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Mels
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If Adam and Eve are the original parents of all mankind, where does Cain get a wife after he murders Abel? Is it an unnamed daughter of Adam and Eve? It’s just a question I’ve always had.
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HickmanJosh
Guest
i am going from memory here but i think Adam&Eve had twin daughters, then Cain killed Able, not sure about the rest though:blush:
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bpbasilphx
Guest
There’s nothing in the Bible that said that Cain got married IMMEDIATELY after he murdered his brother, does it?
Presumably it was one of his sisters.
Presumably it was one of his sisters.
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Spencerian
Guest
Hi.
Catholic Answers apologist Michelle Arnold has answered this specific question in this Ask an Apologist thread.
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Havard
Guest
I don’t think it says Cain had a wife. 
Apologies if I’m wrong…
Adam and Eve did have more children though, beginning with Seth.
“And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot a son to his own image and likeness, and called his name Seth. And the days of Adam, after he begot Seth, were eight hundred years: and he begot sons and daughters. And all the time that Adam lived came to nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. Seth also lived a hundred and five years, and begot Enos. And Seth lived after he begot Enos, eight hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.” Genesis 5:3-7
Apologies if I’m wrong…Adam and Eve did have more children though, beginning with Seth.
“And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot a son to his own image and likeness, and called his name Seth. And the days of Adam, after he begot Seth, were eight hundred years: and he begot sons and daughters. And all the time that Adam lived came to nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. Seth also lived a hundred and five years, and begot Enos. And Seth lived after he begot Enos, eight hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.” Genesis 5:3-7
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twinc
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I don’t think it says Cain had a wife.
Adam and Eve did have more children though, beginning with Seth.
“And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begot a son to his own image and likeness, and called his name Seth. And the days of Adam, after he begot Seth, were eight hundred years: and he begot sons and daughters. And all the time that Adam lived came to nine hundred and thirty years, and he died. Seth also lived a hundred and five years, and begot Enos. And Seth lived after he begot Enos, eight hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.” Genesis 5:3-7
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twinc
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Ranp
Guest
When you think of the Tribe of Israel remember that it was indeed a tribe and tribes have a very narrow view of who is and is not “human”. For example, members of the Navajo tribe refers to themselvs as “Dineh” or “The People”. And if you’re not “people” then you are something else. In the case of Israel, they were “God’s people”, everyone else was not. So in regard to your question my guess is that Cain’s wife came from outside their tribe. It’s a case of have a marriage and suddenly there’s a new human in the world. Of course, this answer is anthropological, not bibical, take it with a grain of salt.
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the_Assyrian_1
Guest
Hi there,
You might find this an interesting read, ‘the book of Adam and Eve’ apocryphal writtings noted by the early christians, they are oral traditions of the Jews handed down over the centuries regarding the story of Adam and Eve… (You should be able to google this info, - make sure you read the Christian text not any other, I think there might be diff versions)
Again Ive learnt from these Books (and they are a good aid for reading with the word) that Cain had a twin sister, so did Abel, and it was one of these siblings Cain married…
When you read something in the Apocrypha, its good to double check it with the word (consistency) just incase but even still it answers questions and enlightens us as to what has been handed down in oral tradition and like…
You might be pleasantly suprised at what you might find in these books, there are some interesting stories to ponder upon…
Thanks
You might find this an interesting read, ‘the book of Adam and Eve’ apocryphal writtings noted by the early christians, they are oral traditions of the Jews handed down over the centuries regarding the story of Adam and Eve… (You should be able to google this info, - make sure you read the Christian text not any other, I think there might be diff versions)
Again Ive learnt from these Books (and they are a good aid for reading with the word) that Cain had a twin sister, so did Abel, and it was one of these siblings Cain married…
When you read something in the Apocrypha, its good to double check it with the word (consistency) just incase but even still it answers questions and enlightens us as to what has been handed down in oral tradition and like…
You might be pleasantly suprised at what you might find in these books, there are some interesting stories to ponder upon…
Thanks
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adstrinity
Guest
I love Reverend Know-It-All. rev-know-it-all.com/2009/2009—12-27.html He proposes that maybe God created her from the clay (though, I’m not sure if that view is permitted by the Church), BUT, ultimately goes into don’t take this event literally and don’t get caught up on the details. Learn the lesson it is supposed to teach. Only, he says it really clever. I recommend clicking the link.
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NHInsider
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First of all, we are not literalists: for all people to be descendants of “Humankind” and “Mother of the Living” (which is what Adam and Eve mean in Hebrew) does not NECESSARILY mean that our first parents’ children married each other.
But besides that. . . . when people had bigger families it was not unusual for generations to cross. My g-g-g grandfather Ebenezar is also my second cousin 4 times removed and my second cousin 5 times removed.
His wife was his father’s great-aunt - his great-grandfather’s youngest sister. The siblings (Jeremiah and Mercy) were 26 years apart (and they had not only the same father but also the same mother, not as common in those days). Mercy was 10 when Jeremiah’s son William was born. She was married at 16 and had a child roughly every 2 years. Her third-youngest, Lovinia, was born the same year as William’s son Ebenezar.
And that’s only in the 1800s.
So if Cain and Abel were in their thirties or something by the time of the murder, and Adam and Eve had been producing a child every 2 years, there would have been numerous half-siblings and probably a few nieces and nephews in the area.
The tougher question is - who does Cain fear will kill him? There are obviously LOTS of other people out there, not all of them kinsmen. And that returns us to our earlier point. The Genesis account is not intended to be an explanation of EVERYTHING - just of the important thing, which is that we (humanity) sinned and broke our relationship with God, and sin being what it is, we continue to sin, generation after generation, so that only by God’s grace and His provision are we able to be restored.
But besides that. . . . when people had bigger families it was not unusual for generations to cross. My g-g-g grandfather Ebenezar is also my second cousin 4 times removed and my second cousin 5 times removed.
His wife was his father’s great-aunt - his great-grandfather’s youngest sister. The siblings (Jeremiah and Mercy) were 26 years apart (and they had not only the same father but also the same mother, not as common in those days). Mercy was 10 when Jeremiah’s son William was born. She was married at 16 and had a child roughly every 2 years. Her third-youngest, Lovinia, was born the same year as William’s son Ebenezar.
And that’s only in the 1800s.
So if Cain and Abel were in their thirties or something by the time of the murder, and Adam and Eve had been producing a child every 2 years, there would have been numerous half-siblings and probably a few nieces and nephews in the area.
The tougher question is - who does Cain fear will kill him? There are obviously LOTS of other people out there, not all of them kinsmen. And that returns us to our earlier point. The Genesis account is not intended to be an explanation of EVERYTHING - just of the important thing, which is that we (humanity) sinned and broke our relationship with God, and sin being what it is, we continue to sin, generation after generation, so that only by God’s grace and His provision are we able to be restored.
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buffalo
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The Book of Jubilees (non-canonical) states he married his sister Awan.
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Ranp
Guest
We also must consider possible translation issues. Remember a lot of non-Catholics believe that Jesus has actual brothers because the word “brother” is used in English Bibles. But the original language didn’t have a word for “cousin”, thus cousins were called brothers. Please correct me if I have mis-stated this issue.
Ran
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buffalo
Guest
This is what the Jewish tradition believed and I don’t believe there is a translation issue here. That is also the same with the tradition regarding Jesus’ brothers. Tradition aslo tells us He had no brothers and has been the constant teaching of the church. It helps to go back and look at the constant understanding.
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Mintaka
Guest
All the time travelers who came back in time to prove that Adam and Eve didn’t exist became marriage material for their kids. 
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grannymh
Guest
God blessed Adam and Eve telling them to be fertile and multiply. * St. Joseph Edition, The New American Bible*, Genesis, chapters 1-3
It doesn’t get any better than that.
:hug3:.
Blessings,
granny
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Coder
Guest
Hi,
Today, do we find incest repulsive because of accumulated faults in genes? The Catechism says that incest is an offense and there is no mention of gene faults. It seems we find it repulsive because it is a sin and it violates the familial relationship among other potential reasons.
Can anyone offer a better explanation about why the proposed lack of gene faults makes incest acceptable for Cain even though the the Catechism says that it is a sin because it corrupts family relationships?
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grannymh
Guest
Please check the time frame as to when laws regarding incest were promulgated. How many people were living at that time and where?
Please check when Adam and Eve lived and why they lived.
Did you check what God specifically said to Adam and Eve regarding their children? Did you miss God’s blessing of Adam and Eve?
Do you really think that someone is able to tell the Creator what He couldn’t do regarding the creation of the human species?
Or do you think that the Creator can’t create?
Blessings,
granny
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www.CatholicsComeHomeRockford.org
www.CatholicsComeHome.org
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Coder
Guest
Hi, the Cathechism cites the moral principle of protecting familial relationships as a reason why incest is a sin. I am asking why that moral principle wouldn’t apply to the family of Adam and Eve.
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grannymh
Guest
Why that moral principle wouldn’t apply to the family of Adam and Eve???
Answer: Because God did not apply it.
Who determines each moral principle? And can Who determines moral principles set one aside without human approval?
As I said before, Adam and Eve are not any family, they are specifically blessed by God to do a specific job as the two sole parents of the human species. If one believes that God’s blessing can be abolished by human opinions, then there is nothing more I can say.
Blessings,
granny
The reality of Adam and Eve is due to God’s blessings.
(Genesis 1: 27-28)
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