit in our churches as mindless vessels, letting the speaker pour in his/her thoughts, we have set aside the instincts, the beautiful minds God has given us. How can that be honoring to Him? He alone has the corner on truth, is Truth itself.

More and more I see knowing Jesus, understanding truth, as a process. There is not a certain magic prayer that flips a switch and makes one a Christian, not a code that when followed grants a heavenly entrance, not a list of doctrines that when accepted puts a person on the "right path."

Jesus will is to draw all men to Himself -- we can resist, we can misunderstand, but He will not stop drawing and revealing His light. Our churches and denominations should enhance that process, should help us to understand and love Jesus and love others more.

When we let churches/denominations define our faith, when we allow them to put a barrier between us and other Christians, between us and the world, we do a disservice to our faith, to others, to the truth, to Jesus Christ. We should not fear questions of faith and doctrine, differences of beliefs and convictions -- they are opportunities for us to grow and draw closer to Jesus, Who remains the unchanging truth.

Greet each other with a holy kiss

"Greet each other with a holy kiss"

This post has been republished in a new book referenced below:

Amazon.com: Thy Rod and Thy Staff They Comfort Me - Book IV: Selected Essays on the Subject of Spanking Children in Support of Peaceful Parenting (9780978533984): Martin, Samuel: Books

Was Saint Paul really a “tentmaker” as we understand this idea today?

Was Saint Paul really a “tentmaker” as we understand this idea today?

I think that we are all fairly familiar with the general history of St. Paul and his life. We understand from the New Testament that St. Paul’s family, as far as the Jewish world was concerned, must have been considered quite well off. They were Roman citizens. In fact, he went to study Jewish law and jurisprudence in Jerusalem from an early age. He even mentions that he “studied at the feel of Gamliel.” (Acts 22:3) Note the following synopsis.

“In this article we aren’t so much interested in Paul’s biography as we are in relating his theological background to his role as apostle of grace. We know that Paul (then Saul) was born in Tarsus, the son of a Pharisee who was also a Roman citizen. Paul went to Jerusalem early in life to study with the great rabbi Gamaliel. In his first Jerusalem trial (Acts 22:2), Paul introduced himself to the Sanhedrin as he who learned "at the feet of Gamaliel." This phrase means more than we would take it for at first glance. It sounds like Paul is giving homage to his teacher, and that he hung on Gamaliel’s every word. Actually, Paul used this figure of speech to remind the Sanhedrin just how important a figure Saul of Tarsus was, even from his earliest years in Jerusalem. In the synagogues, students sat in an arrangement that reflected their academic position. We have a description of a typical academic synagogue setting in which Paul would have studied:

"The academy head presided, seated on a chair or on special mats. In the front rows opposite him sat the important scholars, including his colleagues or outstanding pupils, and behind them all the other scholars. When the academies grew larger, particularly in Palestine, the order of the seating was based on a precisely defined hierarchy. In the first row sat the great scholars, in the second row the less important sages, and so on" (Adin Steinsaltz, The Essential Talmud).

We can, therefore, picture the apostle as a young man, seated front and center, at the very feet of the renowned and revered Gamaliel. Already at the top of his class, he was on his way to becoming the leading Pharisee.

Paul also wrote to the Galatians (1:14) that he was extremely zealous for the law, and his academic accomplishments exceeded that of many of his peers. This may have been a humble way of saying that he really excelled above everyone when it came to legalistic knowledge. Along with other mentions of his "qualifications" (Phil. 3:4-6, Acts 22:3, 23:6) we can assume that Paul had no superiors in the world of Pharisaism. Had not God intervened in his life, he was destined to become the next great rabbinical leader. Just as men like Gamaliel, Hillel, Rabbi Akiba, and many others have become Talmudic legends, so also Saul of Tarsus would have doubtless joined the list. Perhaps he may have achieved the great title of Rabbi Saul of Tarsus.” (http://www.tidings.org/studies/legalism1199.htm)

No doubt, of the people who make up the writers of the Holy Bible, St. Paul was certainly the most educated. But did he make physical tents for a living? According to the book of Acts, Paul is termed as a “tentmaker.” (Greek: skenopoios) However, isn’t it interesting that find this word used only one time in the Bible? In addition, note that according to the Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, in the article “Paul,” vol. VII, pg. 789, it says: “This trade is described by Luke as that of a skenopoios, a word regarding the meaning of which there has been no small difference of opinion.” Maybe this word does not actually mean “tentmaker?”

Yes, Paul may very well have been an actual tentmaker, but note what Ronald Hock of UCLA says: “That Paul was a tentmaker (skenopoios) we learn only from Luke (cf. Acts 18:3). Although there is no reason to doubt Luke at this point (cf. E. Haenchen; The Acts of the Apostles: A Commentary [Philadelphia: Westminster, 1971] 538), the nature of Paul’s trade is still not clear. Of the two options – weaving tent clothe from goat’s hair (cilicium) or cutting and sewing leather to make tents – the latter is to be preferred.”[1]

We can see from these points that it is not exactly clear what Paul’s precise occupation was. However, it appears to have involved leather cutting, which may have been used in the fashioning of tents.

Let us be clear though on one thing. St. Paul, being that most educated of all of the Biblical writers, he no doubt was involved in the transmission of written records (including his own) to the Christian Church. Note the following discussion that my father made concerning Paul and his academic pursuits, which related in a practical way to the construction of codex form books. Those of you who have read the book Restoring the Original Bible will remember this important discussion:

“Timothy and John Mark were asked by Paul to fetch three important items and bring them to Rome. "When you come, bring the cloak [Greek: phelonen] I left with Carpus, and the scrolls, especially the parchments" (II Timothy 4:13). It is interesting that the phelonen, usually considered to be a heavy outer garment, would be mentioned alongside the paper scrolls (actually scrolls made from the papyrus plant) and the parchments (these were animal skins on which permanent documents were normally written). It seems odd that a heavy coat would be in the same context with literary documents. Most scholars, however, point out that Paul wanted Timothy and Mark to hurry to Rome before winter (verse 21) and that he probably wanted the phelonen which he left with Carpus in order to keep himself warm when the cold would set in.

This may be the case, but there are some difficulties with this interpretation. The truth is, the word phelonen had another meaning in the Greek world at the time, and it is one that is intimately connected with scrolls and parchments.

Vincent, in his Word Studies in the New Testament, has this to say about the word phelonen.  "Hesychius explains it as originally a case for keeping the mouthpieces of wind-instruments; thence, generally, a box. Phrynicus, a Greek sophist of the second half of the third century, defines it as ‘a receptacle for books, clothes, silver, or anything else.' Phelonen was a wrapper of parchments, and was translated figuratively in Latin by toga or paenula ‘a cloak,' sometimes of leather; also the wrapping which a shopkeeper put round fish or olives; also the parchment cover for papyrus rolls.

Accordingly it is claimed that Timothy in 4:13 is bidden to bring, not a cloak, but a roll-case. So the Syriac Version." (p.326)

The fact is, the word phelonen can mean either a cloak (and it is commonly used that way in Greek literature) or it could mean a receptacle for the placement of scrolls and parchments. It is the context which must determine what the apostle Paul meant by the use of phelonen in II Timothy 4:13. Since the word is found right next to scrolls and parchments, the immediate context would suggest a "book cover" a "book case" or "book slip" into which scrolls or pages of books were placed. As Vincent stated, the Syriac Version of the New Testament understood it in that manner.

Chrysostom, in the fourth century, commented on this very reference of Paul's and stated that some thought Paul meant a "book case" a receptacle for books (Hom. in loc. vol. XI, p.780, ed. Gaume). Even Jerome mentioned this point (Epist. 36, ad Damasum).

What is meant can only be determined by the context, because the word can signify either a heavy outer coat, a book case or some outer cover for books. Even in our modern times we have problems in interpreting similar words unless a proper context is provided. Let me give two illustrations to show the difficulty.

In these examples we will consider the modern words jacket, wrap and cover, Suppose a letter were found in which a woman college student wrote her mother. She said that she wanted her mother to "go to the closet and get out my heavy jacket and send it to me. It will provide the cover I need from the cold. I am now using the wrap you gave me for my birthday and it is not warm enough."

If such a letter were found, the context makes it clear that the girl is talking about outer garments in all instances. But what if the following letter were found, "Go to the bookstore and buy the latest fiction book you wrote me about. Take the jacket off, because dust wraps on the books annoy me. Make sure, however, that the book has a hard cover because I don't like paperbacks."

Though these two illustrations use exactly the same words, they signify opposite things. Obviously, no one would get confused over what was intended in either case, because the contexts are plain as to what was meant. But let us return to our word phelonen in II Timothy 4:13. It could mean either a book case, a book wrapper, a book jacket, a book cover, or it could mean a heavy outer garment. Vincent in his Word Studies had no objection to it being an ordinary cloak because, like many other modern translators, he noted that Paul asked Timothy and John Mark to come to Rome before winter (verse 21). To many scholars this provides the context in which to interpret phelonen, though admittedly the reference to winter is eight verses away from the use of the word. On the other hand, the word phelonen is found in the very verse (and context) which mentions the scrolls and parchments that Paul needed. Contextually, it would seem more logical to think of phelonen as being associated with literary documents. Indeed, it is even better to consider it that way because Luke was still with Paul in Rome and surely he could have secured for Paul any protective garment to keep away the cold during the approaching winter. Would it be necessary to fetch an outer garment all the way from Troas to keep Paul covered for the short time he was to remain alive? The fact is, Paul's reference to winter (verse 21) is by context too far away for the phelonen to mean an actual cloak. But with the word intimately connected (in a perfect context) with the literary documents which Paul was urgently requesting Timothy and John Mark to bring with them, it seems more probable that the interpretation of the Syriac Version, along with the suggestions found in Chrysostom and Jerome, happen to be correct. It appears that Paul wanted his important book case (his receptacle for carrying books) to be brought at once to Rome and the request was one of pressing necessity.” (Ernest L. Martin, Restoring the Original Bible, ASK Publication: Portland:OR, 1994 pgs. 385-387)

In this discussion, we can note the interesting point that here is Paul referring to something which could have been very well made of leather and it was used to cover books? Very interesting when we consider the whole “tentmaker” argument because my father endeavored clearly to show that St. Paul was involved in the construction of books and manuscripts and official documents related to the Christian Church. Perhaps his trade was one of a leather worker and he just transferred the knowledge that he had acquired in making leather items, like tents, to the trade of making books with leather covers and bindings utilizing leather in their construction? One thing for sure, St. Paul was certainly a highly educated man whose career path was going not into the private sector, but his destiny was to be a doctor of the law with the title of Rabbi Saul. He does not seem to have prepared himself specifically for a life of commercial enterprise. Let me know what you think on this interesting issue. 

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[1] http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-9231%28197812%2997%3A4%3C555%3APTATPO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-V&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage

NO MORE! NO MORE TO FAMILY VIOLENCE INFLICTED ON KIDS IN JESUS NAME! NO MORE!

I am asking those of you to join me now in praying the peace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on all under His sun suffering from family violence.

I believe that Jesus is calling all of us who have eyes to see and ears to hear right now to a new Crusade, a Crusade of Peace, a Crusade of Love, a Crusade of Reconciliation. Jesus said: My sheep hear my voice. Do you hear Jesus? Is He speaking to you?

I believe that the Lord is speaking to us now and calling all of us committed to "sharing the peace" that we are so used to doing on weekly holy days to get out of our places of worship and go into the world to do so, to roll up our sleeves and go to work.

Here we are not taking about an abstract thing: peace; No, not at all! We are talking about God who became man and walked among us: Jesus. Jesus is our peace. It is He who we are asking to lead us to a more peaceful world and I believe the first place to start where Jesus wants us to work is at home, in every home.

I have seen on this page something very special happen since February 26. I ask anyone to simply look at what has happened since that date. A very simple post made on that day and 'promoted" in the begining for $10.00 US Dollars (which I am still 'promoting" now) has been I believe used by Jesus Christ. I will let you judge for yourself what you think. I have sent dozens of free ebooks and profoundly connected with tens of people who I feel are simply just saying: NO MORE! NO MORE TO FAMILY VIOLENCE INFLICTED ON KIDS IN JESUS NAME! NO MORE!

From this day forward this page will have as its main focus campaigning for peace.

I have a plan of what I intend to do in this month of March. Before I talk about that, I would like to hear your view. What is Jesus saying to you? We are His sheep. Are we hearing His voice?

Download Samuel Martin's free ebook - Thy Rod and Thy Staff, They Comfort Me: Christians and the Spanking Controversy here - https://www.biblechild.com/ 

It's not just what the words of Scripture say that are important, but how, when and where they are said that is also important

It's not just what the words of Scripture say that are important, but how, when and where they are said that is also important

If you just focus on the simple information found in the Bible and do not take into consideration the issue of how the Bible is designed, you are missing opportunities for learning.

I have some posts on my blog about the importance of the order of the Biblical books and some of the things we can learn from that issue.

http://samuelmartin.blogspot.co.il/2012/10/the-major-role-of-women-in-formation-of.html

http://samuelmartin.blogspot.co.il/2011/08/normal-0-false-false-false.html

http://samuelmartin.blogspot.co.il/2012/07/the-original-order-of-old-testament.html

 Note the following. If it is just the information and not also the design of the Bible that is important, why is it that in some Biblical texts, we find the almost exact same material found as in other Biblical texts?

The reason is, is that there is an important design found in Scripture and it is up to us to find out the deeper meanings of the text and not only just focus on what it is saying supposedly on the surface.

Note the following examples:

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds,
there is none who does good.
The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread
and do not call upon the LORD?
There they are in great terror,
for God is with the generation of the righteous.
You would shame the plans of the poor,
but the LORD is his refuge.
Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
(Psalm 14 ESV)

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
there is none who does good.
God looks down from heaven
on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,
who seek after God.
They have all fallen away;
together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
not even one.
Have those who work evil no knowledge,
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon God?
There they are, in great terror,
where there is no terror!
For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.
Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.
(Psalm 53 ESV)

Both the above are virtually identical. The next two sets of examples are the same thing.

Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
O LORD, make haste to help me!
Let them be put to shame and confusion
who seek my life!
Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
Let them turn back because of their shame
who say, “Aha, Aha!”
May all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
say evermore, “God is great!”
But I am poor and needy;
hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay!
(Psalm 70 ESV)

Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me!
O LORD, make haste to help me!
Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether
who seek to snatch away my life;
let those be turned back and brought to dishonor
who delight in my hurt!
Let those be appalled because of their shame
who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation
say continually, “Great is the LORD!”
As for me, I am poor and needy,
but the Lord takes thought for me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
do not delay, O my God!
(Psalm 40:13-17 ESV)

Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go forth, O God, with our armies.
Oh, grant us help against the foe,
for vain is the salvation of man!
With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
(Psalm 60:9-12 ESV)

Who will bring me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
Have you not rejected us, O God?
You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
Oh grant us help against the foe,
for vain is the salvation of man!
With God we shall do valiantly;
it is he who will tread down our foes.
(Psalm 108:10-13 ESV)

Note: For more information, see Ernest L. Martin's "Restoring the Original Bible" (ASK Publication: Portland:OR, 1994) , pg.481.

Let's pay close attention to design and content. You may find that there is meaning which needs to be discovered.

Download Samuel Martin's free ebook - Thy Rod and Thy Staff, They Comfort Me: Christians and the Spanking Controversy here - https://www.biblechild.com/

Why Do I Write?

Why Do I Write?

I am working on a new website and I'll probably be making a video as an introduction on who I am (and it may include some exotic Jerusalem locations) and why it is that I am doing what I am doing. (sort of my own personal intervention logic - a nice development term)

But I got to thinking about it and thought I'd stretch outside of myself and explain myself in a very simple way.

I write because I love writing and because I was taught to be a writer. I may not have reached the level of writing proficiency that I hope to aspire to, but my father always told me to continue writing to improve my work. That is what he did throughout his life and through his own ministry which lasted over 40 years.

My dad in his infectious style, which was eternally optimistic, forward thinking and always positive told me constantly that I would achieve greater things than he ever did. So, for comparitive purposes, you can check out the following photo which explains why I write. My books are the one's on the right. :)

PS. Two of my other publications are in fact done and will be published very soon as ebooks, but they are not pictured here. Not yet anyway :)

Download Samuel Martin's free ebook - Thy Rod and Thy Staff, They Comfort Me: Christians and the Spanking Controversy here - http://whynottrainachild.com/2013/06/22/download-martins-book/

Excerpt from the book "What was the Mark of Cain?" by Samuel Martin

Excerpt from the book "What was the Mark of Cain?" by Samuel Martin

When I think of this, I go right back to the story of Cain and Abel. Cain did not murder Abel.

We are not told precisely in the book of Genesis when this event happened, but may we make speculations in this regard? We are told that Cain and Abel were the first children of Adam and Eve (Genesis 4:1,2). The births of these two children preceded the birth of Seth who was born in the 130^th year of Adam’s life (Genesis 5:3). This same Seth, the Scripture teaches, produced his first child. Enoch, at the age of 105 (ibid., 5:6) We are not told precisely, but could it be that Cain and Abel were born sometime just after Adam passed his 100^th year? We are not told when Cain was born, but if Cain was born when, for example, Adam was, say 105 years old, then Abel for the sake of this example, was born at least a year or perhaps two or even three years later.[1] You would have Cain becoming 12 in Adam’s 117^th year and his brother, Abel, becoming 11 or 10 (or perhaps 9) in Adam’s 118^th or 119^th years (or 120^th year if there was a three year gap between the children).[2]

One of the interesting things about this issue concerning the ages of Cain and Abel is that we have a source that seems to indicate this. In the Midrash Rabbah it quotes Lamech, a descendant of Cain, who says the following: “Did ‘I’ slay Abel who was a man in height, but a child in years, that my descendants should be exterminated on account of this sin (the sin of Cain who killed Abel).”[3] It is interesting that we do find some evidence that seems to point to the youthfulness of Abel (and also by extension of Cain himself).

Since we do not have a clear statement in the Bible about the number of years between these children, we have to look to other sections of the Bible that might help us to better understand this issue. One thing that can help us perhaps is to look at other figures in the Bible, particularly in these earlier sections and look at families and see if we have any clues about the normal spacing of children in these earlier periods.

Much of the data is very terse and short, but if we will pay close attention to the information that we do have, we might just find some clues to help us better understand what was happening here in this early section of Genesis.

Since Moses was the writer of this section,[4] perhaps it makes good sense to look at his life. We are told in the Bible that Moses had a brother named Aaron and that his brother was three years older than he was.[5] In addition, a careful study of the life of Moses’ older sister Miriam will show that she was born at least six years before Moses was.[6] We find some evidence in the Bible, which indicates that there may have been a tendency among the ancient Hebrews to space their children about three years apart. This is because of the ancient custom of weaning children from the breast finally at age three.[7] We find this indicated in other sections of the Bible as well where the tendency to wait until one child was weaned before seeking to get pregnant again is referenced. Note what is spoken of the wife of the prophet Hosea:

“Now when she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived, and bore a son.”[8]

The idea of weaning as the chosen method to “complete” or “ripen” a child is something that is found in the Hebrew verb (gah-mal) that the word “to wean” comes from. Strong’s Hebrew Concordance defines this word as “A primitive root; to treat a person (well or ill), that is, benefit or requite; by implication (of toil) to ripen, that is, (specifically) to wean: - bestow on, deal bountifully, do (good), recompense, requite, reward, ripen, serve, wean, yield.” There is a strong tendency to believe that in the Biblical period, God initially passed down the idea to Adam and Eve that once you had a baby, it was preferred to “ripen” that child through breast feeding for just over two years and then a family could think about adding another child after the previous one had been “ripened.”

Now, since we are not told, can we, with the information we do have, make some reasonable speculations regarding the age of Cain when he committed this killing? Naturally, Cain must have been at least one year older (probably three years is more likely) than his younger brother Abel, but we are not told precisely how old they were when the killing took place. Can we, however, make some educated guesses from the Biblical text? Perhaps.

It is interesting that in the time of Moses that the death penalty applied to numerous situations. For example, there was a man who suffered the effects of capital punishment for gathering sticks on the Sabbath. (Numbers 15:32) This individual, who died in the book of Numbers, is called a “man” (Hebrew: ish). In light of this issue, it is seemingly very uncharacteristic (under the circumstances where Cain did kill Abel) of the LORD that the death penalty was not assigned to Cain. How was it that this man who committed the crime of working on the Sabbath suffered the death penalty, but Cain who took a life, did not? Why was this? His offense seemingly was greater than that of the man who lost his life for picking up sticks on the Sabbath? After all, he did kill his brother.

We also have the story of Uzzah at the ark. Uzzah lost his life for reaching out to steady the ark in violation of the Law,[9] but once again Cain took a life and received a punishment that does not seem congruent with the crime? Or did he?

We have another story in the Bible in this regard. Scripture tells us that the LORD brought a retribution of capital punishment on Onan due to the fact that he failed to perform the legal obligation to continue the name of his departed brother.[10] Onan, due to his ability to perform this act of “raising up seed to his brother,” was clearly physically able to perform this task (and there is every indication from the text that he understood the legal obligation), but failed to do so, thereby coming under the divine retribution. Now, let us look practically at how this matter relates to the issue of Cain and the taking of Abel’s life.

Is it possible though that Cain did not commit a premeditated murder, but rather in an episode of youthful rage, his anger got the best of him and he killed his brother? As sad as this story is, we in the modern world hear horrible stories of young people who, for one or a hundred reasons, kill one another, but malice aforethought is absent. These cases today are called “manslaughter.” We in the modern world are even familiar with terms related to degrees of manslaughter, which are found in courtroom parlance.[11] Manslaughter is a very different thing than premeditated murder. Could it be that Cain’s sin, while a death did indeed take place, was looked on differently by the LORD?

One thing that is for certain is the fact that Abel was at least about a year younger than Cain. In this regard, we ask is it possible that both of them were under the age of 13? The age of 13 is the time in the life of a young Jewish male when that “boy” begins the process to becoming a “man” and then he is obligated to begin keeping all of the commandments (Hebrew: mitzvot) of God.[12] Could it be that what we are reading here is an incident involving what we today would call “teenagers? Perhaps the reason the LORD did not demand the death penalty of Cain was that he had not yet reached the age of accountability, or, was this a case of negligent homicide or manslaughter? We cannot say 100% for sure, but we can say this: Cain killed his brother.

Regarding the age of Cain, the Bible does make one fact clear. All of the events associated with Cain and Abel took place prior to the time that Cain married and had his own children. Of this we can be certain because of the indications mentioned directly in the Biblical text.[13]

---

[1] Adam and Eve probably had about an equal number of female children, which must also be considered here.

[2] Note: We have to have Cain and Abel at least reaching to these ages when we consider the information in the texts about their taking on the responsibilities of work in tending a field and in taking care of flocks. Children smaller than these ages could not, under normal circumstances, take on these duties.

[3] Bereshit Rabbah 23 in Rosenbaum & Silbermann, “Rashi's Commentary on the Pentateuch,” p.21.  Shapiro & Valentine & Co. London, 1946.

[4] See Luke 24:44,45

[5] Exodus 7:7

[6] See Bullinger’s Companion Bible Appendix 50, Chronology Charts.

[7] Mc’lintock & Strongs: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological & Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II, pg. 243, article. ‘child,’ which refers to Genesis 21:8; Exodus 2:7,9; I Samuel 1:22-24; II Chronicles 31:16 and Matthew 21:16

[8] Hosea 1:8

[9] II Sam. 6:3 CBTEL vol. X, p. 689 says Uzzah’s sin was he wasn’t an Aaronic priest and ineligible to touch the ark.

[10] Genesis 38:11

[11] http://www.law.ua.edu/colquitt/crimmain/crimmisc/jurymur.htm – This link points to two degrees of murder and two degrees of manslaughter.

[12] For information on 13 being the age of accountability, see Encyc. Judaica, “Bar Mitzvah” v. 4, p.243.)

[13] Genesis 4:17

For more information about how you can get your copy of this book, please contact Archives Bookshop in California toll free - 1 800 204 2063 - Ask for Chris.