Armed with a sling and rocks, a good shepherd is a “ slinger” who defends his sheep from lions and bears (1 Sam 17:36). Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath provides a possible answer. Peterson’s interpretation remains relatively silent about exactly what Abel learns and why he flourishes. “He is ignorant and humble, and because of this, he can learn.” Yet Abel’s suffering drives him to self-development rather than despair, Peterson suggests. If a lion attacks him, who will hear his cry? How could Abel not notice Eve’s favoritism, Adam’s mentorship of his brother, and Cain’s social status as first-born? Abel is cast outside the home, relegated to keeping company with sheep. So not just their rival social status in the family but also their occupations set Cain against Abel, with Abel getting the lesser part. The agriculturalists-the farmers-have things fenced off.” The land provides Abel with less social support, more risk of violent death from wild animals, and greater exposure to the elements. Peterson points out, “The herdsmen like to have their herds, sheep, cattle, go wherever they were going to go. The sheep like to wander where they will, and this draws him into potential conflict with Cain. So, with no mentor to guide him, Abel has to make his way as a shepherd. This practice had a strong rationale behind it: dividing the land equally among many sons would lead to increasingly small parcels of cultivated land available for farming over the generations, thereby increasing the likelihood of starvation for everyone. In ancient cultures, Peterson notes, the first-born son inherited the land tilled by his father, while the other sons had to fend for themselves. Adam cultivates the garden and invites Cain to join him in the established family business. “Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground” (Genesis 4:2). Like most parents, Eve favors her first-born.Īdam does too. In his book The Beginning of Wisdom, Leon Kass points out that Genesis records no joyous remarks, no gratitude to God, and no maternal pride accompanying Abel’s birth.
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“And again, she bore his brother Abel” (Gen 4:2). Cain is not just the first-born son, Peterson notes, but the first-born human being. The archetypal brothers both suffer, but their radically different responses to their suffering represent perennial human options.Īfter becoming self-conscious and leaving the Garden of Eden, “Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, ‘I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord’” (Genesis 4:1).
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CAIN AND ABEL PARENTS SERIES
In his “ Biblical Series V: The Hostile Brothers” and in his international best seller 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos, Jordan Peterson provides a rich interpretation of the story of Cain and Abel.