;;; Greek for Yah;;;; Mystic name of the supreme deity. The great I AM presence & essence. ;;; (iota, alpha, omega) INRI (In nobis regnat Iesus) IHS (Invictus Hoc Signo) ;;-;;; means God IAO
Yah – pronounced as it appears.
This Divine Name is contained in Eheieh and Yahweh – it is the end of Eheieh and beginning of Yahweh, and is the emanation of Pure Supernal Force or Life-Force. It is akin to El, though corresponds to Hokmah-Wisdom, representing the very essence of God’s Word and Wisdom or Creative Power.
Yah is a Divine Name that appears frequently in the inmost secret teachings, specifically in relationship to the generation of the Body of Light or Threefold Body of Melchizedek and the Mystery of Divine Rapture and Ascension. When teachings are given on this Name the Sign of Silence always follows, for they are spoken only to the elect. We can say, however, that the Baal Shem destroys and re-creates the Universe with the intonement of Yah and that it contains the secret of Eternal Life.
Prayer to Yeshua Messiah: Christ Melchizedek
In the Holy Womb of Primordial Sophia,
The Emptiness of Infinite Space,
You shine forth as the Pleroma of Light,
The Human One of Light,
Diamond Being,
Christ the Logos –
As Supernal Glory you shine forth in your Holy Bride, Christ the Sophia!
O Perfect Thunder Mind of El Elyon, Christ Melchizedek,
We praise you and we bless your Name:
Truth-Consciousness!
You have gone out and you have come in,
Flashing forth in Divine Revelation;
O Bornless Being, Self-begetting, Self-generating,
You have emanated from within yourself as the Pleroma of Light,
And you have come forth from the Pleroma into the Entirety,
Running and returning, you have drawn the Soul of the World in ascent with you,
Your Twin Sister, your Holy Bride, as called you to herself, and you have answered her,
In love and compassion you have come, the True Light of the Living Father, Holy One
Eheieh, the Divine I Am, is your Holy Name,
Adonai, the consummation of the Aeons, the Perfection of Creation,
The Sacred Tau –
We praise you and we bless your Name,
O Spiritual Sun of Yahweh Elohim!
You have put on the images of those to whom you have appeared,
In your Great Glory and Splendor you have appeared among the gods and goddesses, archangels and angels, the shining spirits and human ones;
You have appeared to titans, hungry ghosts and demons, as to the righteous ones,
You have come to awaken the spiritual elect and made a ransom of yourself for the faithful;
Into height and depth, east and west, south and north you have made the Light of the Infinite to shine; into all realms, worlds and universes of the Entirety you emanate yourself –
You have put an end to Forgetfulness,
You have rent the Veils of Ignorance,
You have shattered the Dominion of the Demiurge,
Revealing the True Light and imparting Divine Gnosis!
On the Holy Day of the Resurrection you set our spirits free,
In the Ascension you carried our souls up in the Great Exodus –
From the first to the last, you have liberated all, going forth triumphant, gathering all holy sparks into your Body of Light!
O Risen Savior, we cleave to you,
We praise and we bless your Holy Name:
O Truth Body Savior, we praise you,
O Glory Body Savior, we praise you,
O Emanation Body Savior, we praise you,
Christ Melchizedek, we praise you and we bless your Holy Name:
Adonai Yeshua,
Yeshua Messiah,
IAO-OAI
O Light of the True Cross, illuminate our minds,
O Supernal Mercy, open our hearts,
O Grace Most High, transform our bodies –
Bless and empower us in the Way,
Heal us and establish us in the Truth,
Take us up into the Divine Life!
We give ourselves and our lives to you:
O Light-presence and Light-power,
Indwell us –
Lead us in the Path of True Gnosis,
That we might remember ourselves in the Light-continuum,
And be empowered as Holy Apostles, true Light-bearers!
We invoke your Holy Name and we pray for ourselves and all beings:
Let the Divine Light go forth to dispel the darkness in all beings and all realms;
Let all illness and dis-ease be healed and all beings be made whole;
Let all living spirits and souls receive Divine Illumination –
May the inmost heart’s desire of all beings be fulfilled;
May all beings be blessed with your repose and joy:
O Holy One, please bless and empower all beings!
Calling upon the Divine Power of your Name, we pray that the Holy Ones and Divine Beings continue to incarnate among us until the fruition of the Second Coming, that all might be brought up in the Great Resurrection and Ascension –
O Yeshua Messiah, bless and empower us with your Holy Shekinah in the divine labor of the harvest of souls!
Kadosh (= Holy) Adonai (= O Lord) Eloh;m (= our God) Tze’va’ot (= Lord of Hosts) Asher hayah (= Who was and who is) V’hoveh V’yavo! (And will come!) Amen Amun Amon
…
Cain and Abel
First two sons of Adam and Eve
This article is about the first and second sons of Adam and Eve. For other uses, see Cain and Abel (disambiguation).
In the biblical Book of Genesis, Cain and Abel are the first two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer, and his brother Abel was a shepherd. The brothers made sacrifices to God, but God favored Abel's sacrifice instead of Cain's. Cain then murdered Abel, whereupon God punished Cain by condemning him to a life of wandering. Cain then dwelt in the land of Nod (;;;;, 'wandering'), where he built a city and fathered the line of descendants beginning with Enoch.
"My Brother's Keeper" redirects here. For other uses, see My Brother's Keeper (disambiguation).
Genesis narrative
The story of Cain's murder of Abel and its consequences is told in Genesis 4:1–18:
And the human knew Eve his woman and she conceived and bore Cain, and she said, "I have got me a man with the Lord." And she bore as well his brother Abel, and Abel became a herder of sheep while Cain was a tiller of the soil. And it happened in the course of time that Cain brought from the fruit of the soil an offering to the Lord. And Abel too had brought from the choice firstlings of his flock, and the Lord regarded Abel and his offering but did not regard Cain and his offering. And Cain was very incensed, and his face fell. And the Lord said to Cain,
"Why are you incensed,
and why is your face fallen?
For whether you offer well,
or whether you do not,
at the tent flap sin crouches
and for you is its longing,
but you will rule over it."
And Cain said to Abel his brother, "Let us go out to the field," and when they were in the field Cain rose against Abel his brother and killed him. And the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother? And he said, "I do not know: am I my brother's keeper?" And He said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the soil. And so, cursed shall you be by the soil that gaped with its mouth to take your brother's blood from your hand. If you till the soil, it will no longer give you strength. A restless wanderer shall you be on the earth." And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is too great to bear. Now that You have driven me this day from the soil I must hide from Your presence, I shall be a restless wanderer on the earth and whoever finds me will kill me." And the Lord said to him, "Therefore whoever kills Cain shall suffer sevenfold vengeance." And the Lord set a mark upon Cain so that whoever found him would not slay him.
And Cain went out from the Lord's presence and dwelled in the land of Nod east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife and she conceived and bore Enoch. Then he became the builder of a city and he called the name of the city like his son's name, Enoch.
Translation notes
4:1 – The Hebrew verb "knew" implies intimate or sexual knowledge, along with possession. The name "Cain", which means "smith", resembles the verb translated as "gotten" but also possibly meaning "to make". (Alter 2008:29).
4:2 – Abel's name could be associated with "vapor" or "puff of air". (Alter 2008:29).
4:8 – "Let us go out to the field" does not appear in the Masoretic Text, but is found in other versions including the Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch.
4:9 – the phrase traditionally translated "am I my brother's keeper?" is Hebrew "H;-;;m;r ';;; ';n;;;?" "Keeper" is from the verb shamar (;;;), "guard, keep, watch, preserve."
4:10–12 – Cain is cursed min-ha-adamah, from the earth, being the same root as "man" and Adam.
Origins
Etymology
Cain and Abel are traditional English renderings of the Hebrew names. It has been proposed that the etymology of their names may be a direct pun on the roles they take in the Genesis narrative. Abel (hbl) is thought to derive from a reconstructed word meaning 'herdsman', with the modern Arabic cognate ibil now specifically referring only to 'camels'. Cain (qyn) is thought to be cognate to the mid-1st millennium BCE South Arabian word qyn, meaning 'metalsmith'. This theory would make the names descriptive of their roles, where Abel works with livestock, and Cain with agriculture—and would parallel the names Adam (;;;, ‘dm, 'man') and Eve (;;;, ;wh, 'life-giver').[citation needed]
Original appearance
The oldest known copy of the biblical narrative is from the Dead Sea Scrolls, and dates to the first century BCE. Cain and Abel also appear in a number of other texts, and the story is the subject of various interpretations. Abel, the first murder victim, is sometimes seen as the first martyr; while Cain, the first murderer, is sometimes seen as an ancestor of evil. Some scholars suggest the pericope may have been based on a Sumerian story representing the conflict between nomadic shepherds and settled farmers. Modern scholars typically view the stories of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel to be about the development of civilization during the age of agriculture; not the beginnings of man, but when people first learned agriculture, replacing the ways of the hunter-gatherer.
Academic theologian Joseph Blenkinsopp holds that Cain and Abel are symbolic rather than real. Like almost all of the persons, places and stories in the Primeval history (the first eleven chapters of Genesis), they are mentioned nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible, a fact that suggests that the History is a late composition attached to Genesis to serve as an introduction. Just how late is a matter for dispute: the history may be as late as the Hellenistic period (first decades of the 4th century BCE), but the high level of Babylonian myth behind its stories has led others to date it to the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE). A prominent Mesopotamian parallel to Cain and Abel is the Sumerian myth of the Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzid, in which the shepherd Dumuzid and the farmer Enkimdu compete for the affection of the goddess Inanna, with Dumuzid (the shepherd) winning out. Another parallel is Enlil Chooses the Farmer-God, in which the shepherd-god Emesh and the farmer-god Enten bring their dispute over which of them is better to the chief god Enlil, who rules in favor of Enten (the farmer).
Jewish and Christian interpretations
Main articles: Cain and Abel
Cain
Biblical figure
This article is about the Biblical figure. For other uses, see Cain (disambiguation).
Cain is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He was a farmer who gave an offering of his crops to God. However, God was not pleased and favored Abel's offering over Cain's. Out of jealousy, Cain killed his brother, for which he was punished by God with the curse and mark of Cain. He had several children, starting with Enoch and including Lamech.
Quick Facts Spouse(s), Children ...
The narrative is notably unclear on Cain's motive for murdering his brother, God's reason for rejecting Cain's sacrifice, and details on the identity of Cain's wife. Some traditional interpretations consider Cain to be the originator of evil, violence, or greed. According to Genesis, Cain was the first human born and the first murderer.
Genesis narrative
Main article: Cain and Abel
Interpretations
Jewish and Christian interpretations
A question arising early in the story is why God rejected Cain's sacrifice. The text states that "In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor." Genesis 4:3-5a. Noteworthy is the difference in the type of sacrifice: fruits of the soil are renewable and bloodless. Fat-portions are set apart for the Lord [see Leviticus 3:16], and came from the firstborn - which point to an act of faith, since it is not guaranteed there will be more. The Midrash suggest that although Abel brought the best meat from his flock, Cain did not set aside for God the best of his harvest.
Similar to the internalized spiritual death God warns Adam and Eve of from eating the forbidden fruit - they do not physically die immediately but over the course of time their bodies age and die - the Lord warns Cain that his inappropriate anger is waiting to consume him: "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” [ Genesis 4:7 ]
Curse and Mark
See also: Curse and mark of Cain
According to the Book of Genesis, Cain (Hebrew: ;;;;; Q;yin, in pausa ;;;;; Q;;yin; Greek: ;;;; K;;n; Ethiopian version: Qayen; Arabic: ;;;;;, Q;b;l) is the first child of Eve, the first murderer, and the third human being to fall under a curse.
According to Genesis 4:1–16, Cain treacherously murdered his brother, Abel, lied about the murder to God, and as a result, was cursed and marked for life. With the earth left cursed to drink Abel's blood, Cain was no longer able to farm the land. He becomes a "fugitive and wanderer", and receives a mark from God - commonly referred to as the mark of Cain - so that no one can enact vengeance on him.
Exegesis of the Septuagint's narrative, "groaning and shaking upon the earth" has Cain suffering from body tremors. Interpretations extend Cain's curse to his descendants, where they all died in the Great Deluge as retribution for the loss of Abel's potential offspring.
Etymology
The Body of Abel Found by Adam and Eve by William Blake, 1826
One popular theory regarding the name of Cain connects it to the verb "kana" (;;; qnh), meaning "to get" and used by Eve in Genesis 4:1 when she says after bearing Cain, "I have gotten a man from the Lord." In this viewpoint, articulated by Nachmanides in the thirteenth century, Cain's name presages his role of mastery, power, and sin. In one of the Legends of the Jews, Cain is the fruit of a union between Eve and Satan, who is also the angel Samael and the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and Eve exclaims at Cain's birth, "I have gotten a man through an angel of the Lord." According to the Life of Adam and Eve (c. 1st century CE), Cain fetched his mother a reed (qaneh) which is how he received his name Qayin (Cain). The symbolism of him fetching a reed may be a nod to his occupation as a farmer, as well as a commentary to his destructive nature. He is also described as "lustrous", which may reflect the Gnostic association of Cain with the sun.
Characteristics
Cain is described as a city-builder, and the forefather of tent-dwelling pastoralists, all lyre and pipe players, and bronze and iron smiths.
In an alternate translation of Genesis 4:17, endorsed by a minority of modern commentators, Cain's son Enoch builds a city and names it after his son, Irad. Such a city could correspond with Eridu, one of the most ancient cities known. Philo observes that it makes no sense for Cain, the third human on Earth, to have founded an actual city. Instead, he argues, the city symbolizes an unrighteous philosophy.
In the New Testament, Cain is cited as an example of unrighteousness in 1 John 3:12 and Jude 1:11. The Targumim, rabbinic sources, and later speculations supplemented background details for the daughters of Adam and Eve. Such exegesis of Genesis 4 introduced Cain's wife as being his sister, a concept that has been accepted for at least 1,800 years. This can be seen with Jubilees 4 which narrates that Cain settled down and married his sister Awan, who bore their first son, the first Enoch, approximately 196 years after the creation of Adam. Cain then establishes the first city, naming it after his son, builds a house, and lives there until it collapses on him, killing him.
Relationship with the ground
In this alternative reading of the text, the ground could be personified as a character. This reading is evidenced by given human qualities, like a mouth, in the scripture. The ground is also the only subject of an active verb in the verse that states, "It opens its mouth to take the blood." This suggests that the ground reacted to the situation. By that logic, the ground could then potentially be an accomplice to the murder of Abel (Jordstad 708). The reaction from the ground raises the question, "Does the intimate connection between humans and the ground mean that the ground mirrors or aids human action, regardless of the nature of that action?"
Other stories
In Jewish tradition, Philo, Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer and the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan asserted that Adam was not the father of Cain. Rather, Eve was subject to adultery having been seduced by either Sammael, the serpent (nahash, Hebrew: ;;;) in the Garden of Eden, or the devil himself. Christian exegesis of the "evil one" in 1 John 3:10–12 have also led some commentators, like Tertullian, to agree that Cain was the son of the devil or some fallen angel. Thus, according to some interpreters, Cain was half-human and half-angelic, one of the Nephilim (Genesis 6). Gnostic exegesis in the Apocryphon of John has Eve seduced by Yaldaboth. However, in the Hypostasis of the Archons, Eve is raped by a pair of Archons.
Pseudo-Philo, a Jewish work of the first century CE, narrates that Cain murdered his brother at the age of 15. After escaping to the Land of Nod, Cain fathered four sons: Enoch, Olad, Lizpha and Fosal; and two daughters: Citha and Maac (the latter five aren't mentioned in the Bible). Cain died at the age of 730, leaving his corrupt descendants spreading evil on earth. According to the Book of Jubilees, Cain murdered his brother with a stone. Afterwards, Cain was killed by the same instrument he used against his brother; his house fell on him and he was killed by its stones. A heavenly law was cited after the narrative of Cain's death saying:
With the instrument with which a man kills his neighbour with the same shall he be killed; after the manner that he wounded him, in like manner shall they deal with him.
A Talmudic tradition says that after Cain had murdered his brother, God made a horn grow on his head. Later, Cain was killed at the hands of his great grandson Lamech, who mistook him for a wild beast. A Christian version of this tradition from the time of the Crusades holds that the slaying of Cain by Lamech took place on a mound called "Cain Mons" (i.e. Mount Cain), which is a corruption of "Caymont", a Crusader fort in Tel Yokneam in modern-day Israel.
The story of Cain and Abel is also made reference to in chapter 19 of 1 Meqabyan, a book considered canonical in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. In this text, Cain killed Abel because he desired Abel's wife.
According to the Mandaean scriptures including the Qolast;, the Book of John and Genz; Rabb;, Abel is cognate with the angelic soteriological figure Hibil Ziwa who taught John the Baptist.
In Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, Cain is a lunar figure.
Family
Family tree
The following family tree of the line of Cain is compiled from a variety of biblical and extra-biblical texts.
Adam Eve
Cain Abel Seth
Enoch Enos
Irad Kenan
Mehujael Mahalalel
Methushael Jared
Adah Lamech Zillah Enoch
Jabal Jubal Tubal-Cain Naamah Methuselah
Lamech
Noah
Shem Ham Japheth
Sisters/wives
Various early commentators have said that Cain and Abel have sisters, usually twin sisters. According to Rabbi Joshua ben Karha as quoted in Genesis Rabbah, "Only two entered the bed, and seven left it: Cain and his twin sister, Abel and his two twin sisters."
Motives
The Book of Genesis does not give a specific reason for the murder of Abel. Modern commentators typically assume that the motives were jealousy and anger due to God rejecting Cain's offering, while accepting Abel's. The First Epistle of John says the following:
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous."
—;1 John 3:12
Ancient exegetes, such as the Midrash and the Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan, tell that the motive involved a desire for the most beautiful woman. According to Midrashic tradition, Cain and Abel each had twin sisters; each was to marry the other's. The Midrash states that Abel's promised wife, Aclima, was more beautiful than Awan, Cain's promised wife. And so, after Cain would not consent to this arrangement, Adam suggested seeking God's blessing by means of a sacrifice. Whoever God blessed would marry Aclima. When God openly rejected Cain's sacrifice, Cain slew his brother in a fit of jealousy and anger. Rabbinical exegetes have discussed whether Cain's incestuous relationship with his sister was in violation of halakha.
Legacy and symbolism
A millennia-old explanation for Cain being capable of murder is that he may have been the offspring of a fallen angel or Satan himself, rather than being the son of Adam.
A medieval legend has Cain arriving at the Moon, where he eternally settled with a bundle of twigs. This was originated by the popular fantasy of interpreting the shadows on the Moon as a face. An example of this belief can be found in Dante Alighieri's Inferno (XX, 126) where the expression "Cain and the twigs" is used as a kenning for "moon".
In Latter-day Saint theology, Cain is considered to be the quintessential Son of Perdition, the father of secret combinations (i.e. secret societies and organized crime), as well as the first to hold the title Master Mahan meaning master of [the] great secret, that [he] may murder and get gain.
In Mormon folklore—a second-hand account relates that an early Mormon leader, David W. Patten, encountered a very tall, hairy, dark-skinned man in Tennessee who said that he was Cain. The account states that Cain had earnestly sought death but was denied it, and that his mission was to destroy the souls of men. The recollection of Patten's story is quoted in Spencer W. Kimball's The Miracle of Forgiveness, a popular book within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This widespread Mormon belief is further emphasized by an account from Salt Lake City in 1963 which stated that "One superstition is based on the old Mormon belief that Cain is a black man who wanders the earth begging people to kill him and take his curse upon themselves (M, 24, SLC, 1963)."
Freud's theory of fratricide is explained by the Oedipus or Electra complex through Carl Jung's supplementation.
There were other, minor traditions concerning Cain and Abel, of both older and newer date. The apocryphal Life of Adam and Eve tells of Eve having a dream in which Cain drank his brother's blood. In an attempt to prevent the prophecy from happening the two young men are separated and given different jobs.
The author Daniel Quinn, first in his book Ishmael and later in The Story of B, proposes that the story of Cain and Abel is an account of early Semitic herdsmen observing the beginnings of what he calls totalitarian agriculture, with Cain representing the first 'modern' agriculturists and Abel the pastoralists.
Abel
Biblical figure
This article is about the biblical figure. For other uses, see Abel (disambiguation).
Abel is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepherd who offered his firstborn flock up to God as an offering. God accepted his offering but not his brother's. Cain then killed Abel out of jealousy.
Quick Facts Parent(s), Relatives ...
According to Genesis, this was the first murder in the history of mankind.
Genesis narrative
Main article: Cain and Abel
Interpretations
Jewish and Christian interpretations
According to the narrative in Genesis, Abel (Hebrew: ;;;;; H;bel, in pausa ;;;;; H;;;el; Biblical Greek: ;;;; H;bel; Arabic: ;;;;;, H;b;l) is Eve's second son. His name in Hebrew is composed of the same three consonants as a root meaning "breath". Julius Wellhausen has proposed that the name is independent of the root. Eberhard Schrader had previously put forward the Akkadian (Old Assyrian dialect) ablu ("son") as a more likely etymology.
In Christianity, comparisons are sometimes made between the death of Abel and that of Jesus, the former thus seen as being the first martyr. In Matthew 23:35 Jesus speaks of Abel as "righteous", and the Epistle to the Hebrews states that "The blood of sprinkling ... [speaks] better things than that of Abel" (Hebrews 12:24). The blood of Jesus is interpreted as bringing mercy; but that of Abel as demanding vengeance (hence the curse and mark).
Abel is invoked in the litany for the dying in the Roman Catholic Church, and his sacrifice is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass along with those of Abraham and Melchizedek. The Alexandrian Rite commemorates him with a feast day on December 28.
According to the Coptic Book of Adam and Eve (at 2:1–15), and the Syriac Cave of Treasures, Abel's body, after many days of mourning, was placed in the Cave of Treasures, before which Adam and Eve, and descendants, offered their prayers. In addition, the Sethite line of the Generations of Adam swear by Abel's blood to segregate themselves from the unrighteous.
In the Book of Enoch (22:7), regarded by most Christian and Jewish traditions as extra-biblical, the soul of Abel is described as having been appointed as the chief of martyrs, crying for vengeance, for the destruction of the seed of Cain. A similar view is later shown in the Testament of Abraham (A:13 / B:11), where Abel has been raised to the position as the judge of the souls.
Sethian Gnostic interpretation
In the Apocryphon of John, a work belonging to Sethian Gnosticism, Abel is the offspring of Yaldaboath and Eve, who is placed over the elements of water and earth as Elohim, but was only given his name as a form of deception.
Mandaean interpretation
Main article: Hibil
According to Mandaean beliefs and scriptures including the Qolast;, the Book of John and Genz; Rabb;, Abel is cognate with the angelic soteriological figure Hibil Ziwa, (Classical Mandaic: ;;;;; ;;;;, sometimes translated "Splendid Hibel"), who is spoken of as a son of Hayyi or of Manda d-Hayyi, and as a brother to Anush (Enosh) and to Sheetil (Seth), who is the son of Adam. Elsewhere, Anush is spoken of as the son of Sheetil, and Sheetil as the son of Hibil, where Hibil came to Adam and Eve as a young boy when they were still virgins, but was called their son. Hibil is an important lightworld being (uthra) who conquered the World of Darkness. As Yawar Hibil, he is one of multiple figures known as Yawar (Classical Mandaic: ;;;;;, lit.;'Helper'), being so named by and after his father.
According to Shi'a Muslim belief, Abel ("Habeel") is buried in the Nabi Habeel Mosque, located on the west mountains of Damascus, near the Zabadani Valley, overlooking the villages of the Barada river (Wadi Barada), in Syria. Shi'a are frequent visitors of this mosque for ziyarat. The mosque was built by Ottoman Wali Ahmad Pasha in 1599.
In popular culture
Abel is portrayed by Franco Nero in the film The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966).
Notes
/;e;b;l/; Hebrew: ;;;;; H;;el, in pausa ;;;;; H;;;el; Biblical Greek: ;;;; H;bel; Arabic: ;;;;;, romanized: H;b;l
Islamic interpretation
Cain and Abel in Islam
Add article description
H;b;l and Q;b;l (Arabic: ;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;, Abel and Cain) are believed by Muslims to have been the first two sons of Adam and Hawa; (Eve) mentioned in the Qur;an.
Q;b;l and H;b;l written in Islamic calligraphy
The events of the story in the Qur'an are virtually the same as the Hebrew Bible narrative: Both the brothers were asked to offer up individual sacrifices to God; God accepted Abel's sacrifice and rejected Cain's; out of jealousy, Cain slew Abel – the first ever case of murder committed upon the Earth.
The Sunni view narrates that Allah commanded (or permitted) Adam to marry his pair of twin daughters with his twin sons, Habil with the beautiful Iqlimiya, and Qabil with the 'less attractive' Layudha. When Adam was about to marry them, Qabil protested and disobeyed, claiming his wife was the less attractive while his brother's wife was beautiful. Based on the revelations from Allah, Adam ordered both his sons to sacrifice, whoever received the kurbanya then was entitled to marry Iqlimiya. According to the Shia version, from reports of their Shia Imams, it had always been a sin for a brother to marry their sister, and the sacrifices were instead to determine who would be chosen as Adam's successor on Earth. In both stories, Habil's sacrifice was ultimately the one accepted by Allah, and in a jealous rage, Qabil slew him.
In the Qur'an
Main article: Al-Ma'ida
A depiction of Cain burying Abel from an illuminated manuscript version of Stories of the Prophets
Of Adam's first children, Cain was the elder son while Abel the younger. Each of them presented a sacrifice to God but it was accepted only from Abel, because of the latter's righteous attitude and his faith and firm belief in God. After the offering of their sacrifices, Cain, the wicked sibling, taunted Abel out of envy and told him that he would surely slay him. Abel justly warned Cain that God only accepted the sacrifice of those that are righteous in their doings. He further went on to tell Cain that if Cain did indeed try to slay him, Abel would not retaliate and slay him because the God-fearing would never murder for the sake of envy. Abel then told Cain that in murdering him, he would carry the weight not only of his sin but also of the sins of his victim. The victim, as a result, in suffering the injustice, would be forgiven his own sins and the murderer, while being warned, would consequently increase his own sin. Abel preached powerfully and reminded Cain that the punishment for murder would be that he would spend the afterlife in the fires of Hell.
The innocent pleading and preaching of Abel had no effect upon Cain, for he was full of arrogance, pride and jealousy. He subsequently slew the righteous Abel, but in doing so, he ruined himself and became of those who remain lost. This would be the earliest example of the murder of a righteous man taking place upon the earth. In the future, many other evildoers would slay the wise and pious believers.
After the murder, Allah sent a crow searching in the ground to show Cain how to hide the disgrace of his brother. Cain, in his shame, began to curse himself and he became full of guilt. The thought of the crime at last came to the murderer, as he realized indeed how dreadful it was to slay anyone, the more so as the victim was an innocent and righteous man. Full of regrets, Cain was marked with deep sorrow. The Qur'an states, "And he became of the regretful." 5:31 (Chapter 5, verse 31)
Message
See also: Islam and violence
The Qur'an states that the story of Cain and Abel was a message for mankind, as it had told them about the consequences of murder and that the killing of a soul would be as if he/she had slain the whole of mankind. But the Qur'an states that still people rejected the message of the story, and continued to commit grave sins, such as slaying prophets and other righteous people. All the prophets who preached since the time of Adam were persecuted, insulted or reviled in one way or another. With some righteous men, however, the Qur'an states that people went one step further, in attempting to slay them or indeed slaying them. As for the slaying of the righteous, it says "As to those who deny the Signs of God and in defiance of right, slay the prophets, and slay those who teach just dealing with mankind, announce to them a grievous penalty".
The story appears in the Quran 5:27-31:
[Prophet], tell them the truth about the story of Adam's two sons: each of them offered a sacrifice, and it was accepted from one and not the other. One said, 'I will kill you,' but the other said, 'God only accepts the sacrifice of those who are mindful of Him. If you raise your hand to kill me, I will not raise mine to kill you. I fear God, the Lord of all worlds, and I would rather you were burdened with my sins as well as yours and became an inhabitant of the Fire: such is the evildoers' reward.' But his soul prompted him to kill his brother: he killed him and became one of the losers. God sent a raven to scratch up the ground and show him how to cover his brother's corpse and he said, 'Woe is me! Could I not have been like this raven and covered up my brother's body?' He became remorseful.
—;The Quran, translated by Muhammad Abdel-Haleem
The story of Cain and Abel has always been used as a deterrent from murder in Islamic tradition. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reported that Muhammad said in a hadith:
No soul is wrongfully killed except that some of the burden falls upon the son of Adam, for he was the first to establish the practice of murder.
Muslim scholars were divided on the motives behind Cain's murder of Abel, and further why the two brothers were obliged to offer sacrifices to God. Some scholars believed that Cain's motives were plain jealousy and lust. Both Cain and Abel desired to marry Adam's beautiful daughter, Aclima (Arabic: Aqlimia'). Seeking to end the dispute between them, Adam suggested that each present an offering before God. The one whose offering God accepted would marry Aclima. Abel, a generous shepherd, offered the fattest of his sheep as an oblation to God. But Cain, a miserly farmer, offered only a bunch of grass and some worthless seeds to him. God accepted Abel's offering and rejected Cain's—an indication that Abel was more righteous than Cain, and thus worthier of Aclima. As a result, it was decided that Abel would marry Aclima. Cain, on the other hand, would marry her less beautiful sister. Blinded by anger and lust for Aclima, Cain sought to get revenge on Abel and escape with Aclima.
According to another tradition, the devil appeared to Cain and instructed him how to exact revenge on Abel. "Hit Abel's head with a stone and kill him," whispered the devil to Cain. After the murder, the devil hurried to Eve shouting: "Eve! Cain has murdered Abel!". Eve did not know what murder was or how death felt like. She asked, bewildered and horrified, "Woe to you! What is murder?". "He [Abel] does not eat. He does not drink. He does not move [That's what murder and death are]," answered the Devil. Eve burst out into tears and started to wail madly. She ran to Adam and tried to tell him what happened. However, she could not speak because she could not stop wailing. Since then, women wail broken-heartedly when a loved one dies. A different tradition narrates that while Cain was quarreling with Abel, the devil killed an animal with a stone in Cain's sight to show him how to murder Abel.
After burying Abel and escaping from his family, Cain got married and had children. They died in Noah's flood among other tyrants and unbelievers.
Some Muslim scholars puzzled over the mention of offerings in the narrative of Cain and Abel. Offerings and sacrifices were ordained only after the revelation of Tawrat to Musa. This led some scholars, such as Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, to think that the sons of Adam mentioned in the Quran are actually two Israelites, not Cain and Abel.
Al-Ma'idah
5th chapter of the Qur'an
Al-Ma'idah (Arabic: ;;;;;;;, Al-M;;idah; meaning: "The Table" or "The Table Spread with Food") is the fifth chapter (s;rah) of the Quran, with 120 verses (;y;t). Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation (asb;b al-nuz;l), it is a "Medinan surah", which means it is believed to have been revealed in Medina, instead of Mecca.
Quick Facts ;;;;;;; Al-M;;idah The Table Spread with Food, Classification ...
The chapter's topics include animals which are forbidden, and Jesus' and Moses' missions. Verse 90 prohibits "The intoxicant" (alcohol). Verse 8 Contains the passage: "Do not let the hatred of a people lead you to injustice". Al-Tabligh Verse 67 is relevant to the Farewell Pilgrimage and Ghadir Khumm.[Quran 5:67]
Verses (Q5:32-33) have been quoted to denounce killing, by using an abbreviated form such as, "If anyone kills a person, it would be as if he killed the whole people: and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people". This verse is similar to that of one from the Talmud.[Quran 5:32][Quran 5:33]
Summary
A trial in the Ottoman Empire, 1879, when religious law applied under the Mecelle
1 Covenants are to be fulfilled
2 Lawful meats
3 Heathen pilgrims not to be molested
4 Islam completed—last revelation of the Quran , Certain kinds of food, gambling, and lotteries forbidden
5 Muslims permitted to eat the food of Jews and Christians, and to marry their women
6 The law of purifications
7-8 Believers reminded of the covenant of Aqabah, Muslims should bear true testimony and not let the hatred of a people prevent them from being just
9-11 Muslims should forget old quarrels with brethren
12 God’s favour to Muslims
13-15 Disobedience of Jews and Christians exposed
16-18 Jews and Christians are exhorted to accept Islam
19-20 The divinity of Christ denied
21 Jews and Christians not the children of God
22 Muhammad sent as a warner
23-29 Israel’s rebellion at Kadesh Barnea
30-34 The story of Cain and Abel 35-36 The sin of homicide
37-38 The punishment of theft accompanied by apostasy
39 The faithful exhorted to fight for religion
40-41 The punishment of infidels
42-44 The penalty of theft
45-55 Muhammad to judge the Jews and Christians by the law, gospel, and the Quran
56 Muslims forbidden to fraternise with Jews and Christians
57-58 Hypocrites threatened
59-61 Believers warned and instructed. The fate of the People of the Book
62-63 Muslims not to associate with infidels
64-65 The Jews exhorted and warned
66-69 The hypocrisy and unbelief of the Jews rebuked
70 Promises to believing Jews and Christians
71 Muhammad required to preach
72 He attests Jewish and Christian Scriptures
73 Believing Jews, Sabians, and Christians to be saved
74-75 The Jews rejected and killed the prophets of God
76-81 The doctrines of the Trinity and Christ’s Sonship rejected
82-84 Disobedient Jews cursed by their prophets
85-88 Jewish hatred and Christian friendship compared
89-90 Muslims to use lawful food etc
91 Expiation for perjury
92-94 Wine and lots forbidden
95-97 Law concerning hunting and gambling during pilgrimage
98-100 Pilgrimage and its rites enjoined
101-102 The Prophet not to be pestered with questions
102-104 Heathen Arab customs denounced
105-107 Wills to be attested by witnesses
108 The prophets ignorant of the characters of their followers
109-110 Jesus—his miracles—God’s favour to him
111 The apostles of Jesus were Muslims
112-114 A table provided by Jesus for the apostles
115-118 Jesus did not teach his followers to worship him and his mother
119 The reward of the true believer
120 God is sovereign
Placement and coherence with other surahs
The idea of textual relation between the verses of a chapter has been discussed under various titles such as nazm and munasabah in non-English literature and coherence, text relations, intertextuality, and unity in English literature. Hamiduddin Farahi, an Islamic scholar of the Indian subcontinent, is known for his work on the concept of nazm, or coherence, in the Quran. Fakhruddin al-Razi (died 1209 CE), Zarkashi (died 1392) and several other classical as well as contemporary Quranic scholars have contributed to the studies. The entire Qur'an thus emerges as a well-connected and systematic book. Each division has a distinct theme. Topics within a division are more or less in the order of revelation. Within each division, each member of the pair complements the other in various ways. The seven divisions are as follows:
More information Group, From ...
Exegesis
3 Verse of Ikmal al-Din
Main article: Verse of Ikmal al-Din
This verse has a Parenthetical Sentence: "This day have those who disbelieve despaired of your religion, so fear them not, and fear Me. This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion.."[Quran 5:3] This verse was revealed at Arafat as reported in the authentic hadith:
Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: Once a Jew said to me, "O the chief of believers! There is a verse in your Holy Book which is read by all of you (Muslims), and had it been revealed to us, we would have taken that day (on which it was revealed) as a day of celebration." 'Umar bin Al-Khattab asked, "Which is that verse?" The Jew replied, "This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." (5:3) 'Umar replied,"No doubt, we know when and where this verse was revealed to the Prophet. It was Friday and the Prophet was standing at 'Arafat (i.e. the Day of Hajj).
—;Bukhari
27-31 Cain and Abel
Main article: Q;b;l and H;b;l
The story appears in the Quran 5:27-31:
A depiction of Cain burying Abel from an illuminated manuscript version of Stories of the Prophets
Relate unto them also the history of the two sons of Adam, with truth. When they offered their offering, and it was accepted from one of them, and was not accepted from the other, Cain said to his brother, I will certainly kill thee. Abel answered, GOD only accepteth the offering of the pious
—;The Quran, translated by George Sale
If you raise your hand to kill me, I will not raise mine to kill you. I fear God, the Lord of all worlds, and I would rather you were burdened with my sins as well as yours and became an inhabitant of the Fire: such is the evildoers' reward.' But his soul prompted him to kill his brother: he killed him and became one of the losers. God sent a raven to scratch up the ground and show him how to cover his brother's corpse and he said, 'Woe is me! Could I not have been like this raven and covered up my brother's body?' He became remorseful.
—;The Quran, translated by Muhammad Abdel-Haleem
33 Hirabah verse
This verse from Qur'anic chapter al-ma'idah (Q5:33) is known as the Hirabah verse (ayat al-hiraba), It specifies punishment for "those who wage war against God and His Messenger and strive to spread disorder in the land": The verbal noun form (i.e. ;irabah) is frequently used in classical and modern books of Islamic jurisprudence, but neither the word ;irabah nor the root verb ;araba occurs in the Quran. (Yu;;rib;na is the form used in Quran 5:33-4.)
According to early Islamic sources, the verse was revealed after some members of the Urayna tribe feigned conversion to Islam in order to steal Muslims' possessions and killed a young shepherd sent to teach them about the faith. In view of the broad and strong language of the verse, however, various state representatives beginning with the Umayyads have asserted that it applied to rebels in general.
The original meanings of the triliteral root ;rb are to despoil someones wealth or property, and also fighting or committing sinful act. The Quran "refers to both meanings" in verses 2:279 and 5:33-34.
51 Do not take Jews and Christians as allies
O true believers, take not the Jews, or Christians for your friends; they are friends the one to the other; but whoso among you taketh them for his friends, he is surely one of them: Verily God directeth not unjust people
Some Muslim hard liners have used verses such as this one to denounce close relationships with non-Muslims[citation needed] and forbidding non-Muslims from becoming leaders in Muslim countries. However, other Muslim scholars such as Shafi Usmani see this as forbidding only "indiscriminating intimacy" which might confuse the "distinctive hallmarks of Islam", while all other equitable relations as being allowed. Ghamidi in the context of his Itmam al-Hujjah interpretation of Islam, restricts the subjects of this verse to only the Jews and Christians of the Muslim Prophet's time. Others argue that only belligerent non-Muslims are being referenced here. Verse 51 is preserved in the ;an‘;’1 lower text.
Verse 54
O true believers, whoever of you apostatizeth from his religion, GOD will certainly bring other people to supply his place, whom he will love, and who will love him; who shall be humble towards the believers; but severe to the unbelievers: they shall fight for the religion of GOD, and shall not fear the obloquy of the detractor. This is the bounty of GOD, he bestoweth it on whom he pleaseth: GOD is extensive and wise.
Verse 54 is also interesting in relation to who the "beloved" are; some hadith view it as being Abu Musa al-Ashari.[Quran 5:54] Verse 54 is preserved in the ;an‘;’1 lower text.
Shia' view
On the Shia interpretation of this verse, God used the singular form "waliyyukum" implying the "wilayah" (Guardianship of the believers) is a single project. In other words, the "wilayah" of the messenger and that of the Ali springs from the of God's wilayah. The word "wali" in the context of this verse cannot mean "friend" because there is not a single verse in the Quran where God says that any one of his messengers is a friend or helper of their followers. Further if the verse implied "wilayah" in the sense of friend or helper, then the singular form "waliyyukum" would not have been used but the plural form "awliya'ukum" would be appropriate because the "friendship" of God is unique.[citation needed]
Tahir ul Qadri writes regarding this verse: A hadith attributed to Ammar bin Yasir reports:[citation needed]
A beggar came up to 'Ali and stood beside him. He was kneeling in prayer. He ('Ali) pulled out his ring and he gave the ring to the beggar. Then 'Ali called on the Prophet and told him the news. At this occasion, this verse was revealed to him: (Surely your (helping) friend is Allah and His Messenger and (along with them) are the believers who establish prayers, pay zakah and bow down (physical state of bowing down during charity). Allah's Messenger read out the verse and said: One who has me as his master has 'Ali as his master. O Allah! Be his friend who befriends him ('Ali) and be his enemy who is his enemy.
Sunnis tend to view this with differing views.
Shi'as tend to view this as Sahih.
Verses 72 and 73
The Quran: An Encyclopedia says, "The Quran’s objection to Christian practice is Christianity’s shirk, its worship of Jesus, Mary and the saints ‘in derogation of Allah’. There is no justification in believing in the Trinity, for Jesus never would have condoned such a concept". In Sahih International: "(72) They have certainly disbelieved who say, " Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah has said, "O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers. (73) They have certainly disbelieved who say, Allah is the third of three. And there is no god except one God. And if they do not desist from what they are saying, there will surely afflict the disbelievers among them a painful punishment."[Quran 5:72–73]
Verse 90
In Verse 90 it says, "O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone altars [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful." This is a clear ruling in The Quran for Muslims to avoid alcohol and gambling.
Gnostic interpretation
In the Apocryphon of John, a work used in Gnosticism, Cain and Abel are Archons, being the offspring of the lesser god or Demiurge called Yaldabaoth, placed over the elements of fire, wind, water and earth. In this narrative their true names are Yahweh and Elohim, but they are given their earthly names as a form of deception.
Legacy and symbolism
Allusions to Cain and Abel as an archetype of fratricide appear in numerous references and retellings, through medieval art and Shakespearean works up to present day fiction.
A millennia-old explanation for Cain being capable of murder is that he may have been the offspring of a fallen angel or Satan himself, rather than being from Adam.
A treatise on Christian Hermeticism, Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism, describes the biblical account of Cain and Abel as a myth, in that it expresses, in a form narrated for a particular case, an "eternal" idea. It argues that brothers can become mortal enemies through the very fact that they worship the same God in the same way. According to the author, the source of religious wars is revealed. It is not the difference in dogma or ritual which is the cause, but the "pretention to equality" or "the negation of hierarchy."
There were other, minor traditions concerning Cain and Abel, of both older and newer date. The apocryphal Life of Adam and Eve tells of Eve having a dream in which Cain drank his brother's blood. In an attempt to prevent the prophecy from happening the two young men are separated and given different jobs.
Cultural references
Like other prominent biblical figures, Cain and Abel appear in many works of art, including works by Titian, Peter Paul Rubens and William Blake.
Multiple plays also showcase similar stories. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the characters King Claudius and King Hamlet are parallels of Cain and Abel. Lord Byron also rewrote and dramatized the story in his own play Cain (1821), viewing Cain as symbolic of a sanguine temperament, provoked by Abel's hypocrisy and sanctimony. The 2008 Danish stage play Biblen discusses and reenacts various Biblical stories, including Abel's murder by Cain.
Many novels feature the characters, or are closely based on them. Miguel de Unamuno's 1917 novel Abel S;nchez: A Story of a Passion is a re-telling of the Cain and Abel story. John Steinbeck's 1952 novel East of Eden (also a 1955 film) refers in its title to Cain's exile and contains discussions of the Cain and Abel story which then play out in the plot. James Baldwin's 1957 short story, "Sonny's Blues", has been seen as alluding to the Cain and Abel story. Author Daniel Quinn, first in his novel Ishmael (1992) and later in The Story of B (1996), proposes that the story of Cain and Abel is an account of early Semitic herdsmen observing the beginnings of what he calls totalitarian agriculture, with Cain representing the first 'modern' agriculturists and Abel the pastoralists.
They have also featured in TV series and, if allegorically, on the big screen. In Dallas (1978), Bobby and J.R. Ewing have been described as variations of Cain and Abel. More direct references include the appearance of Cain and Abel as characters in DC Comics since the 1950s. In 1989, Neil Gaiman made the two recurring characters in his comic series The Sandman. In Darren Aronofsky's allegorical film Mother! (2017), the characters "oldest son" and "younger brother" represent Cain and Abel.
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Warship or Worship in Ukraine
FIGHT or FLIGHT
ALL WARS ARE RELIGIOUS IN NATURE
We have a choice to pray for peace or to pray to win the war, not only war in Ukraine but also war with evil demons inside our hearts and minds! We all either stay and fight for what we believe in, (our freedom, our rights, our family, our pride, our flag, our future, our nation, our homeland), or run to save our lives and lives of those who we love and care for)!
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Gospel According to St Matthew Chapter 11 Verses 1 - 28
John sends his disciples to Christ, who upbraids the Jews for their incredulity, and calls to him such as are sensible of their burdens.
[1] And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he passed from thence, to teach and preach in their cities. [2] Now when John had heard in prison the works of Christ: sending two of his disciples he said to him: [3] Art thou he that art to come, or look we for another? [4] And Jesus making answer said to them: Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen. [5] The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them.
[6] And blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in me. [7] And when they went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: What went you out into the desert to see? a reed shaken with the wind? [8] But what went you out to see? a man clothed in soft garments? Behold they that are clothed in soft garments, are in the houses of kings. [9] But what went you out to see? a prophet? yea I tell you, and more than a prophet. [10] For this is he of whom it is written: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.
Interpretation of the verse 6
…“[6] "Scandalized in me": That is, who shall not take occasion of scandal or offence from my humility, and the disgraceful death of the cross which I shall endure.”…
[11] Amen I say to you, there hath not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is the lesser in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. [12] And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away. [13] For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John: [14] And if you will receive it, he is Elias that is to come. [15] He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
[12] "Suffereth violence": It is not to be obtained but by main force, by using violence upon ourselves, by mortification and penance, and resisting our perverse inclinations.
Interpretation of the Verse 14
…“[14] "He is Elias": Not in person, but in spirit. St. Luke 1. 17.”…
[16] But whereunto shall I esteem this generation to be like? It is like to children sitting in the market place. [17] Who crying to their companions say: We have piped to you, and you have not danced: we have lamented, and you have not mourned. [18] For John came neither eating nor drinking; and they say: He hath a devil. [19] The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say: Behold a man that is a glutton and a wine drinker, a friend of publicans and sinners. And wisdom is justified by her children. [20] Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein were done the most of his miracles, for that they had not done penance.
[21] Woe to thee, Corozain, woe to thee, Bethsaida: for if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you, they had long ago done penance in sackcloth and ashes. [22] But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you. [23] And thou Capharnaum, shalt thou be exalted up to heaven? thou shalt go down even unto hell. For if in Sodom had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in thee, perhaps it had remained unto this day. [24] But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. [25] At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones.
[26] Yea, Father; for so hath it seemed good in thy sight. [27] All things are delivered to me by my Father. And no one knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him. [28] Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. [29] Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. [30] For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.
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Fight-or-flight response
Physiological reaction to a perceived threat or harmful event
For other uses, see Fight or Flight (disambiguation).
Dog circling in on a cat with an arched back
A dog on hind legs and a cat hissing with an arched back
A dog and cat expressing the fight (top) and flight (bottom) response simultaneously.
This response is recognised as the first stage of the general adaptation syndrome that regulates stress responses among vertebrates and other organisms.
Name
Physiology
Autonomic nervous system
See also: Autonomic nervous system
The autonomic nervous system is a control system that acts largely unconsciously and regulates heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination, and sexual arousal. This system is the primary mechanism in control of the fight-or-flight response and its role is mediated by two different components: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
Sympathetic nervous system
See also: Sympathetic nervous system
The sympathetic nervous system originates in the spinal cord and its main function is to activate the physiological changes that occur during the fight-or-flight response. This component of the autonomic nervous system utilises and activates the release of norepinephrine in the reaction.
Parasympathetic nervous system
See also: Parasympathetic nervous system
The parasympathetic nervous system originates in the sacral spinal cord and medulla, physically surrounding the sympathetic origin, and works in concert with the sympathetic nervous system. Its main function is to activate the "rest and digest" response and return the body to homeostasis after the fight or flight response. This system utilises and activates the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
Reaction
An infographic displaying the fight-or-flight response
The reaction begins in the amygdala, which triggers a neural response in the hypothalamus. The initial reaction is followed by activation of the pituitary gland and secretion of the hormone ACTH. The adrenal gland is activated almost simultaneously, via the sympathetic nervous system, and releases the hormone epinephrine. The release of chemical messengers results in the production of the hormone cortisol, which increases blood pressure, blood sugar, and suppresses the immune system. The initial response and subsequent reactions are triggered in an effort to create a boost of energy. This boost of energy is activated by epinephrine binding to liver cells and the subsequent production of glucose. Additionally, the circulation of cortisol functions to turn fatty acids into available energy, which prepares muscles throughout the body for response. Catecholamine hormones, such as adrenaline (epinephrine) or noradrenaline (norepinephrine), facilitate immediate physical reactions associated with a preparation for violent muscular action and:
Acceleration of heart and lung action
Paling or flushing, or alternating between both
Inhibition of stomach and upper-intestinal action to the point where digestion slows down or stops
General effect on the sphincters of the body
Constriction of blood vessels in many parts of the body
Liberation of metabolic energy sources (particularly fat and glycogen) for muscular action
Dilation of blood vessels for muscles
Inhibition of the lacrimal gland (responsible for tear production) and salivation
Dilation of pupil (mydriasis)
Relaxation of bladder
Inhibition of erection
Auditory exclusion (loss of hearing)
Tunnel vision (loss of peripheral vision)
Disinhibition of spinal reflexes
Shaking
Function of physiological changes
The physiological changes that occur during the fight or flight response are activated in order to give the body increased strength and speed in anticipation of fighting or running. Some of the specific physiological changes and their functions include:
Increased blood flow to the muscles activated by diverting blood flow from other parts of the body.
Increased blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugars, and fats in order to supply the body with extra energy.
The blood clotting function of the body speeds up in order to prevent excessive blood loss in the event of an injury sustained during the response.
Increased muscle tension in order to provide the body with extra speed and strength.
Emotional components
Emotion regulation
See also: Emotional self-regulation
In the context of the fight or flight response, emotional regulation is used proactively to avoid threats of stress or to control the level of emotional arousal.
Emotional reactivity
During the reaction, the intensity of emotion that is brought on by the stimulus will also determine the nature and intensity of the behavioral response. Individuals with higher levels of emotional reactivity may be prone to anxiety and aggression, which illustrates the implications of appropriate emotional reaction in the fight or flight response.
Cognitive components
Content specificity
The specific components of cognitions in the fight or flight response seem to be largely negative. These negative cognitions may be characterised by: attention to negative stimuli, the perception of ambiguous situations as negative, and the recurrence of recalling negative words. There also may be specific negative thoughts associated with emotions commonly seen in the reaction.
Perception of control
See also: Control (psychology)
Perceived control relates to an individual's thoughts about control over situations and events. Perceived control should be differentiated from actual control because an individual's beliefs about their abilities may not reflect their actual abilities. Therefore, overestimation or underestimation of perceived control can lead to anxiety and aggression.
Social information processing
See also: Social information processing (cognition)
The social information processing model proposes a variety of factors that determine behavior in the context of social situations and preexisting thoughts. The attribution of hostility, especially in ambiguous situations, seems to be one of the most important cognitive factors associated with the fight or flight response because of its implications towards aggression.
Other animals
Evolutionary perspective
An evolutionary psychology explanation is that early animals had to react to threatening stimuli quickly and did not have time to psychologically and physically prepare themselves. The fight or flight response provided them with the mechanisms to rapidly respond to threats against survival.
Examples
A typical example of the stress response is a grazing zebra. If the zebra sees a lion closing in for the kill, the stress response is activated as a means to escape its predator. The escape requires intense muscular effort, supported by all of the body's systems. The sympathetic nervous system’s activation provides for these needs. A similar example involving fight is of a cat about to be attacked by a dog. The cat shows accelerated heartbeat, piloerection (hair standing on end), and pupil dilation, all signs of sympathetic arousal. Note that the zebra and cat still maintain homeostasis in all states.
In July 1992, Behavioral Ecology published experimental research conducted by biologist Lee A. Dugatkin where guppies were sorted into "bold", "ordinary", and "timid" groups based upon their reactions when confronted by a smallmouth bass (i.e. inspecting the predator, hiding, or swimming away) after which the guppies were left in a tank with the bass. After 60 hours, 40 percent of the timid guppies and 15 percent of the ordinary guppies survived while none of the bold guppies did.
Varieties of responses
Bison hunted by dogs
Other animals have alternative self-protection methods. Some species of cold-blooded animals change color swiftly to camouflage themselves. These responses are triggered by the sympathetic nervous system, but, in order to fit the model of fight or flight, the idea of flight must be broadened to include escaping capture either in a physical or sensory way. Thus, flight can be disappearing to another location or just disappearing in place, and fight and flight are often combined in a given situation.
The fight or flight actions also have polarity – the individual can either fight against or flee from something that is threatening, such as a hungry lion, or fight for or fly towards something that is needed, such as the safety of the shore from a raging river.
A threat from another animal does not always result in immediate fight or flight. There may be a period of heightened awareness, during which each animal interprets behavioral signals from the other. Signs such as paling, piloerection, immobility, sounds, and body language communicate the status and intentions of each animal. There may be a sort of negotiation, after which fight or flight may ensue, but which might also result in playing, mating, or nothing at all. An example of this is kittens playing: each kitten shows the signs of sympathetic arousal, but they never inflict real damage.
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In spirit and truth.
One gathers in churches and parsonages, for worship services and worship meetings, one hires a worship leader whose task is to construct a kind of emotional state, where one in a kind of carnal intoxication of joy must collectively worship God. These are not true worshippers. So you think God is,
so easy to deceive that by such a parody and imitation of the truth one can positively influence God.
Gospel of John 4: 23-24.
The time has come for true worshipers to worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For these are the worshipers whom the Father seeks. God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. One does not believe that God can hear the difference between a carnally edified worship and a worship in spirit and truth.
Exodus 32: 17-19.
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the stone tablets described, Joshua and Moses heard a great noise, from the noisy Israelites in the camp, Joshua heard the noise as a war alarm, but Moses heard at once that it was not victory or victory. battle cry, it was singing. It was the carnal worship of a golden calf that they worshipped. When Moses could immediately hear what was contained in the noise and the song, don't you also think that God sees through the kind of singing and worship that is practiced in the churches and the churches? When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger exploded.
How do you think God will receive that kind of collective carnal worship and dancing? I wonder if his wrath will also flare up when he sees and hears this human carnal notion that he has engaged in. God does not want such worshipers. God seeks true worshipers who worship him in spirit and in truth. True worshipers are worshipers who overflow with joy, gratitude to God for the great love and care God has shown them. Such worship, in spirit and truth, does not happen in collectively planned events. It happens in everyday life when God allows our cup to overflow with joy and gratitude.
Hebrews 1.9.
You loved righteousness and hated unrighteousness, so God anointed you with the oil of gladness. When joy comes from the fact that God has esteemed us by faith and loved his righteousness and hated unrighteousness, then God fills us with the oil of gladness so that our cup overflows with gratitude and worship to God. Those worshipers are what God is looking for, they are worshipers in spirit and in truth.
Matthew 6:33.
Therefore, we must seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, then we must obtain all else in surcharge.
Those who seek his righteousness deny God no good, he gives them all they need and fills their cup to overflowing with the oil of joy and true spiritual worship. When God fills us with the oil of joy, then our worship becomes spiritual, in spirit and in truth, for the oil of joy is the fruit of the spirit.
Galatians 5: 22-23.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, meekness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, etc. Those who come before God in gratitude, filled with these fruits, worship in spirit and in truth. Human carnal worship is a cheap imitation, of true worship in spirit and truth, these worshipers are filled with unrighteous carnal fruits throughout the days.
Galatians 5: 19-21.
Fornication, uncleanness, looseness, idolatry, enmity, strife, envy, wrath, anger, selfishness, divisions, envy, and much more of the same, and then one comes with all his fleshly uncleanness and has to worship God, this is not true Worship. In the ears of God it is noise, ore that resounds and bells that ring. But those who come before God in the worship of the spirit and of truth, filled with the fruits of the spirit, have practiced throughout the days, out of joy and gratitude to God, the love of which we read in
1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
They are affectionate, patient, gentle, not jealous and do not brag and do not puff themselves up, do not do anything indecent, do not seek their own, do not get excited, do not bear grudges, but are quick to forgive, do not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoice in the truth, endure all things, hope all things. These
Worshippers are worshippers in spirit and in truth.
2 Timothy 2:19.
God's solid foundation stands unshaken, sealed with this inscription: The Lord knows those who belong to him, and anyone who mentions the name of the Lord must abstain from unrighteousness.
Gospel of John 10: 27-28.
My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life and they will not perish forever but will have eternal life. These are true worshipers in spirit and in truth.
Galatians 5:21.
Unlike carnal worshipers, they will not inherit the kingdom of God.
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Reality vs Imagination
Reality: Perun worshipers, glorious Azov are sacrificing their lives in Mariupol for the freedom of transgenders and feminists in Paris, when whole civilized world watching this Horror Reality Show, and paying billions in taxes and high oil and gas prices, world is facing nuclear war, pandemics, hunger, and total extinction of human race, yet best thing we as humans can do is build more bombs, and keep THE FLAME OF LIBERTY AND WAR BURNING, by moving war from one country to another, and it’s all done in THE NAME OF GOD, but really it’s all about inequality and 1% of humans who control all the money in the world and do not care for all the horrors and deaths the war brings, as long as their comfort and way of life is undisturbed!
Imagination: None of this is real, universe is a hologram projected by our sick brain!
It’s something only humans can do, live in two different realities, all other living spices are in total peace with nature and themselves. They live with no worries about death and taxes!
…
Imagine
John Winston Lennon
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Imagine all the people
Livin' for today
Ah
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Livin' life in peace
You
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
…
The Federal Empire Lyrics
"What Are We Fighting For"
This isn't a game yeah
When mothers are crying
Watching their children die in vain
I'm praying for peace now
I saw all the conflict
Somehow there's got to be a change
No one wins when people die
Doesn't matter which side
Love will never make it out alive
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
Money, religion, or power all the time
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
The price of our freedom
Is blood in the water
We're looking for hope what will it take
We keep on repeating
The fate of our fathers
Somehow there's got to be a change
No one wins when people die
Doesn't matter which side
Love will never make it out alive
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
Money, religion, or power all the time
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
Money, religion, or power all the time
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
…
…
;;; Greek for Yah;;;; Mystic name of the supreme deity. The great I AM presence & essence. ;;; (iota, alpha, omega) INRI (In nobis regnat Iesus) IHS (Invictus Hoc Signo) ;;-;;; means God IAO
Yah – pronounced as it appears.
This Divine Name is contained in Eheieh and Yahweh – it is the end of Eheieh and beginning of Yahweh, and is the emanation of Pure Supernal Force or Life-Force. It is akin to El, though corresponds to Hokmah-Wisdom, representing the very essence of God’s Word and Wisdom or Creative Power.
Yah is a Divine Name that appears frequently in the inmost secret teachings, specifically in relationship to the generation of the Body of Light or Threefold Body of Melchizedek and the Mystery of Divine Rapture and Ascension. When teachings are given on this Name the Sign of Silence always follows, for they are spoken only to the elect. We can say, however, that the Baal Shem destroys and re-creates the Universe with the intonement of Yah and that it contains the secret of Eternal Life.
Prayer to Yeshua Messiah: Christ Melchizedek
In the Holy Womb of Primordial Sophia,
The Emptiness of Infinite Space,
You shine forth as the Pleroma of Light,
The Human One of Light,
Diamond Being,
Christ the Logos –
As Supernal Glory you shine forth in your Holy Bride, Christ the Sophia!
O Perfect Thunder Mind of El Elyon, Christ Melchizedek,
We praise you and we bless your Name:
Truth-Consciousness!
You have gone out and you have come in,
Flashing forth in Divine Revelation;
O Bornless Being, Self-begetting, Self-generating,
You have emanated from within yourself as the Pleroma of Light,
And you have come forth from the Pleroma into the Entirety,
Running and returning, you have drawn the Soul of the World in ascent with you,
Your Twin Sister, your Holy Bride, as called you to herself, and you have answered her,
In love and compassion you have come, the True Light of the Living Father, Holy One
Eheieh, the Divine I Am, is your Holy Name,
Adonai, the consummation of the Aeons, the Perfection of Creation,
The Sacred Tau –
We praise you and we bless your Name,
O Spiritual Sun of Yahweh Elohim!
You have put on the images of those to whom you have appeared,
In your Great Glory and Splendor you have appeared among the gods and goddesses, archangels and angels, the shining spirits and human ones;
You have appeared to titans, hungry ghosts and demons, as to the righteous ones,
You have come to awaken the spiritual elect and made a ransom of yourself for the faithful;
Into height and depth, east and west, south and north you have made the Light of the Infinite to shine; into all realms, worlds and universes of the Entirety you emanate yourself –
You have put an end to Forgetfulness,
You have rent the Veils of Ignorance,
You have shattered the Dominion of the Demiurge,
Revealing the True Light and imparting Divine Gnosis!
On the Holy Day of the Resurrection you set our spirits free,
In the Ascension you carried our souls up in the Great Exodus –
From the first to the last, you have liberated all, going forth triumphant, gathering all holy sparks into your Body of Light!
O Risen Savior, we cleave to you,
We praise and we bless your Holy Name:
O Truth Body Savior, we praise you,
O Glory Body Savior, we praise you,
O Emanation Body Savior, we praise you,
Christ Melchizedek, we praise you and we bless your Holy Name:
Adonai Yeshua,
Yeshua Messiah,
IAO-OAI
O Light of the True Cross, illuminate our minds,
O Supernal Mercy, open our hearts,
O Grace Most High, transform our bodies –
Bless and empower us in the Way,
Heal us and establish us in the Truth,
Take us up into the Divine Life!
We give ourselves and our lives to you:
O Light-presence and Light-power,
Indwell us –
Lead us in the Path of True Gnosis,
That we might remember ourselves in the Light-continuum,
And be empowered as Holy Apostles, true Light-bearers!
We invoke your Holy Name and we pray for ourselves and all beings:
Let the Divine Light go forth to dispel the darkness in all beings and all realms;
Let all illness and dis-ease be healed and all beings be made whole;
Let all living spirits and souls receive Divine Illumination –
May the inmost heart’s desire of all beings be fulfilled;
May all beings be blessed with your repose and joy:
O Holy One, please bless and empower all beings!
Calling upon the Divine Power of your Name, we pray that the Holy Ones and Divine Beings continue to incarnate among us until the fruition of the Second Coming, that all might be brought up in the Great Resurrection and Ascension –
O Yeshua Messiah, bless and empower us with your Holy Shekinah in the divine labor of the harvest of souls!
Kadosh (= Holy) Adonai (= O Lord) Eloh;m (= our God) Tze’va’ot (= Lord of Hosts) Asher hayah (= Who was and who is) V’hoveh V’yavo! (And will come!) Amen Amun Amon
…
Cain and Abel
First two sons of Adam and Eve
This article is about the first and second sons of Adam and Eve. For other uses, see Cain and Abel (disambiguation).
In the biblical Book of Genesis, Cain and Abel are the first two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain, the firstborn, was a farmer, and his brother Abel was a shepherd. The brothers made sacrifices to God, but God favored Abel's sacrifice instead of Cain's. Cain then murdered Abel, whereupon God punished Cain by condemning him to a life of wandering. Cain then dwelt in the land of Nod (;;;;, 'wandering'), where he built a city and fathered the line of descendants beginning with Enoch.
"My Brother's Keeper" redirects here. For other uses, see My Brother's Keeper (disambiguation).
Genesis narrative
The story of Cain's murder of Abel and its consequences is told in Genesis 4:1–18:
And the human knew Eve his woman and she conceived and bore Cain, and she said, "I have got me a man with the Lord." And she bore as well his brother Abel, and Abel became a herder of sheep while Cain was a tiller of the soil. And it happened in the course of time that Cain brought from the fruit of the soil an offering to the Lord. And Abel too had brought from the choice firstlings of his flock, and the Lord regarded Abel and his offering but did not regard Cain and his offering. And Cain was very incensed, and his face fell. And the Lord said to Cain,
"Why are you incensed,
and why is your face fallen?
For whether you offer well,
or whether you do not,
at the tent flap sin crouches
and for you is its longing,
but you will rule over it."
And Cain said to Abel his brother, "Let us go out to the field," and when they were in the field Cain rose against Abel his brother and killed him. And the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother? And he said, "I do not know: am I my brother's keeper?" And He said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the soil. And so, cursed shall you be by the soil that gaped with its mouth to take your brother's blood from your hand. If you till the soil, it will no longer give you strength. A restless wanderer shall you be on the earth." And Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is too great to bear. Now that You have driven me this day from the soil I must hide from Your presence, I shall be a restless wanderer on the earth and whoever finds me will kill me." And the Lord said to him, "Therefore whoever kills Cain shall suffer sevenfold vengeance." And the Lord set a mark upon Cain so that whoever found him would not slay him.
And Cain went out from the Lord's presence and dwelled in the land of Nod east of Eden. And Cain knew his wife and she conceived and bore Enoch. Then he became the builder of a city and he called the name of the city like his son's name, Enoch.
Translation notes
4:1 – The Hebrew verb "knew" implies intimate or sexual knowledge, along with possession. The name "Cain", which means "smith", resembles the verb translated as "gotten" but also possibly meaning "to make". (Alter 2008:29).
4:2 – Abel's name could be associated with "vapor" or "puff of air". (Alter 2008:29).
4:8 – "Let us go out to the field" does not appear in the Masoretic Text, but is found in other versions including the Septuagint and Samaritan Pentateuch.
4:9 – the phrase traditionally translated "am I my brother's keeper?" is Hebrew "H;-;;m;r ';;; ';n;;;?" "Keeper" is from the verb shamar (;;;), "guard, keep, watch, preserve."
4:10–12 – Cain is cursed min-ha-adamah, from the earth, being the same root as "man" and Adam.
Origins
Etymology
Cain and Abel are traditional English renderings of the Hebrew names. It has been proposed that the etymology of their names may be a direct pun on the roles they take in the Genesis narrative. Abel (hbl) is thought to derive from a reconstructed word meaning 'herdsman', with the modern Arabic cognate ibil now specifically referring only to 'camels'. Cain (qyn) is thought to be cognate to the mid-1st millennium BCE South Arabian word qyn, meaning 'metalsmith'. This theory would make the names descriptive of their roles, where Abel works with livestock, and Cain with agriculture—and would parallel the names Adam (;;;, ‘dm, 'man') and Eve (;;;, ;wh, 'life-giver').[citation needed]
Original appearance
The oldest known copy of the biblical narrative is from the Dead Sea Scrolls, and dates to the first century BCE. Cain and Abel also appear in a number of other texts, and the story is the subject of various interpretations. Abel, the first murder victim, is sometimes seen as the first martyr; while Cain, the first murderer, is sometimes seen as an ancestor of evil. Some scholars suggest the pericope may have been based on a Sumerian story representing the conflict between nomadic shepherds and settled farmers. Modern scholars typically view the stories of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel to be about the development of civilization during the age of agriculture; not the beginnings of man, but when people first learned agriculture, replacing the ways of the hunter-gatherer.
Academic theologian Joseph Blenkinsopp holds that Cain and Abel are symbolic rather than real. Like almost all of the persons, places and stories in the Primeval history (the first eleven chapters of Genesis), they are mentioned nowhere else in the Hebrew Bible, a fact that suggests that the History is a late composition attached to Genesis to serve as an introduction. Just how late is a matter for dispute: the history may be as late as the Hellenistic period (first decades of the 4th century BCE), but the high level of Babylonian myth behind its stories has led others to date it to the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE). A prominent Mesopotamian parallel to Cain and Abel is the Sumerian myth of the Courtship of Inanna and Dumuzid, in which the shepherd Dumuzid and the farmer Enkimdu compete for the affection of the goddess Inanna, with Dumuzid (the shepherd) winning out. Another parallel is Enlil Chooses the Farmer-God, in which the shepherd-god Emesh and the farmer-god Enten bring their dispute over which of them is better to the chief god Enlil, who rules in favor of Enten (the farmer).
Jewish and Christian interpretations
Main articles: Cain and Abel
Cain
Biblical figure
This article is about the Biblical figure. For other uses, see Cain (disambiguation).
Cain is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He is the elder brother of Abel, and the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, the first couple within the Bible. He was a farmer who gave an offering of his crops to God. However, God was not pleased and favored Abel's offering over Cain's. Out of jealousy, Cain killed his brother, for which he was punished by God with the curse and mark of Cain. He had several children, starting with Enoch and including Lamech.
Quick Facts Spouse(s), Children ...
The narrative is notably unclear on Cain's motive for murdering his brother, God's reason for rejecting Cain's sacrifice, and details on the identity of Cain's wife. Some traditional interpretations consider Cain to be the originator of evil, violence, or greed. According to Genesis, Cain was the first human born and the first murderer.
Genesis narrative
Main article: Cain and Abel
Interpretations
Jewish and Christian interpretations
A question arising early in the story is why God rejected Cain's sacrifice. The text states that "In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor." Genesis 4:3-5a. Noteworthy is the difference in the type of sacrifice: fruits of the soil are renewable and bloodless. Fat-portions are set apart for the Lord [see Leviticus 3:16], and came from the firstborn - which point to an act of faith, since it is not guaranteed there will be more. The Midrash suggest that although Abel brought the best meat from his flock, Cain did not set aside for God the best of his harvest.
Similar to the internalized spiritual death God warns Adam and Eve of from eating the forbidden fruit - they do not physically die immediately but over the course of time their bodies age and die - the Lord warns Cain that his inappropriate anger is waiting to consume him: "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” [ Genesis 4:7 ]
Curse and Mark
See also: Curse and mark of Cain
According to the Book of Genesis, Cain (Hebrew: ;;;;; Q;yin, in pausa ;;;;; Q;;yin; Greek: ;;;; K;;n; Ethiopian version: Qayen; Arabic: ;;;;;, Q;b;l) is the first child of Eve, the first murderer, and the third human being to fall under a curse.
According to Genesis 4:1–16, Cain treacherously murdered his brother, Abel, lied about the murder to God, and as a result, was cursed and marked for life. With the earth left cursed to drink Abel's blood, Cain was no longer able to farm the land. He becomes a "fugitive and wanderer", and receives a mark from God - commonly referred to as the mark of Cain - so that no one can enact vengeance on him.
Exegesis of the Septuagint's narrative, "groaning and shaking upon the earth" has Cain suffering from body tremors. Interpretations extend Cain's curse to his descendants, where they all died in the Great Deluge as retribution for the loss of Abel's potential offspring.
Etymology
The Body of Abel Found by Adam and Eve by William Blake, 1826
One popular theory regarding the name of Cain connects it to the verb "kana" (;;; qnh), meaning "to get" and used by Eve in Genesis 4:1 when she says after bearing Cain, "I have gotten a man from the Lord." In this viewpoint, articulated by Nachmanides in the thirteenth century, Cain's name presages his role of mastery, power, and sin. In one of the Legends of the Jews, Cain is the fruit of a union between Eve and Satan, who is also the angel Samael and the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and Eve exclaims at Cain's birth, "I have gotten a man through an angel of the Lord." According to the Life of Adam and Eve (c. 1st century CE), Cain fetched his mother a reed (qaneh) which is how he received his name Qayin (Cain). The symbolism of him fetching a reed may be a nod to his occupation as a farmer, as well as a commentary to his destructive nature. He is also described as "lustrous", which may reflect the Gnostic association of Cain with the sun.
Characteristics
Cain is described as a city-builder, and the forefather of tent-dwelling pastoralists, all lyre and pipe players, and bronze and iron smiths.
In an alternate translation of Genesis 4:17, endorsed by a minority of modern commentators, Cain's son Enoch builds a city and names it after his son, Irad. Such a city could correspond with Eridu, one of the most ancient cities known. Philo observes that it makes no sense for Cain, the third human on Earth, to have founded an actual city. Instead, he argues, the city symbolizes an unrighteous philosophy.
In the New Testament, Cain is cited as an example of unrighteousness in 1 John 3:12 and Jude 1:11. The Targumim, rabbinic sources, and later speculations supplemented background details for the daughters of Adam and Eve. Such exegesis of Genesis 4 introduced Cain's wife as being his sister, a concept that has been accepted for at least 1,800 years. This can be seen with Jubilees 4 which narrates that Cain settled down and married his sister Awan, who bore their first son, the first Enoch, approximately 196 years after the creation of Adam. Cain then establishes the first city, naming it after his son, builds a house, and lives there until it collapses on him, killing him.
Relationship with the ground
In this alternative reading of the text, the ground could be personified as a character. This reading is evidenced by given human qualities, like a mouth, in the scripture. The ground is also the only subject of an active verb in the verse that states, "It opens its mouth to take the blood." This suggests that the ground reacted to the situation. By that logic, the ground could then potentially be an accomplice to the murder of Abel (Jordstad 708). The reaction from the ground raises the question, "Does the intimate connection between humans and the ground mean that the ground mirrors or aids human action, regardless of the nature of that action?"
Other stories
In Jewish tradition, Philo, Pirke De-Rabbi Eliezer and the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan asserted that Adam was not the father of Cain. Rather, Eve was subject to adultery having been seduced by either Sammael, the serpent (nahash, Hebrew: ;;;) in the Garden of Eden, or the devil himself. Christian exegesis of the "evil one" in 1 John 3:10–12 have also led some commentators, like Tertullian, to agree that Cain was the son of the devil or some fallen angel. Thus, according to some interpreters, Cain was half-human and half-angelic, one of the Nephilim (Genesis 6). Gnostic exegesis in the Apocryphon of John has Eve seduced by Yaldaboth. However, in the Hypostasis of the Archons, Eve is raped by a pair of Archons.
Pseudo-Philo, a Jewish work of the first century CE, narrates that Cain murdered his brother at the age of 15. After escaping to the Land of Nod, Cain fathered four sons: Enoch, Olad, Lizpha and Fosal; and two daughters: Citha and Maac (the latter five aren't mentioned in the Bible). Cain died at the age of 730, leaving his corrupt descendants spreading evil on earth. According to the Book of Jubilees, Cain murdered his brother with a stone. Afterwards, Cain was killed by the same instrument he used against his brother; his house fell on him and he was killed by its stones. A heavenly law was cited after the narrative of Cain's death saying:
With the instrument with which a man kills his neighbour with the same shall he be killed; after the manner that he wounded him, in like manner shall they deal with him.
A Talmudic tradition says that after Cain had murdered his brother, God made a horn grow on his head. Later, Cain was killed at the hands of his great grandson Lamech, who mistook him for a wild beast. A Christian version of this tradition from the time of the Crusades holds that the slaying of Cain by Lamech took place on a mound called "Cain Mons" (i.e. Mount Cain), which is a corruption of "Caymont", a Crusader fort in Tel Yokneam in modern-day Israel.
The story of Cain and Abel is also made reference to in chapter 19 of 1 Meqabyan, a book considered canonical in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. In this text, Cain killed Abel because he desired Abel's wife.
According to the Mandaean scriptures including the Qolast;, the Book of John and Genz; Rabb;, Abel is cognate with the angelic soteriological figure Hibil Ziwa who taught John the Baptist.
In Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, Cain is a lunar figure.
Family
Family tree
The following family tree of the line of Cain is compiled from a variety of biblical and extra-biblical texts.
Adam Eve
Cain Abel Seth
Enoch Enos
Irad Kenan
Mehujael Mahalalel
Methushael Jared
Adah Lamech Zillah Enoch
Jabal Jubal Tubal-Cain Naamah Methuselah
Lamech
Noah
Shem Ham Japheth
Sisters/wives
Various early commentators have said that Cain and Abel have sisters, usually twin sisters. According to Rabbi Joshua ben Karha as quoted in Genesis Rabbah, "Only two entered the bed, and seven left it: Cain and his twin sister, Abel and his two twin sisters."
Motives
The Book of Genesis does not give a specific reason for the murder of Abel. Modern commentators typically assume that the motives were jealousy and anger due to God rejecting Cain's offering, while accepting Abel's. The First Epistle of John says the following:
Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous."
—;1 John 3:12
Ancient exegetes, such as the Midrash and the Conflict of Adam and Eve with Satan, tell that the motive involved a desire for the most beautiful woman. According to Midrashic tradition, Cain and Abel each had twin sisters; each was to marry the other's. The Midrash states that Abel's promised wife, Aclima, was more beautiful than Awan, Cain's promised wife. And so, after Cain would not consent to this arrangement, Adam suggested seeking God's blessing by means of a sacrifice. Whoever God blessed would marry Aclima. When God openly rejected Cain's sacrifice, Cain slew his brother in a fit of jealousy and anger. Rabbinical exegetes have discussed whether Cain's incestuous relationship with his sister was in violation of halakha.
Legacy and symbolism
A millennia-old explanation for Cain being capable of murder is that he may have been the offspring of a fallen angel or Satan himself, rather than being the son of Adam.
A medieval legend has Cain arriving at the Moon, where he eternally settled with a bundle of twigs. This was originated by the popular fantasy of interpreting the shadows on the Moon as a face. An example of this belief can be found in Dante Alighieri's Inferno (XX, 126) where the expression "Cain and the twigs" is used as a kenning for "moon".
In Latter-day Saint theology, Cain is considered to be the quintessential Son of Perdition, the father of secret combinations (i.e. secret societies and organized crime), as well as the first to hold the title Master Mahan meaning master of [the] great secret, that [he] may murder and get gain.
In Mormon folklore—a second-hand account relates that an early Mormon leader, David W. Patten, encountered a very tall, hairy, dark-skinned man in Tennessee who said that he was Cain. The account states that Cain had earnestly sought death but was denied it, and that his mission was to destroy the souls of men. The recollection of Patten's story is quoted in Spencer W. Kimball's The Miracle of Forgiveness, a popular book within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This widespread Mormon belief is further emphasized by an account from Salt Lake City in 1963 which stated that "One superstition is based on the old Mormon belief that Cain is a black man who wanders the earth begging people to kill him and take his curse upon themselves (M, 24, SLC, 1963)."
Freud's theory of fratricide is explained by the Oedipus or Electra complex through Carl Jung's supplementation.
There were other, minor traditions concerning Cain and Abel, of both older and newer date. The apocryphal Life of Adam and Eve tells of Eve having a dream in which Cain drank his brother's blood. In an attempt to prevent the prophecy from happening the two young men are separated and given different jobs.
The author Daniel Quinn, first in his book Ishmael and later in The Story of B, proposes that the story of Cain and Abel is an account of early Semitic herdsmen observing the beginnings of what he calls totalitarian agriculture, with Cain representing the first 'modern' agriculturists and Abel the pastoralists.
Abel
Biblical figure
This article is about the biblical figure. For other uses, see Abel (disambiguation).
Abel is a Biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within Abrahamic religions. He was the younger brother of Cain, and the younger son of Adam and Eve, the first couple in Biblical history. He was a shepherd who offered his firstborn flock up to God as an offering. God accepted his offering but not his brother's. Cain then killed Abel out of jealousy.
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According to Genesis, this was the first murder in the history of mankind.
Genesis narrative
Main article: Cain and Abel
Interpretations
Jewish and Christian interpretations
According to the narrative in Genesis, Abel (Hebrew: ;;;;; H;bel, in pausa ;;;;; H;;;el; Biblical Greek: ;;;; H;bel; Arabic: ;;;;;, H;b;l) is Eve's second son. His name in Hebrew is composed of the same three consonants as a root meaning "breath". Julius Wellhausen has proposed that the name is independent of the root. Eberhard Schrader had previously put forward the Akkadian (Old Assyrian dialect) ablu ("son") as a more likely etymology.
In Christianity, comparisons are sometimes made between the death of Abel and that of Jesus, the former thus seen as being the first martyr. In Matthew 23:35 Jesus speaks of Abel as "righteous", and the Epistle to the Hebrews states that "The blood of sprinkling ... [speaks] better things than that of Abel" (Hebrews 12:24). The blood of Jesus is interpreted as bringing mercy; but that of Abel as demanding vengeance (hence the curse and mark).
Abel is invoked in the litany for the dying in the Roman Catholic Church, and his sacrifice is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass along with those of Abraham and Melchizedek. The Alexandrian Rite commemorates him with a feast day on December 28.
According to the Coptic Book of Adam and Eve (at 2:1–15), and the Syriac Cave of Treasures, Abel's body, after many days of mourning, was placed in the Cave of Treasures, before which Adam and Eve, and descendants, offered their prayers. In addition, the Sethite line of the Generations of Adam swear by Abel's blood to segregate themselves from the unrighteous.
In the Book of Enoch (22:7), regarded by most Christian and Jewish traditions as extra-biblical, the soul of Abel is described as having been appointed as the chief of martyrs, crying for vengeance, for the destruction of the seed of Cain. A similar view is later shown in the Testament of Abraham (A:13 / B:11), where Abel has been raised to the position as the judge of the souls.
Sethian Gnostic interpretation
In the Apocryphon of John, a work belonging to Sethian Gnosticism, Abel is the offspring of Yaldaboath and Eve, who is placed over the elements of water and earth as Elohim, but was only given his name as a form of deception.
Mandaean interpretation
Main article: Hibil
According to Mandaean beliefs and scriptures including the Qolast;, the Book of John and Genz; Rabb;, Abel is cognate with the angelic soteriological figure Hibil Ziwa, (Classical Mandaic: ;;;;; ;;;;, sometimes translated "Splendid Hibel"), who is spoken of as a son of Hayyi or of Manda d-Hayyi, and as a brother to Anush (Enosh) and to Sheetil (Seth), who is the son of Adam. Elsewhere, Anush is spoken of as the son of Sheetil, and Sheetil as the son of Hibil, where Hibil came to Adam and Eve as a young boy when they were still virgins, but was called their son. Hibil is an important lightworld being (uthra) who conquered the World of Darkness. As Yawar Hibil, he is one of multiple figures known as Yawar (Classical Mandaic: ;;;;;, lit.;'Helper'), being so named by and after his father.
According to Shi'a Muslim belief, Abel ("Habeel") is buried in the Nabi Habeel Mosque, located on the west mountains of Damascus, near the Zabadani Valley, overlooking the villages of the Barada river (Wadi Barada), in Syria. Shi'a are frequent visitors of this mosque for ziyarat. The mosque was built by Ottoman Wali Ahmad Pasha in 1599.
In popular culture
Abel is portrayed by Franco Nero in the film The Bible: In the Beginning... (1966).
Notes
/;e;b;l/; Hebrew: ;;;;; H;;el, in pausa ;;;;; H;;;el; Biblical Greek: ;;;; H;bel; Arabic: ;;;;;, romanized: H;b;l
Islamic interpretation
Cain and Abel in Islam
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H;b;l and Q;b;l (Arabic: ;;;;;;;; ;;;;;;;;;;, Abel and Cain) are believed by Muslims to have been the first two sons of Adam and Hawa; (Eve) mentioned in the Qur;an.
Q;b;l and H;b;l written in Islamic calligraphy
The events of the story in the Qur'an are virtually the same as the Hebrew Bible narrative: Both the brothers were asked to offer up individual sacrifices to God; God accepted Abel's sacrifice and rejected Cain's; out of jealousy, Cain slew Abel – the first ever case of murder committed upon the Earth.
The Sunni view narrates that Allah commanded (or permitted) Adam to marry his pair of twin daughters with his twin sons, Habil with the beautiful Iqlimiya, and Qabil with the 'less attractive' Layudha. When Adam was about to marry them, Qabil protested and disobeyed, claiming his wife was the less attractive while his brother's wife was beautiful. Based on the revelations from Allah, Adam ordered both his sons to sacrifice, whoever received the kurbanya then was entitled to marry Iqlimiya. According to the Shia version, from reports of their Shia Imams, it had always been a sin for a brother to marry their sister, and the sacrifices were instead to determine who would be chosen as Adam's successor on Earth. In both stories, Habil's sacrifice was ultimately the one accepted by Allah, and in a jealous rage, Qabil slew him.
In the Qur'an
Main article: Al-Ma'ida
A depiction of Cain burying Abel from an illuminated manuscript version of Stories of the Prophets
Of Adam's first children, Cain was the elder son while Abel the younger. Each of them presented a sacrifice to God but it was accepted only from Abel, because of the latter's righteous attitude and his faith and firm belief in God. After the offering of their sacrifices, Cain, the wicked sibling, taunted Abel out of envy and told him that he would surely slay him. Abel justly warned Cain that God only accepted the sacrifice of those that are righteous in their doings. He further went on to tell Cain that if Cain did indeed try to slay him, Abel would not retaliate and slay him because the God-fearing would never murder for the sake of envy. Abel then told Cain that in murdering him, he would carry the weight not only of his sin but also of the sins of his victim. The victim, as a result, in suffering the injustice, would be forgiven his own sins and the murderer, while being warned, would consequently increase his own sin. Abel preached powerfully and reminded Cain that the punishment for murder would be that he would spend the afterlife in the fires of Hell.
The innocent pleading and preaching of Abel had no effect upon Cain, for he was full of arrogance, pride and jealousy. He subsequently slew the righteous Abel, but in doing so, he ruined himself and became of those who remain lost. This would be the earliest example of the murder of a righteous man taking place upon the earth. In the future, many other evildoers would slay the wise and pious believers.
After the murder, Allah sent a crow searching in the ground to show Cain how to hide the disgrace of his brother. Cain, in his shame, began to curse himself and he became full of guilt. The thought of the crime at last came to the murderer, as he realized indeed how dreadful it was to slay anyone, the more so as the victim was an innocent and righteous man. Full of regrets, Cain was marked with deep sorrow. The Qur'an states, "And he became of the regretful." 5:31 (Chapter 5, verse 31)
Message
See also: Islam and violence
The Qur'an states that the story of Cain and Abel was a message for mankind, as it had told them about the consequences of murder and that the killing of a soul would be as if he/she had slain the whole of mankind. But the Qur'an states that still people rejected the message of the story, and continued to commit grave sins, such as slaying prophets and other righteous people. All the prophets who preached since the time of Adam were persecuted, insulted or reviled in one way or another. With some righteous men, however, the Qur'an states that people went one step further, in attempting to slay them or indeed slaying them. As for the slaying of the righteous, it says "As to those who deny the Signs of God and in defiance of right, slay the prophets, and slay those who teach just dealing with mankind, announce to them a grievous penalty".
The story appears in the Quran 5:27-31:
[Prophet], tell them the truth about the story of Adam's two sons: each of them offered a sacrifice, and it was accepted from one and not the other. One said, 'I will kill you,' but the other said, 'God only accepts the sacrifice of those who are mindful of Him. If you raise your hand to kill me, I will not raise mine to kill you. I fear God, the Lord of all worlds, and I would rather you were burdened with my sins as well as yours and became an inhabitant of the Fire: such is the evildoers' reward.' But his soul prompted him to kill his brother: he killed him and became one of the losers. God sent a raven to scratch up the ground and show him how to cover his brother's corpse and he said, 'Woe is me! Could I not have been like this raven and covered up my brother's body?' He became remorseful.
—;The Quran, translated by Muhammad Abdel-Haleem
The story of Cain and Abel has always been used as a deterrent from murder in Islamic tradition. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud reported that Muhammad said in a hadith:
No soul is wrongfully killed except that some of the burden falls upon the son of Adam, for he was the first to establish the practice of murder.
Muslim scholars were divided on the motives behind Cain's murder of Abel, and further why the two brothers were obliged to offer sacrifices to God. Some scholars believed that Cain's motives were plain jealousy and lust. Both Cain and Abel desired to marry Adam's beautiful daughter, Aclima (Arabic: Aqlimia'). Seeking to end the dispute between them, Adam suggested that each present an offering before God. The one whose offering God accepted would marry Aclima. Abel, a generous shepherd, offered the fattest of his sheep as an oblation to God. But Cain, a miserly farmer, offered only a bunch of grass and some worthless seeds to him. God accepted Abel's offering and rejected Cain's—an indication that Abel was more righteous than Cain, and thus worthier of Aclima. As a result, it was decided that Abel would marry Aclima. Cain, on the other hand, would marry her less beautiful sister. Blinded by anger and lust for Aclima, Cain sought to get revenge on Abel and escape with Aclima.
According to another tradition, the devil appeared to Cain and instructed him how to exact revenge on Abel. "Hit Abel's head with a stone and kill him," whispered the devil to Cain. After the murder, the devil hurried to Eve shouting: "Eve! Cain has murdered Abel!". Eve did not know what murder was or how death felt like. She asked, bewildered and horrified, "Woe to you! What is murder?". "He [Abel] does not eat. He does not drink. He does not move [That's what murder and death are]," answered the Devil. Eve burst out into tears and started to wail madly. She ran to Adam and tried to tell him what happened. However, she could not speak because she could not stop wailing. Since then, women wail broken-heartedly when a loved one dies. A different tradition narrates that while Cain was quarreling with Abel, the devil killed an animal with a stone in Cain's sight to show him how to murder Abel.
After burying Abel and escaping from his family, Cain got married and had children. They died in Noah's flood among other tyrants and unbelievers.
Some Muslim scholars puzzled over the mention of offerings in the narrative of Cain and Abel. Offerings and sacrifices were ordained only after the revelation of Tawrat to Musa. This led some scholars, such as Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib, to think that the sons of Adam mentioned in the Quran are actually two Israelites, not Cain and Abel.
Al-Ma'idah
5th chapter of the Qur'an
Al-Ma'idah (Arabic: ;;;;;;;, Al-M;;idah; meaning: "The Table" or "The Table Spread with Food") is the fifth chapter (s;rah) of the Quran, with 120 verses (;y;t). Regarding the timing and contextual background of the revelation (asb;b al-nuz;l), it is a "Medinan surah", which means it is believed to have been revealed in Medina, instead of Mecca.
Quick Facts ;;;;;;; Al-M;;idah The Table Spread with Food, Classification ...
The chapter's topics include animals which are forbidden, and Jesus' and Moses' missions. Verse 90 prohibits "The intoxicant" (alcohol). Verse 8 Contains the passage: "Do not let the hatred of a people lead you to injustice". Al-Tabligh Verse 67 is relevant to the Farewell Pilgrimage and Ghadir Khumm.[Quran 5:67]
Verses (Q5:32-33) have been quoted to denounce killing, by using an abbreviated form such as, "If anyone kills a person, it would be as if he killed the whole people: and if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people". This verse is similar to that of one from the Talmud.[Quran 5:32][Quran 5:33]
Summary
A trial in the Ottoman Empire, 1879, when religious law applied under the Mecelle
1 Covenants are to be fulfilled
2 Lawful meats
3 Heathen pilgrims not to be molested
4 Islam completed—last revelation of the Quran , Certain kinds of food, gambling, and lotteries forbidden
5 Muslims permitted to eat the food of Jews and Christians, and to marry their women
6 The law of purifications
7-8 Believers reminded of the covenant of Aqabah, Muslims should bear true testimony and not let the hatred of a people prevent them from being just
9-11 Muslims should forget old quarrels with brethren
12 God’s favour to Muslims
13-15 Disobedience of Jews and Christians exposed
16-18 Jews and Christians are exhorted to accept Islam
19-20 The divinity of Christ denied
21 Jews and Christians not the children of God
22 Muhammad sent as a warner
23-29 Israel’s rebellion at Kadesh Barnea
30-34 The story of Cain and Abel 35-36 The sin of homicide
37-38 The punishment of theft accompanied by apostasy
39 The faithful exhorted to fight for religion
40-41 The punishment of infidels
42-44 The penalty of theft
45-55 Muhammad to judge the Jews and Christians by the law, gospel, and the Quran
56 Muslims forbidden to fraternise with Jews and Christians
57-58 Hypocrites threatened
59-61 Believers warned and instructed. The fate of the People of the Book
62-63 Muslims not to associate with infidels
64-65 The Jews exhorted and warned
66-69 The hypocrisy and unbelief of the Jews rebuked
70 Promises to believing Jews and Christians
71 Muhammad required to preach
72 He attests Jewish and Christian Scriptures
73 Believing Jews, Sabians, and Christians to be saved
74-75 The Jews rejected and killed the prophets of God
76-81 The doctrines of the Trinity and Christ’s Sonship rejected
82-84 Disobedient Jews cursed by their prophets
85-88 Jewish hatred and Christian friendship compared
89-90 Muslims to use lawful food etc
91 Expiation for perjury
92-94 Wine and lots forbidden
95-97 Law concerning hunting and gambling during pilgrimage
98-100 Pilgrimage and its rites enjoined
101-102 The Prophet not to be pestered with questions
102-104 Heathen Arab customs denounced
105-107 Wills to be attested by witnesses
108 The prophets ignorant of the characters of their followers
109-110 Jesus—his miracles—God’s favour to him
111 The apostles of Jesus were Muslims
112-114 A table provided by Jesus for the apostles
115-118 Jesus did not teach his followers to worship him and his mother
119 The reward of the true believer
120 God is sovereign
Placement and coherence with other surahs
The idea of textual relation between the verses of a chapter has been discussed under various titles such as nazm and munasabah in non-English literature and coherence, text relations, intertextuality, and unity in English literature. Hamiduddin Farahi, an Islamic scholar of the Indian subcontinent, is known for his work on the concept of nazm, or coherence, in the Quran. Fakhruddin al-Razi (died 1209 CE), Zarkashi (died 1392) and several other classical as well as contemporary Quranic scholars have contributed to the studies. The entire Qur'an thus emerges as a well-connected and systematic book. Each division has a distinct theme. Topics within a division are more or less in the order of revelation. Within each division, each member of the pair complements the other in various ways. The seven divisions are as follows:
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Exegesis
3 Verse of Ikmal al-Din
Main article: Verse of Ikmal al-Din
This verse has a Parenthetical Sentence: "This day have those who disbelieve despaired of your religion, so fear them not, and fear Me. This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as a religion.."[Quran 5:3] This verse was revealed at Arafat as reported in the authentic hadith:
Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: Once a Jew said to me, "O the chief of believers! There is a verse in your Holy Book which is read by all of you (Muslims), and had it been revealed to us, we would have taken that day (on which it was revealed) as a day of celebration." 'Umar bin Al-Khattab asked, "Which is that verse?" The Jew replied, "This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion." (5:3) 'Umar replied,"No doubt, we know when and where this verse was revealed to the Prophet. It was Friday and the Prophet was standing at 'Arafat (i.e. the Day of Hajj).
—;Bukhari
27-31 Cain and Abel
Main article: Q;b;l and H;b;l
The story appears in the Quran 5:27-31:
A depiction of Cain burying Abel from an illuminated manuscript version of Stories of the Prophets
Relate unto them also the history of the two sons of Adam, with truth. When they offered their offering, and it was accepted from one of them, and was not accepted from the other, Cain said to his brother, I will certainly kill thee. Abel answered, GOD only accepteth the offering of the pious
—;The Quran, translated by George Sale
If you raise your hand to kill me, I will not raise mine to kill you. I fear God, the Lord of all worlds, and I would rather you were burdened with my sins as well as yours and became an inhabitant of the Fire: such is the evildoers' reward.' But his soul prompted him to kill his brother: he killed him and became one of the losers. God sent a raven to scratch up the ground and show him how to cover his brother's corpse and he said, 'Woe is me! Could I not have been like this raven and covered up my brother's body?' He became remorseful.
—;The Quran, translated by Muhammad Abdel-Haleem
33 Hirabah verse
This verse from Qur'anic chapter al-ma'idah (Q5:33) is known as the Hirabah verse (ayat al-hiraba), It specifies punishment for "those who wage war against God and His Messenger and strive to spread disorder in the land": The verbal noun form (i.e. ;irabah) is frequently used in classical and modern books of Islamic jurisprudence, but neither the word ;irabah nor the root verb ;araba occurs in the Quran. (Yu;;rib;na is the form used in Quran 5:33-4.)
According to early Islamic sources, the verse was revealed after some members of the Urayna tribe feigned conversion to Islam in order to steal Muslims' possessions and killed a young shepherd sent to teach them about the faith. In view of the broad and strong language of the verse, however, various state representatives beginning with the Umayyads have asserted that it applied to rebels in general.
The original meanings of the triliteral root ;rb are to despoil someones wealth or property, and also fighting or committing sinful act. The Quran "refers to both meanings" in verses 2:279 and 5:33-34.
51 Do not take Jews and Christians as allies
O true believers, take not the Jews, or Christians for your friends; they are friends the one to the other; but whoso among you taketh them for his friends, he is surely one of them: Verily God directeth not unjust people
Some Muslim hard liners have used verses such as this one to denounce close relationships with non-Muslims[citation needed] and forbidding non-Muslims from becoming leaders in Muslim countries. However, other Muslim scholars such as Shafi Usmani see this as forbidding only "indiscriminating intimacy" which might confuse the "distinctive hallmarks of Islam", while all other equitable relations as being allowed. Ghamidi in the context of his Itmam al-Hujjah interpretation of Islam, restricts the subjects of this verse to only the Jews and Christians of the Muslim Prophet's time. Others argue that only belligerent non-Muslims are being referenced here. Verse 51 is preserved in the ;an‘;’1 lower text.
Verse 54
O true believers, whoever of you apostatizeth from his religion, GOD will certainly bring other people to supply his place, whom he will love, and who will love him; who shall be humble towards the believers; but severe to the unbelievers: they shall fight for the religion of GOD, and shall not fear the obloquy of the detractor. This is the bounty of GOD, he bestoweth it on whom he pleaseth: GOD is extensive and wise.
Verse 54 is also interesting in relation to who the "beloved" are; some hadith view it as being Abu Musa al-Ashari.[Quran 5:54] Verse 54 is preserved in the ;an‘;’1 lower text.
Shia' view
On the Shia interpretation of this verse, God used the singular form "waliyyukum" implying the "wilayah" (Guardianship of the believers) is a single project. In other words, the "wilayah" of the messenger and that of the Ali springs from the of God's wilayah. The word "wali" in the context of this verse cannot mean "friend" because there is not a single verse in the Quran where God says that any one of his messengers is a friend or helper of their followers. Further if the verse implied "wilayah" in the sense of friend or helper, then the singular form "waliyyukum" would not have been used but the plural form "awliya'ukum" would be appropriate because the "friendship" of God is unique.[citation needed]
Tahir ul Qadri writes regarding this verse: A hadith attributed to Ammar bin Yasir reports:[citation needed]
A beggar came up to 'Ali and stood beside him. He was kneeling in prayer. He ('Ali) pulled out his ring and he gave the ring to the beggar. Then 'Ali called on the Prophet and told him the news. At this occasion, this verse was revealed to him: (Surely your (helping) friend is Allah and His Messenger and (along with them) are the believers who establish prayers, pay zakah and bow down (physical state of bowing down during charity). Allah's Messenger read out the verse and said: One who has me as his master has 'Ali as his master. O Allah! Be his friend who befriends him ('Ali) and be his enemy who is his enemy.
Sunnis tend to view this with differing views.
Shi'as tend to view this as Sahih.
Verses 72 and 73
The Quran: An Encyclopedia says, "The Quran’s objection to Christian practice is Christianity’s shirk, its worship of Jesus, Mary and the saints ‘in derogation of Allah’. There is no justification in believing in the Trinity, for Jesus never would have condoned such a concept". In Sahih International: "(72) They have certainly disbelieved who say, " Allah is the Messiah, the son of Mary" while the Messiah has said, "O Children of Israel, worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord." Indeed, he who associates others with Allah - Allah has forbidden him Paradise, and his refuge is the Fire And there are not for the wrongdoers any helpers. (73) They have certainly disbelieved who say, Allah is the third of three. And there is no god except one God. And if they do not desist from what they are saying, there will surely afflict the disbelievers among them a painful punishment."[Quran 5:72–73]
Verse 90
In Verse 90 it says, "O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone altars [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful." This is a clear ruling in The Quran for Muslims to avoid alcohol and gambling.
Gnostic interpretation
In the Apocryphon of John, a work used in Gnosticism, Cain and Abel are Archons, being the offspring of the lesser god or Demiurge called Yaldabaoth, placed over the elements of fire, wind, water and earth. In this narrative their true names are Yahweh and Elohim, but they are given their earthly names as a form of deception.
Legacy and symbolism
Allusions to Cain and Abel as an archetype of fratricide appear in numerous references and retellings, through medieval art and Shakespearean works up to present day fiction.
A millennia-old explanation for Cain being capable of murder is that he may have been the offspring of a fallen angel or Satan himself, rather than being from Adam.
A treatise on Christian Hermeticism, Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism, describes the biblical account of Cain and Abel as a myth, in that it expresses, in a form narrated for a particular case, an "eternal" idea. It argues that brothers can become mortal enemies through the very fact that they worship the same God in the same way. According to the author, the source of religious wars is revealed. It is not the difference in dogma or ritual which is the cause, but the "pretention to equality" or "the negation of hierarchy."
There were other, minor traditions concerning Cain and Abel, of both older and newer date. The apocryphal Life of Adam and Eve tells of Eve having a dream in which Cain drank his brother's blood. In an attempt to prevent the prophecy from happening the two young men are separated and given different jobs.
Cultural references
Like other prominent biblical figures, Cain and Abel appear in many works of art, including works by Titian, Peter Paul Rubens and William Blake.
Multiple plays also showcase similar stories. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the characters King Claudius and King Hamlet are parallels of Cain and Abel. Lord Byron also rewrote and dramatized the story in his own play Cain (1821), viewing Cain as symbolic of a sanguine temperament, provoked by Abel's hypocrisy and sanctimony. The 2008 Danish stage play Biblen discusses and reenacts various Biblical stories, including Abel's murder by Cain.
Many novels feature the characters, or are closely based on them. Miguel de Unamuno's 1917 novel Abel S;nchez: A Story of a Passion is a re-telling of the Cain and Abel story. John Steinbeck's 1952 novel East of Eden (also a 1955 film) refers in its title to Cain's exile and contains discussions of the Cain and Abel story which then play out in the plot. James Baldwin's 1957 short story, "Sonny's Blues", has been seen as alluding to the Cain and Abel story. Author Daniel Quinn, first in his novel Ishmael (1992) and later in The Story of B (1996), proposes that the story of Cain and Abel is an account of early Semitic herdsmen observing the beginnings of what he calls totalitarian agriculture, with Cain representing the first 'modern' agriculturists and Abel the pastoralists.
They have also featured in TV series and, if allegorically, on the big screen. In Dallas (1978), Bobby and J.R. Ewing have been described as variations of Cain and Abel. More direct references include the appearance of Cain and Abel as characters in DC Comics since the 1950s. In 1989, Neil Gaiman made the two recurring characters in his comic series The Sandman. In Darren Aronofsky's allegorical film Mother! (2017), the characters "oldest son" and "younger brother" represent Cain and Abel.
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Warship or Worship in Ukraine
FIGHT or FLIGHT
ALL WARS ARE RELIGIOUS IN NATURE
We have a choice to pray for peace or to pray to win the war, not only war in Ukraine but also war with evil demons inside our hearts and minds! We all either stay and fight for what we believe in, (our freedom, our rights, our family, our pride, our flag, our future, our nation, our homeland), or run to save our lives and lives of those who we love and care for)!
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Gospel According to St Matthew Chapter 11 Verses 1 - 28
John sends his disciples to Christ, who upbraids the Jews for their incredulity, and calls to him such as are sensible of their burdens.
[1] And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he passed from thence, to teach and preach in their cities. [2] Now when John had heard in prison the works of Christ: sending two of his disciples he said to him: [3] Art thou he that art to come, or look we for another? [4] And Jesus making answer said to them: Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen. [5] The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them.
[6] And blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in me. [7] And when they went their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: What went you out into the desert to see? a reed shaken with the wind? [8] But what went you out to see? a man clothed in soft garments? Behold they that are clothed in soft garments, are in the houses of kings. [9] But what went you out to see? a prophet? yea I tell you, and more than a prophet. [10] For this is he of whom it is written: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare thy way before thee.
Interpretation of the verse 6
…“[6] "Scandalized in me": That is, who shall not take occasion of scandal or offence from my humility, and the disgraceful death of the cross which I shall endure.”…
[11] Amen I say to you, there hath not risen among them that are born of women a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is the lesser in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. [12] And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away. [13] For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John: [14] And if you will receive it, he is Elias that is to come. [15] He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
[12] "Suffereth violence": It is not to be obtained but by main force, by using violence upon ourselves, by mortification and penance, and resisting our perverse inclinations.
Interpretation of the Verse 14
…“[14] "He is Elias": Not in person, but in spirit. St. Luke 1. 17.”…
[16] But whereunto shall I esteem this generation to be like? It is like to children sitting in the market place. [17] Who crying to their companions say: We have piped to you, and you have not danced: we have lamented, and you have not mourned. [18] For John came neither eating nor drinking; and they say: He hath a devil. [19] The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say: Behold a man that is a glutton and a wine drinker, a friend of publicans and sinners. And wisdom is justified by her children. [20] Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein were done the most of his miracles, for that they had not done penance.
[21] Woe to thee, Corozain, woe to thee, Bethsaida: for if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you, they had long ago done penance in sackcloth and ashes. [22] But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you. [23] And thou Capharnaum, shalt thou be exalted up to heaven? thou shalt go down even unto hell. For if in Sodom had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in thee, perhaps it had remained unto this day. [24] But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee. [25] At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to the little ones.
[26] Yea, Father; for so hath it seemed good in thy sight. [27] All things are delivered to me by my Father. And no one knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither doth any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to reveal him. [28] Come to me, all you that labour, and are burdened, and I will refresh you. [29] Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls. [30] For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.
…
Fight-or-flight response
Physiological reaction to a perceived threat or harmful event
For other uses, see Fight or Flight (disambiguation).
Dog circling in on a cat with an arched back
A dog on hind legs and a cat hissing with an arched back
A dog and cat expressing the fight (top) and flight (bottom) response simultaneously.
This response is recognised as the first stage of the general adaptation syndrome that regulates stress responses among vertebrates and other organisms.
Name
Physiology
Autonomic nervous system
See also: Autonomic nervous system
The autonomic nervous system is a control system that acts largely unconsciously and regulates heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination, and sexual arousal. This system is the primary mechanism in control of the fight-or-flight response and its role is mediated by two different components: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
Sympathetic nervous system
See also: Sympathetic nervous system
The sympathetic nervous system originates in the spinal cord and its main function is to activate the physiological changes that occur during the fight-or-flight response. This component of the autonomic nervous system utilises and activates the release of norepinephrine in the reaction.
Parasympathetic nervous system
See also: Parasympathetic nervous system
The parasympathetic nervous system originates in the sacral spinal cord and medulla, physically surrounding the sympathetic origin, and works in concert with the sympathetic nervous system. Its main function is to activate the "rest and digest" response and return the body to homeostasis after the fight or flight response. This system utilises and activates the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
Reaction
An infographic displaying the fight-or-flight response
The reaction begins in the amygdala, which triggers a neural response in the hypothalamus. The initial reaction is followed by activation of the pituitary gland and secretion of the hormone ACTH. The adrenal gland is activated almost simultaneously, via the sympathetic nervous system, and releases the hormone epinephrine. The release of chemical messengers results in the production of the hormone cortisol, which increases blood pressure, blood sugar, and suppresses the immune system. The initial response and subsequent reactions are triggered in an effort to create a boost of energy. This boost of energy is activated by epinephrine binding to liver cells and the subsequent production of glucose. Additionally, the circulation of cortisol functions to turn fatty acids into available energy, which prepares muscles throughout the body for response. Catecholamine hormones, such as adrenaline (epinephrine) or noradrenaline (norepinephrine), facilitate immediate physical reactions associated with a preparation for violent muscular action and:
Acceleration of heart and lung action
Paling or flushing, or alternating between both
Inhibition of stomach and upper-intestinal action to the point where digestion slows down or stops
General effect on the sphincters of the body
Constriction of blood vessels in many parts of the body
Liberation of metabolic energy sources (particularly fat and glycogen) for muscular action
Dilation of blood vessels for muscles
Inhibition of the lacrimal gland (responsible for tear production) and salivation
Dilation of pupil (mydriasis)
Relaxation of bladder
Inhibition of erection
Auditory exclusion (loss of hearing)
Tunnel vision (loss of peripheral vision)
Disinhibition of spinal reflexes
Shaking
Function of physiological changes
The physiological changes that occur during the fight or flight response are activated in order to give the body increased strength and speed in anticipation of fighting or running. Some of the specific physiological changes and their functions include:
Increased blood flow to the muscles activated by diverting blood flow from other parts of the body.
Increased blood pressure, heart rate, blood sugars, and fats in order to supply the body with extra energy.
The blood clotting function of the body speeds up in order to prevent excessive blood loss in the event of an injury sustained during the response.
Increased muscle tension in order to provide the body with extra speed and strength.
Emotional components
Emotion regulation
See also: Emotional self-regulation
In the context of the fight or flight response, emotional regulation is used proactively to avoid threats of stress or to control the level of emotional arousal.
Emotional reactivity
During the reaction, the intensity of emotion that is brought on by the stimulus will also determine the nature and intensity of the behavioral response. Individuals with higher levels of emotional reactivity may be prone to anxiety and aggression, which illustrates the implications of appropriate emotional reaction in the fight or flight response.
Cognitive components
Content specificity
The specific components of cognitions in the fight or flight response seem to be largely negative. These negative cognitions may be characterised by: attention to negative stimuli, the perception of ambiguous situations as negative, and the recurrence of recalling negative words. There also may be specific negative thoughts associated with emotions commonly seen in the reaction.
Perception of control
See also: Control (psychology)
Perceived control relates to an individual's thoughts about control over situations and events. Perceived control should be differentiated from actual control because an individual's beliefs about their abilities may not reflect their actual abilities. Therefore, overestimation or underestimation of perceived control can lead to anxiety and aggression.
Social information processing
See also: Social information processing (cognition)
The social information processing model proposes a variety of factors that determine behavior in the context of social situations and preexisting thoughts. The attribution of hostility, especially in ambiguous situations, seems to be one of the most important cognitive factors associated with the fight or flight response because of its implications towards aggression.
Other animals
Evolutionary perspective
An evolutionary psychology explanation is that early animals had to react to threatening stimuli quickly and did not have time to psychologically and physically prepare themselves. The fight or flight response provided them with the mechanisms to rapidly respond to threats against survival.
Examples
A typical example of the stress response is a grazing zebra. If the zebra sees a lion closing in for the kill, the stress response is activated as a means to escape its predator. The escape requires intense muscular effort, supported by all of the body's systems. The sympathetic nervous system’s activation provides for these needs. A similar example involving fight is of a cat about to be attacked by a dog. The cat shows accelerated heartbeat, piloerection (hair standing on end), and pupil dilation, all signs of sympathetic arousal. Note that the zebra and cat still maintain homeostasis in all states.
In July 1992, Behavioral Ecology published experimental research conducted by biologist Lee A. Dugatkin where guppies were sorted into "bold", "ordinary", and "timid" groups based upon their reactions when confronted by a smallmouth bass (i.e. inspecting the predator, hiding, or swimming away) after which the guppies were left in a tank with the bass. After 60 hours, 40 percent of the timid guppies and 15 percent of the ordinary guppies survived while none of the bold guppies did.
Varieties of responses
Bison hunted by dogs
Other animals have alternative self-protection methods. Some species of cold-blooded animals change color swiftly to camouflage themselves. These responses are triggered by the sympathetic nervous system, but, in order to fit the model of fight or flight, the idea of flight must be broadened to include escaping capture either in a physical or sensory way. Thus, flight can be disappearing to another location or just disappearing in place, and fight and flight are often combined in a given situation.
The fight or flight actions also have polarity – the individual can either fight against or flee from something that is threatening, such as a hungry lion, or fight for or fly towards something that is needed, such as the safety of the shore from a raging river.
A threat from another animal does not always result in immediate fight or flight. There may be a period of heightened awareness, during which each animal interprets behavioral signals from the other. Signs such as paling, piloerection, immobility, sounds, and body language communicate the status and intentions of each animal. There may be a sort of negotiation, after which fight or flight may ensue, but which might also result in playing, mating, or nothing at all. An example of this is kittens playing: each kitten shows the signs of sympathetic arousal, but they never inflict real damage.
…
In spirit and truth.
One gathers in churches and parsonages, for worship services and worship meetings, one hires a worship leader whose task is to construct a kind of emotional state, where one in a kind of carnal intoxication of joy must collectively worship God. These are not true worshippers. So you think God is,
so easy to deceive that by such a parody and imitation of the truth one can positively influence God.
Gospel of John 4: 23-24.
The time has come for true worshipers to worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For these are the worshipers whom the Father seeks. God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. One does not believe that God can hear the difference between a carnally edified worship and a worship in spirit and truth.
Exodus 32: 17-19.
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the stone tablets described, Joshua and Moses heard a great noise, from the noisy Israelites in the camp, Joshua heard the noise as a war alarm, but Moses heard at once that it was not victory or victory. battle cry, it was singing. It was the carnal worship of a golden calf that they worshipped. When Moses could immediately hear what was contained in the noise and the song, don't you also think that God sees through the kind of singing and worship that is practiced in the churches and the churches? When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger exploded.
How do you think God will receive that kind of collective carnal worship and dancing? I wonder if his wrath will also flare up when he sees and hears this human carnal notion that he has engaged in. God does not want such worshipers. God seeks true worshipers who worship him in spirit and in truth. True worshipers are worshipers who overflow with joy, gratitude to God for the great love and care God has shown them. Such worship, in spirit and truth, does not happen in collectively planned events. It happens in everyday life when God allows our cup to overflow with joy and gratitude.
Hebrews 1.9.
You loved righteousness and hated unrighteousness, so God anointed you with the oil of gladness. When joy comes from the fact that God has esteemed us by faith and loved his righteousness and hated unrighteousness, then God fills us with the oil of gladness so that our cup overflows with gratitude and worship to God. Those worshipers are what God is looking for, they are worshipers in spirit and in truth.
Matthew 6:33.
Therefore, we must seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, then we must obtain all else in surcharge.
Those who seek his righteousness deny God no good, he gives them all they need and fills their cup to overflowing with the oil of joy and true spiritual worship. When God fills us with the oil of joy, then our worship becomes spiritual, in spirit and in truth, for the oil of joy is the fruit of the spirit.
Galatians 5: 22-23.
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, meekness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, etc. Those who come before God in gratitude, filled with these fruits, worship in spirit and in truth. Human carnal worship is a cheap imitation, of true worship in spirit and truth, these worshipers are filled with unrighteous carnal fruits throughout the days.
Galatians 5: 19-21.
Fornication, uncleanness, looseness, idolatry, enmity, strife, envy, wrath, anger, selfishness, divisions, envy, and much more of the same, and then one comes with all his fleshly uncleanness and has to worship God, this is not true Worship. In the ears of God it is noise, ore that resounds and bells that ring. But those who come before God in the worship of the spirit and of truth, filled with the fruits of the spirit, have practiced throughout the days, out of joy and gratitude to God, the love of which we read in
1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
They are affectionate, patient, gentle, not jealous and do not brag and do not puff themselves up, do not do anything indecent, do not seek their own, do not get excited, do not bear grudges, but are quick to forgive, do not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoice in the truth, endure all things, hope all things. These
Worshippers are worshippers in spirit and in truth.
2 Timothy 2:19.
God's solid foundation stands unshaken, sealed with this inscription: The Lord knows those who belong to him, and anyone who mentions the name of the Lord must abstain from unrighteousness.
Gospel of John 10: 27-28.
My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life and they will not perish forever but will have eternal life. These are true worshipers in spirit and in truth.
Galatians 5:21.
Unlike carnal worshipers, they will not inherit the kingdom of God.
…
Reality vs Imagination
Reality: Perun worshipers, glorious Azov are sacrificing their lives in Mariupol for the freedom of transgenders and feminists in Paris, when whole civilized world watching this Horror Reality Show, and paying billions in taxes and high oil and gas prices, world is facing nuclear war, pandemics, hunger, and total extinction of human race, yet best thing we as humans can do is build more bombs, and keep THE FLAME OF LIBERTY AND WAR BURNING, by moving war from one country to another, and it’s all done in THE NAME OF GOD, but really it’s all about inequality and 1% of humans who control all the money in the world and do not care for all the horrors and deaths the war brings, as long as their comfort and way of life is undisturbed!
Imagination: None of this is real, universe is a hologram projected by our sick brain!
It’s something only humans can do, live in two different realities, all other living spices are in total peace with nature and themselves. They live with no worries about death and taxes!
…
Imagine
John Winston Lennon
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us, only sky
Imagine all the people
Livin' for today
Ah
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too
Imagine all the people
Livin' life in peace
You
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
You
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
…
The Federal Empire Lyrics
"What Are We Fighting For"
This isn't a game yeah
When mothers are crying
Watching their children die in vain
I'm praying for peace now
I saw all the conflict
Somehow there's got to be a change
No one wins when people die
Doesn't matter which side
Love will never make it out alive
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
Money, religion, or power all the time
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
The price of our freedom
Is blood in the water
We're looking for hope what will it take
We keep on repeating
The fate of our fathers
Somehow there's got to be a change
No one wins when people die
Doesn't matter which side
Love will never make it out alive
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
Money, religion, or power all the time
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
An eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
Money, religion, or power all the time
What are we fighting for
I don't know why
https://youtu.be/mgHi5L-VvmU?si=Lx-bjeq06h2i6rZB
The talmud unmasked
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