General question to all siblings...

[Bruder Cuzzen]

Hello Peoples ! ,

Years ago I asked a number of  people about some blanks and oddities  in the editions of the Bible we had . I always wondered ," Hey! Where did they come from ?!"

I refer to Cain's wife . My version of Genesis has Mom and Dad , Cain and Abel , critters and  beasties and suddenly there are all sorts of folks running around . What gives ?

  Also , what about the mark of Cain ? I recall it as being something to ensure his survival . So no others would kill him when they saw it ? Who would these people(?) be and where did they come from ?

I can't remember all the non answers I received or hostility from some teachers or elders , it was generally change the subject or walk away quickly as I got bigger .

I have read about Lilith and some story of a awful first attempt which is likely some modern myth , but that was even longer ago . These stories could explain my questions . I have yet to hear reasonable response by a fundamentalist or anyone else and except for a Neil Gaiman story , I haven't been able to find much else .

Another question I'd like to ask fundamentalists is .... When one evades such curious above things in the Bible , that if answered with a modicum of reason , may contradict portions of Genesis et al or by exclusion  undermines their positions regarding the Book as God's word....how can they expect one to believe it verbatim ? Namely me ! I'd feel as if I'm believing all lot of lies and would have to lie or evade when some kid asks me the very same questions in Sunday school .

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

1. G_d is perfect.
2. The bible is the word of G_d.
3. G_d being perfect wouldn't allow lies in a book with his word.
4. If you don't understand the book it's because you lack the knowledge, nuance and understanding the only G_d provides.
5. Rinse & Repeat.
---
Assumptions No 1 & 2 make it all possible; note that it may be possible for G_d to be perfect, or, the bible to be his word, but it is a bit more difficult if the 2 are absolutely correct.

Dealing with absolutes will always be a problem (noticed the oxymoron?  )

[Bruder Cuzzen]

I wonder where all those other folks came from ?... 

[Swatopluk]

The "official" answer is that the wife of Cain was one of his sisters and that the marriage took place much later than his fratricide. Adam and Eve are said to have had many more children (but only the third, Seth, is named). So, incest is involved in any case (and I do not know about Eve's DNA, since she has been cloned from Adam's). That Cain's brothers and sisters would be angry at him is to be expected (while foreigners might not have known about his past).

[Griffin NoName]

Perhaps it is why "Editors" were invented evolved?  A good editor would have sorted all that out.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Perhaps, and then they hoped we'd all ignore such an inconvenient question.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Or give them one of Erich von Däniken books... 

[Sibling Chatty]

One posit is that the Bible says Adam and Eve were the first.

Nobody said there weren't others along the way, the story just focuses on the first. Thus, when it came time for Adam and Eve's children to marry, there were others around.

The guy I knew (in seminary) that was translating everything he could find from the most 'authentic' texts said that from his readings, that was highly probable--the "first" wasn't the only, just first.

My command of ancient languages is sadly lacking in breadth and depth, so finding out for myself is out of the question.

[Swatopluk]

Literalness (or consistency in general) would wreak havoc on Roman Catholic doctrine, e.g. Jesus being the first son of Mary (and the Greek word demands a follow-on much more than English). The Holy Spirit/Ghost was female in Genesis (Ruach Jahwe), the New Testament neutered the entity (to pneuma) and Augustinus&Hieronymus deliberately used the male word (spiritus). Iirc, they explicitly insisted on the maleness (there was a possible choice, in German there isn't).
And let's not talk about Jesaja not actually predicting a virgin birth, St.Pauls wife being reduced (again by Hieronymus) to a female servant, apostle Junia being transgendered by adding an s ...
Please avoid to mention St.Peter's mother in law in the presence of pious Catholics (some Fathers of the Church were of the opinion that by his martyrdom he "washed off" the stain of being married but better be silent about the whole thing altogether).
The angels are anglophone anyway.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Which is funny, because I was told the Bible should, by and large, be taken literally by my CCD teachers.

Chatty--I know a number of Christians who would consider that position blasphemous. Interesting, isn't it?

[Sibling Chatty]

Yep. I'm a semi-heathen, though! We get to blaspheme if we want to.

And the interesting thing is, there's almost NOBODY that could even pretend to get an un-editorialized translation made. People with the knowledge also have an agenda.

I would love to have the resources to have 5 or 6 different groups do a "not-directed" translation, and then get translations from say, Hindus, Buddists and atheists. I just gotta get me a bunch of money and some linguistic scholars that probably don't exist.

Saddest thing is, I grew up in a church that said it was OK to work this stuff out for yourself, if you asked for help when you needed it. Then, they changed the rules....

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Isn't that the reason for the reluctance to openly translate the Dead Sea scrolls?

It would be interesting to have an unabridged version of all the writings from both the old and new testament including the books that didn't made the cut, with an impartial translation.

As Chatty, one can dream.

[Darlica]

I sense a future task for this Monastery, and I'm only half joking.

[Griffin NoName]

Who gets to make the directors cut?

[Swatopluk]

Who would really want to know about Mary's shady business deals in Nazareth or the Wise Men actually being the scouts for the Golden Triangle Cartel?