Theological Question

quinn · #1 02-01-2006, 04:55 AM

Genesis 4:
15 But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

This mark on Cain is often interpreted as black skin. But this doesn't make sense. The people in the Middle East were most likely of dark complexion to begin with.

Is this mark actually whiteness? Wouldn't that make sense?

RJT · #2 02-01-2006, 05:47 AM

Footnote Gen 4:15 from the New American Bible:

“A mark: probably a tattoo. The use of tattooing for tribal marks has always been common among the nomads of the Near Eastern deserts.”

RJT

Myrmidon · #3 02-01-2006, 06:02 AM

The tatto was probably the first initial of God(I, or J, or H); Or possibly the first letter of his crime AKA scarlet letter. There is no reason to think that one of todays "races" carry the mark.

MidGe · #4 02-01-2006, 07:10 AM

Glad to see that you put the word "races" in quotation marks. There are NO scientific justifications for such a term/concept. Of course, when it comes to theological arguments... everything is possible! [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Nielsio · #5 02-02-2006, 10:04 PM

Do you know the difference between a story and reality?