Curse and mark of Cain
The curse of Cain and the mark of Cain are phrases that originated in the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis. In the stories, if someone harmed Cain, the damage would come back sevenfold. Some interpretations view this as a physical mark, whereas other interpretations see the "mark" as a sign, and not as a physical mark on Cain himself. The King James Version of the Bible reads "set a mark upon Cain".
Origins
There is no clear consensus as to what Cain's mark was.[1] The word translated as "mark" in Genesis 4:15 is א֔וֹת ('ōṯ), which could mean a sign, omen, warning, remembrance, motion, gesture, agreement, miracle, wonder, or, most commonly, a letter. In the Torah, the same word is used to describe the stars as signs or omens (Genesis 1:14), the rainbow as the sign of God's promise never again to destroy his creation with a flood (Genesis 9:12), circumcision as a token of God's covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:11), and the miracles performed by Moses before the Pharaoh (Exodus 4:8,9,17,28; 7:3; 8:23; 10:1,2).
Curse of Cain
The narrative of the curse of Cain is found in the text of Genesis 4:11–16. The curse was the result of Cain murdering his brother, Abel, and lying about the murder to God.[2] When Cain spilled his brother's blood, the earth became cursed as soon as the blood hit the ground. In a sense, the earth was left "drinking Abel's blood".[3] Genesis 4:12 gives a two-part sentencing for Cain's curse. The first concerns the earth that was cursed by Abel's blood.[4] Should Cain attempt to farm the land, the earth would not yield produce for him. This may imply why he went on to build cities,[5] namely the City of Enoch. The second part of the curse marks Cain as a fugitive (Hebrew: נע) and a wanderer (Hebrew: נד). The combination making up this Hebrew phrase נע ונד, "fugitive and wanderer," is unique in the Hebrew Bible. Modern interpretations of the Hebrew verse 12 suggest that Cain went on to live a nomadic lifestyle and that he was also excluded from the family unit.[6] In the Septuagint, the emphasis on Cain's curse is dramatically increased by the combination of the Greek participles στένων καὶ τρέμων ("groaning and shaking upon the earth").[7] Syriac Christianity[8] interprets the Greek version to mean that Cain experienced a real physical affliction[9] that would enable others to know who he was when they saw him. Philo interprets the Greek verse 12 as an allegory for Cain's fear of being soulless. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Targums translate the same verse to mean that Cain feared being "an exile and an unstable man".[10]
Mark of Cain
The Hebrew word for mark ('Oth, אות) could mean a sign, an omen, a warning, or a remembrance.[11] The mark of Cain is God's promise to offer Cain divine protection from premature death with the stated purpose of preventing anyone from killing him. It is not known what the mark was, but it is assumed that the mark was visible.[12] Some have speculated that the mark was a Hebrew or Sumerian letter placed on either the face or the arm.[13] The Septuagint translates the mark as a "sign". Thus, it is speculated that the mark served as a sign to others not to commit the same offense.[14][15]
Judaism
Rashi (1:4) comments on Genesis 4:15 by saying that the mark was one of the Hebrew letters of the Tetragrammaton: "He engraved a letter of His [God's] Name onto his [Cain's] forehead."[16] The same statement about the Tetragrammaton was expressed by Targum Jonathan, Pirqé Rabbi Eliezer 21, and Zohar I.36b.[17]
In
Christianity
According to the Catholic Mystic Anne Catherine Emmerich whos visions bear the Imprimatur "Cain's posterity gradually became colored. Ham's children also were browner than those of Shem. The nobler races were always of a lighter color. They who were distinguished by a particular mark engendered children of the same stamp; and as corruption increased, the mark also increased until at last it covered the whole body, and people became darker and darker. But yet in the beginning there were no people perfectly black; they became so only by degrees." [[1]]
According to author Ruth Mellinkoff, commentators' interpretations of the nature of the "mark" depended on their views regarding the status of Cain, as either being given additional time to repent or as being further shamed.[19]
American Protestant racial beliefs on the mark of Cain
At some point after the start of the
Baptist segregation
The split between the Northern and Southern Baptist organizations arose over doctrinal issues pertaining to slavery and the education of slaves. At the time of the split, the Southern Baptist group used the curse of Cain as a justification for slavery. Some 19th- and 20th-century Baptist ministers in the Southern United States taught the belief that there were two separate heavens; one for Black people, and one for White people.[21] Southern Baptists either taught or practiced various forms of racial segregation well into the mid-20th century, though members of all races were accepted at worship services.[a] In 1995, the Southern Baptist Convention officially denounced racism and apologized for its past defense of slavery.[23]
The curse of Cain was used to support a ban on ordaining Black people to most Protestant clergies until the 1960s in both the United States and Europe.[
One exception was that certain Catholic
Curse of Ham
The Curse of Cain was often conflated with the Curse of Ham. According to the Bible, Ham discovered his father Noah drunk and naked in his tent, but instead of honoring his father by covering his nakedness, he ran and told his brothers about it. Because of this, Noah cursed Ham's son, Canaan, by saying that he was to be "a servant of servants" (Genesis 9:20–27). One interpretation of this passage states that Ham married a descendant of Cain. While there is no indication in the Bible of Ham's wife descending from Cain, this interpretation was used to justify slavery and it was particularly popular in North America during the Atlantic slave trade due to interpretations identifying Ham as the progenitor of the people of Africa.[24][25]
Latter-day Saint movement
As related by Abraham O. Smoot after his death, apostle David W. Patten said he encountered a Black man in Paris, 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.[34][35]: 85 The recollection of Patten's story is quoted in apostle Spencer W. Kimball's The Miracle of Forgiveness.
Although not explicitly stated in Latter-day Saint scripture, at least one publication of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) still teaches that Ham's wife was a descendant of Cain. The "Guide to the Scriptures," published as an explanatory companion to the scriptures, states "Ham's wife, Egyptus, was a descendant of Cain; the sons of their daughter Egyptus settled in Egypt".[36]
Temple and priesthood ban
There is evidence that Joseph Smith did not consider the ban on Black men to the priesthood to be relevant in modern times, since he himself (and other church leaders close to him) ordained Black men into it,[37] notably Elijah Abel and Walker Lewis.
After the
The ban on the priesthood affected Black members differently than it did in other churches because the LDS Church has a lay priesthood in which virtually all worthy male members become priesthood holders.
Several of Young's successors defended the priesthood ban as being a result of the curse of Cain, though some disagreed. Sterling M. McMurrin reported that, in 1954, church president David O. McKay said: "There is not now, and there never has been a doctrine in this church that the negroes are under a divine curse. There is no doctrine in the church of any kind pertaining to the negro. We believe that we have a scriptural precedent for withholding the priesthood from the negro. It is a practice, not a doctrine, and the practice someday will be changed. And that's all there is to it."[41]
In 1978, LDS Church president Spencer W. Kimball reported receiving a revelation from God allowing all worthy male members of the church to receive the priesthood without regard to race or color.[42][43] Although the church had previously been criticized for its policy during the civil rights movement, the change seems to have been prompted by problems facing mixed-race converts in Brazil.[44]
Many Black church members think that giving an apology would be a "detriment" to church work and a catalyst for further racial misunderstanding. African-American church member Bryan E. Powell says: "There is no pleasure in old news, and this news is old." Gladys Newkirk agrees, stating: "I've never experienced any problems in this church. I don't need an apology [...] We're the result of an apology."[45] Many Black Mormons say that they are willing to look beyond the former teachings and cleave to the doctrines of the church, in part because of its powerful, detailed teachings on life after death.[46]
The LDS Church has issued an official statement about past practices and theories regarding skin color, stating: "[t]oday, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, [...] Church leaders today unequivocally condemn all racism, past and present, in any form."[47]
Civil rights
When Utah was considering slavery, Brigham Young told the Utah Territorial Legislature that the curse of Cain required slavery. He argued that until all of the descendants of Abel have access to the priesthood, all of the descendants of Cain should remain in servitude.[27]: 28 He argued that because they did not have the right to govern the affairs of the Church due to the priesthood ban, they also should not have the right to govern the affairs of the state, including the right to vote.[27]: 47 He warned that if they made the children of Cain equal to them, they would be cursed.[27]: 48 He also argued that if someone married a descendant of Cain, that they would also have the same curse.[27]: 48 The church has since repudiated all of these teachings.[47]
See also
- Ashwatthama
- Badge of shame
- Cain tradition
- Castration
- Curse of Ham
- Mark of the beast
- Pre-Adamite
- Serpent seed
Footnotes
- ^
"Slaves were accepted for membership in the same manner as whites. After expressing a desire to join a church, one was required to relate his or her religious experience. If the congregation was favorably impressed by one's testimony, the applicant was accepted into the fellowship and was baptized. When black church members moved from one community to another, they were given letters of dismissal which they might place with another Baptist church.
References
Citations
- ProQuest 1498460617.
- ^ Byron 2011, p. 93.
- ^ Byron 2011, p. 95: Genesis 4:11
- ^ Byron 2011, p. 97: Kugel, 163
- ^ Byron 2011, p. 97: Wenham, 108
- ^ Byron 2011, p. 97.
- ^ Byron 2011, p. 98: Brayford, 254
- ^ Byron 2011, p. 100.
- ^ Byron 2011, p. 98: See footnote 14
- ^ Byron 2011, pp. 98–100.
- ISBN 9781565632066.
- ^ Byron 2011, p. 119: Mellinkoff, 1942, p.210; Moberley, 2007, p.11-28
- ^ Byron 2011, p. 120: (Tg. Ps.-J. Gen 4:15, Pirqe R. El. 21)
- ^ a b Byron 2011, p. 120: Gen. Rab. 22:12
- ^ Byron 2011, p. 106.
- ^ "Genesis – Chapter 4 (Parshah Bereishit) – Tanakh Online – Torah – Bible". Chabad.org. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
- ^ Annarita Magri, Caino, lo gnosticismo e i testimonia nel quadro dell’esegesi del II sec. I Perati e i Cainiti, January 2007
- ^ "Bereshit A: Chapter 48". Zohar.com. Retrieved 2020-09-01.]
- ISBN 9780520906372.
- ^ Priest, Josiah Slavery as it Relates to the Negro or African Race (1843)
- ^ "Land of the Till Murder". Ebony. April 1956. Archived from the original on 2005-03-11.
- ^ a b
Miller, Randall M.; Smith, John David (1988). Dictionary of Afro-American Slavery. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 78. ISBN 0-313-23814-6 – via Internet Archive(archive.org).
- ^ Kunnerth, Jeff (21 June 1995). "Baptists renounce racist past". Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, FL. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- ^ JSTOR 1853423.
- ^ a b John N. Swift and Gigen Mammoser, "Out of the Realm of Superstition: Chesnutt's 'Dave's Neckliss' and the Curse of Ham", American Literary Realism, vol. 42 no. 1, Fall 2009, 3
- JSTOR 10.5406/jmormhist.41.3.22 – via JSTOR.
- ^ ISBN 9780934964012 – via Google Books.
- ^ Smith, Joseph (1836). Wikisource. . p. 290 – via
- ISBN 978-0-19-975407-6 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 9780393318890 – via Google Books.
Brigham Young spoke for many Saints in 1863 when he assessed the Civil War raging in the East: 'One portion of the country wish [sic] to raise their ... black slaves and the other wish [sic] to free them, and apparently to almost worship them.... Who cares? ... Ham will continue to be the servant of servants, as the Lord has decreed, until the curse is removed.'
- ISBN 978-0-252-08121-7 – via Google Books.
- ISBN 978-0521793247 – via Google Books.
- ^ Watt, George D. "Brigham Young, 1852 February 5" (5 Feb 1852). Historian's Office reports of speeches, 1845–1885, ID: CR 100 317, p. 2. Salt Lake City: LDS Church History Library.
- ^ Wilson 1904
- ^ Whiting 2003
- ^ "Guide to the Scriptures – Ham".
- ^ "Black History Timeline". BlackLDS.org. Retrieved 17 January 2013.
- ^ Wilford Woodruff, Diary of Wilford Woodruff, January 16, 1852. "[A]ny man having one drop of the seed of [Cain] … in him cannot hold the priesthood and if no other Prophet ever spake it before I will say it now in the name of Jesus Christ".
- ISBN 0-941214-22-2.
Cain, in murdering Abel, had "deprived his brother of the privilege of pursuing his journey through life, and of extending his kingdom by multiplying upon the earth." Cain had reportedly hoped thereby to gain an advantage over Abel—the number of one's posterity somehow being important in the overall scheme of things. Brigham Young further explained that those who were to have been Abel's descendants had already been assigned to his lineage, and if they were ever to come "into the world in the regular way, they would have to come through him." In order that Cain's posterity not gain an advantage the Lord denied them the priesthood until such time as "the class of spirits presided over by Abel should have the privilege of coming into the world." Those spirits formerly under Cain's leadership were reportedly aware of the implications of this decision, yet "still looked up to him, and rather than forsake him they were willing to bear his burdens and share the penalty imposed upon him."
- ^ "Mormonism's Negro Doctrine: An Historical Overview". Dialogue. University of Illinois Press: 253. 2001.
- William Robert Wright, p.[page needed]. Quoted by Genesis Group Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Spencer W. Kimball – Significant Events". churchofjesuschrist.org. Archived from the original on 2004-08-28. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
- Official Declaration 2
- ISBN 978-0-19-531030-6 – via Google Books.
- ^ Broadway, Bill (1998-05-30). "Black Mormons Resist Apology Talk". The Washington Post. Washington D.C.
- ^ Ramirez, Margaret (2005-07-26). "Mormon past steeped in racism: Some black members want church to denounce racist doctrines". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois.
- ^ LDS Church
Sources
- ISBN 978-9004192522.
- ISBN 069111465X.
- Whiting, Linda Shelley (2003). David W. Patten Apostle and Martyr. Springville, UT: Cedar Fort. OCLC 51293310.
- Wilson, Lycurgus A (1904) [1900]. Life of David W. Patten: The first Apostolic martyr. OCLC 4922706.
Further reading
- Bringhurst, Newell (1981). Saints, Slaves, and Blacks: The changing place of Black people within Mormonism. Greenwood Press. ISBN 9780313227523.
- Bush, Lester E. Jr.; ISBN 0-941214-22-2. Archived from the originalon 2005-11-22.
- Nottingham, Theodore J. (1998). The Curse of Cain: The Untold Story of John Wilkes Booth. Sovereign Publications. ISBN 1-58006-021-8.
- Schwartz, Regina M. (1997). The Curse of Cain: The Violent Legacy of Monotheism. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-74199-0.
- University of Michigan (1971). White Attitudes toward Black People. Institute for Social Research of the University of Michigan. ASIN B000TA1IZW.
- Wood, Peter H. (1996). Black Majority: Negroes in Colonial South Carolina from 1670 Through the Stono Rebellion. W. W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-31482-0.