Panel: SACRED SPACES UNDER THREAT: NEW APPROACHES TO DOCUMENTING AND UNDERSTANDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WORSHIPPERS



1010.7 - BEYOND GENESIS: CAIN, FRATRICIDE, AND VIOLENCE IN EARLY JEWISH INTERPRETATION

AUTHORS:
Ibba G. (Facoltà Teologica dell'Italia Centrale / Istituto Superiore di Scienze Religiose della Toscana ~ Firenze ~ Italy)
Text:
This paper explores how the story of Cain and Abel was reinterpreted in early Jewish literature beyond the biblical account of Genesis 4. In Second Temple and early Rabbinic traditions, Cain increasingly emerges as an archetypal figure of violence and moral transgression. By examining texts such as Jubilees, 1 Enoch, and rabbinic interpretations, the paper shows how the first fratricide became a key paradigm for reflecting on human violence and conflict.