Abel

From Sean's Gospel Topical Guide
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  • Enoch 22:4-7
Abel, in the spirit world, cries out against Cain, who slew him.
  • The Book of Jasher 1:12-35
The story of Cain and Abel. Contains some interesting features. Cain's sacrifices are rejected (fail to be consumed by fire from heaven) because he gives the poorer pieces to the Lord. Cain then seeks an excuse to kill Abel. The actual event occurs as a dispute over Abel grazing his flocks on Cain's fields. Abel was doing this intentionally it seems because Cain had been stealing his sheep.
  • Philo, "On the Cherubim" (De Cherubim), Part 2
Philo tells of Cain and Abel's birth, focusing on Cain's birth, and gives some detailed exegesis of themes this suggests.
  • Philo, "On the Birth of Abel and the Sacrifices Offered by Him and by His Brother Cain" (De Sacrificiis Abelis et Cain)
Philo tells of Cain and Abel's birth, focusing on Abel's birth, and gives some detailed exegesis of themes this suggests.
Describes that Abel's name means "referring to God"
  • The Works of Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews, Ch. 2
He gives Abel's name to mean "sorrow".

Notes

While Philo describes Abel as having the meaning "referring to God", modern commentators tend to give the name a meaning along the lines of "breath" or "vapor" in Hebrew, since it is composed of the same 3 consonants, H-B-L (the Hebrew source material did not record vowels). However it may rather be derived from an Assyrian word "ablu", meaning "son".

Cross-References