Page:Jewish Encyclopedia Volume 1.pdf/95

49 1

-

V<.

supported by

cording up Abel's blond lApoealypsis Mosis.

man had no knowledge

SSince

1MH4, p.

xl.).

of burial. Abel's

Adam and Kvedid (shit. S 10;

likewise

Pirke H. Kliezer.

..

compare " Denkschril't d. 'ri, and Giu/.berg, I.e. 'i'J')).

(ilnzbenr.

In Munatsiichrtft, 1899, 226-230,

Wiener Akademie," BlRI.IOCR.VI'IlV

.



L. G.

In

•

Mohammedan Legend The story of Cain

is thus told in the Koran (sum v. 30 tt "Hecite to them the .story of the two sons of A<lam: Truly, when they offered an offering and it was accepted from one of them, and was not ae cepted from the other, that one [Cain] sjiid. 'I will surely kill thee.' lie [.Vbel] said. "God only accepts from those who fear. If thou dost .stretch forth to me thine hand to kill me, I will not stretch forth

and Alul «v/. ):

to kill thee; verily. I fear God, the Lord of the worlds; verily, I wish that Ihou mayest draw upon thee sin and thy sin, and be of the fellows nf the fire; for that is the reward of theiuijust.' lint his soul allowed him to slay his brother, and he

slew him. and in the morning he was of those who perisli. . d (Jod .sent a crow lo scnileh in the iirth and show him how he might hide his brother's I loo helpless shame; he said, 'Alas for mel lo become like this crow and hide mv brotlier's sh; And in the morning he was of those that

1

Am

r<pent" (compare I'irl^e 1{. El. ..i). further menlion is made of Abel; and the .ibsence of his name here causes the commentator liaidawi and llie historian Tabari to sjiy that the two mentioned here were not sons of Adam, but The children of Adam "or merely deseendanis. Anibic historians ('^'aljulti. Tabari, Ibn alAthir, tie. call Abel " Ilabil "; and, following Jewish trailition, they sjiy that to each one of the brothers a sister or sisters were Ixirn. Adam wished that each shodd marry the sister of the other; but Cain's .sister was the handsomer of the two and lia<l been born in paradise; while Abel and hissisler had been Adam suggested bigolleii oulsiile of the garden. that Ihe <(Ueslion .should be .settled by each one bringing an offering. Abel brought of the best of his ilock. but Cain of the worst of the products of the ground. Fire f<'ll from heaven, and consumed The sister of Abel is cinly the offering of Abel. (ailed Kelimia; that of Cain. Lnbda (compare Lebuda and Kelimat in the Syriac "Sehat/lu'ihle." ed. I'c/dld, tnins.. ]•. S; and in Ihe "Book of Ihe I?ee." (lid

No

)

cd. ISudge, trans., p.

'2^)-.

in the Elliiopie Miilrash the

names are Akieniiaand I-ubuwa; of Adam and Eve," p|>. Wi. 10-1).

see .Malan,

According

"Hook lo an-

another tradition. Adam's height slu-ank consiilerably Ihrough grief at the death of Abel. Well, iiililhrhi /,i i/i iidrii .1. r .Vii«i/iii<7nii<T. iirflnlHiiiin, Aiiit Hiilr/tw 2iir Simllii»licn Soyr ii-

lluiI.liKiinpiiv
 * iii:

l.roi(/*

pp.



tl7

tl «'/.

G.

story

intended to si-t forth; over the agricultural occupation. This prejudice naturally inlieri'd in the nomadic life. The fact conlirms the anli(|uily of the original story. Secondly, it eml)hasizes the peculiar value of the choicest animal saeritices as developed later in the ritual system. Thirdly, it shows how deep-seated wils the jealou.sy and rivalry between jieople of different occupations, who in iuicient times formed sejiarate communities and were continually at war. Fourthly, there also lurks in the story a consciousness that certain people are more pleasing to God than others, ami that the difference is, in part at least, connected with iiiiHles of worship and sjicrilice. Xeither Abel nor Cain is referred to in later Old Testament books. The New Testament has sevend references. J. F. JIcC.

1

!

is

ABEL

(" Jleadow"); Prefixed to six names of places. cgnate with the As.syrian /(/miIu (to Ik- full, fruitful), and its probable derivatives nbliiliini (fulness) and vl'lii (vermin*: Delitzsch. "Assvrisches

llandw

"

].

J."r)

r.

ABEL-BETH-MAACHAH

mine hand

my

The

'2.-|0).

First, the superiority of the pastoral

corpse remained unburied for some time. Al God's command, two turtle-doves flew down; one died: the other dug a hollow place and moved the dead

one into it. Thereupon to.M)ersbody(Tan.. " I!< ..i.. see also Gen. JR. /.

Abel-Cberamim

seems to be quite probable (Stade's "Zeilschrift."

.Iiwisli tiailitioii. Iii-lil it lo be DaAcPL'TJT: DT blooii; pt' 'Irink). to anothir viisicm. the earth refused to take

mascus (Hcb.

I).

Abd-uUMesih

THE JEWISH EXCYC'LUI'EDIA

49

P.

Maacah):

V..

(li

A

place-name occurring si. times in the Old Testament. The <|Uestion whether Abel was one i)lace and Beth-maachah another, or whether Abel-belhmaaehah must be regarded a.*? a single locality, is f>pen to doubt. The name occurs in various forms: (II .Sam. XX. 1.5, A. V.) "in Abel of Beth niaaeliali "; In (I Kings, XV. 2. A. V.) " Abel-beth maachah." II Sam. XX, 14, however, we find (A. V.) "to Abel and to Beth-maachah." with which should Ik- com l)ared the Greek versions in II Sam. xx. 14 and II Kings, XV. '2i). Owing to this apparent separation of the two names, it is possible that Aliel and B<'thmaachah may have been dilTereiit ]daies, especially as the name Abel occurs alone, undoubteilly used for the same town, in II Sam. xx. LS (A. Y. and I{. Y., "AIkI"). These slight discrepancies are l>erhaps to be explained by the supposition that k- was the chief, possibly the only, town of Maachah or Beth-maachah, a "small Syrian state. It is important to note that the parallel passage to I Kings, xv. •20 irives the placenameiis that is. llChron. xvi. 4 AuKi. MAIM. "AIhI of the watei-s" (so also Ixilli versions), which would agree well with the iiKKleni Christian village Abil, or Abil-cl Kaml.i ("of the

—

—

—

wheat" owing to the fertile soill. This si'ttlement is situated in a well-watered district on the chief highway between Baxi.s and the coast, on it This place i.s lofty hill near the X.Min liMiKKimr. probably identical with i.Vibiil, mentioned in n mutilated passjige in the inscriptions of Tiglatlipileser III., ainonir other cities comiiieixsl I)V that .1. 1>. P. king (11 Kings, xv. Oil). Till' confusion of the ancient name A1h4. inetuiing date, meaning "Meadow," with Ihe Alnd of later " Mourning." gave ris*- to the legend reeonlean to the .south of Mount llermon. and then- read the petition of the fallin aiiu'els until he

". dwhen I awoke 1 came to them asleep, siiw them sillinir loirether wo'iiing at AU'lmaim Elliiopie. " I'blesjaer). which is U'twwi "]." K. I^lianoii and .Srioii |Ethiopic. "S-liejttT fell

and



The IJiblicnl account of AIm'1 Critical 'View cdini s from one writer (J) only, and is so brief and fragmentary that nuich is left" to speculation when we try to get Ihe original form of Ihe story. The name "itself can not be sjitisfaclorily explained, as il is only clear that the narnilive comes fioin a very old tradition. The .Assyrian word for S(pn Is IkiI'Iii. and the derivation from a Babylonian source

I.—

ABEL-CHEIlAMnf |s"in U Y. but " plain of .Mciili.ined only In .ludi;e«. A V "-'• .l- liln. fl-.ltV P' " i.

the vinevard;t;l

w here

"

ill

1

Ill

(ll

'



ill'

'''

Jeplli

of Ihe An roino ("OuoMiu-slu-u Siara."

'"'• '

t-<l.

Uifiunh

,

v;d

itl

,