Collected Works of Martin Luther

by Martin Luther

  Moreover Moses has arranged all this narrative thus particularly and remarkably on purpose that it might be a testimony and memorial of all hypocrites, that he might, by his peculiar manner of recording the solemn facts, graphically paint forth what hypocrites really are, and that he might show how awfully they are seized upon by Satan as his instruments, and inflamed by him against God and against his Word and his Church. It was not enough for his murderer that he had killed his brother contrary to the command of God, but he adds to that sin the further sin that, when God inquires of him concerning his brother, he becomes filled with indignation and rage. I say when God inquires of him, because, although it was Adam who spoke these words to his son Cain, yet he spoke them by the authority of God and by the Holy Spirit. In so awful a sin therefore was it not a most kind and gentle manner of expression to inquire, “Where is Abel thy brother?” And yet to this voice, which contained in it nothing severe, the hypocrite and the murderer grows so ferocious and proud that he replies, “I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?” And he is fired with indignation that he should be called to an account concerning the matter at all. For the reply of Cain is the reply of a spirit of resistance and indignation against God.

  But to this sin Cain adds a worse sin still. For when he ought to have fallen under this accusation of having committed the murder, he himself at once turns round and accuses God and expostulates with him: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” He prefaces his reply with no expression of reverence or honor, though due both to God and to his father. He did not say, “Lord, I know not.” He did not say, “My Father, didst thou make me the keeper of my brother?” Such expressions as these would have indicated feeling of reverence towards God or towards his parent. But he answers as being Lord himself and plainly manifests that he felt indignant at being called to account even by him who had the high right even to call him to that account.

  And this is a true picture of all hypocrites. When standing in the most manifest sins they grow full of insolence and pride, and aim all the while at appearing most righteous persons. They will not believe even God himself when rebuking them by his Word. Nay, they set themselves against God, contend with him and excuse their sin. Thus David says, “that God is judged of men, but that at length he clears and justifies himself, and prevails,” Ps. 51:4. This is that insolence of hypocrites which Moses here paints.

  But how does this attempt of Cain succeed. Thus while he uses every means to excuse himself, he most powerfully accuses himself. Thus Christ says, “Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant,” Luke 19:22. Now, this servant wished to appear without guilt, saying, “For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: Thou takest up that which thou layest not down, and reapest that which thou didst not sow: therefore I hid thy talent in a napkin,” verses 20 and 21. Now, what excuses more plausible than these could the wicked servant adopt? Yet by what means more effectual could he accuse himself? For Christ at once uses his own very words against this wicked servant, and condemns him out of his own mouth. And this is the very way and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

  Such examples are profitable to us that we may learn not to contend with God. On the contrary therefore when thou feelest in thine own conscience that thou art guilty, take heed with all thy soul that thou contend neither with God nor with men by defending or excusing thy sin. Rather do this, When thou seest God points his spear at thee, flee not from him; but on the contrary flee to him with humble confession of thy sin, and with prayer for his pardon. Then will God draw back his spear and spare thee. But when by the denial and excuse of thy sin thou fleest farther and farther from him, the nearer is God to thee as an enemy and the more closely and hotly does he pursue thee as such. Nothing therefore is better or safer for thee than to come to him at once with the confession of thy fault. For thus it comes to pass that, when God conquers us, we also conquer by him.

  But Cain and hypocrites do not this. God points his spear at them, but they do not humble themselves before him nor pray to him for pardon. Nay, they even point their spear at God, just as Cain did on this occasion. Cain does not say, “Lord, I confess that I have killed my brother; forgive me.” On the contrary, though being the accused, he himself accuses God by replying, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” And what was the effect of his pride? By it he openly confessed that he cared naught for the divine laws, which say, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself,” Lev. 19:18. And again, “Do not unto another that which you would not have another do unto you,” Math. 7:12. These laws were not first written, nor only written, in the Decalogue, but they were inscribed in the minds of all men by nature. Yet Cain not only acted directly against these laws, but showed that he cared naught for them, nay, that he absolutely despised them.

  In this way therefore Cain stands the picture, as we have said, not only of a wicked man, but of a man the most wicked, who, though a murderer, is yet a hypocrite wishing to appear a saint; being all the time one more prepared to accuse God than to appear worthy of accusation. And this is what all hypocrites do. They blaspheme God and crucify his Son, and yet wish to appear righteous. For after their murders, blasphemies and all other sins their whole aim is to seek means whereby to excuse and palliate the great sins they have committed. But the result always is that they only betray themselves and are condemned out of their own mouths.

  While Cain here studies to render himself quite pure in appearance, he most effectually and foully defiles himself. He thinks he has made a most plausible excuse, when he says, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” But this very excuse becomes his most effectual accusation. And thus according to the saying of Hilary, “Wickedness is ever closely accompanied by folly.” And so it was in the case of Cain. Had he been as wise as he was wicked, he would have excused himself in quite a different manner. But since God has ordained that wickedness should thus be ever accompanied by folly, Cain’s excuse becomes his plain accusation. And for this very reason: The defense of truth against her adversaries is always easy. For Cain thus testified, both by his words and by his gestures, that he cared not for his brother, but hated him; so all wicked men by various means ever betray their wickedness. By the example of Cain therefore things the most important and the most instructive are set before us; all of them tending to show that God suffers not hypocrites to remain long undiscovered, but that he compels them to convict themselves by those very means by which they craftily strive to conceal their hypocrisy and their sin.

  Moses does not in this description use a multitude of words, according to the practice of the world in general; for these in setting forth a subject embellish it with various striking ornaments of figure and speech. But we know by experience, that the real feelings of the mind cannot be fully described by the paintings of any human eloquence. And indeed an abundance of words only makes the affection of the mind described to appear less than it is in reality. Moses therefore acts quite differently. By the use of a very few words he discloses a great abundance of subject-matter.

  The divine historian above used the expression, “And when they were in the field.” Here Moses indicates that the murderer Cain had watched his opportunity; that when alone he might attack his brother, when also alone. And all the connected circumstances plainly show that Abel was not then unemployed, for he was in the field, where he had to do the things his father had given him to do. Here Moses moreover shows that Abel’s parents were free from all fear of danger. For although from the beginning they had feared that the wrath of Cain would eventually break out into some still greater sin; yet, by his compliance and kindness, and by his pretended affection, he prevented all suspicion of evil from remaining in the minds of his parents. For had there been the least apprehension of evil still existing, they certainly would not have permitted Abel to go from their presence with Cain alone. They would have caused his sisters to go with him as companions, for some sisters he no doubt had. Or his parents themselves would have prevented by their presence and authority the perpetration of so great a wickednes
s. And as I said, the mind of Abel was perfectly free from all suspicion. For had he suspected evil at the hand of his brother in the least degree, he would doubtless have sought safety by flight. But after he had heard and seen, as he thought, that Cain bore the judgment of God patiently and did not envy his brother the high honor which God had bestowed upon him, he pursued his work in the field with all security.

  What orator could describe with eloquence equal to its importance the real nature of that act of Cain, which Moses expresses in these few words? “And Cain rose up against his brother.” Many descriptions of awful cruelty exist in books on every side, but no description of cruelty could paint it in a more atrocious and execrable light than the picture drawn by the few words of Moses, when he simply says, Cain “rose up against” his brother Abel. As if he had said, Cain rose up against Abel, the only brother he had, with whom he had been brought up and with whom he had lived in the one only family upon earth up to that day; all which family communion he utterly forgot, and not only so, but he forgot their common parents also. The greatness of the grief which he would cause his parents by such a grave crime never entered his mind. He never thought that Abel was a brother, from whom he had never received any offense whatever. For Cain knew that the honor of the more acceptable sacrifice which Abel had offered, proceeded not from any intent or ambition in him, but from the will and doing of God himself. In a word Cain did not consider in what position he himself would be; that by this wicked deed, he who had hitherto stood in the highest favor with his parents would lose that favor altogether and would fall under their deepest indignation.

  It is recorded in history that when a painter, who was painting the story of Iphigenia, on the point of being sacrificed to Diana by her father, had given to each one of the surrounding spectators his appropriate countenance, with a latitude of art which might best express his pain and sorrow, he at length came to the father himself, who was also a spectator; but feeling convinced that no art of the painter could adequately represent his feelings and countenance, he covered his head with a mantle.

  Moses I think does the same thing in the present passage, when he uses the verb YAKAM, “Rose up against.” What tragical pictures would the eloquence of Cicero or Livy have here drawn, while they were strikingly portraying the wrath of the one brother, and the dread, the cries, the prayers, the tears, the uplifted hands, and all the horrors of the other; applying to the description all the power of their mind and language? But such feelings cannot be fully described by all these powers of eloquence. Moses therefore writes most appropriately, when he sets forth things so inexpressible by mere dots, as it were, in order that by his few words the feelings of the reader may be engaged to meditate on the facts the more closely and deeply for himself. For the vain attraction of words is like paint applied to natural beauty; it only mars and spoils the force of the reality.

  Of the same expressive character are the few words which he next adds, “And slew him.” He does not by those few words represent a common murder, such as we see committed by men in general; for they sometimes kindle quarrels from the most trifling causes and commit murders in the end. Such murderers however immediately after the murder is committed are filled with distress; they grieve for the deed they have done and acknowledge those delusions of the devil by which he blinded their minds. But Cain felt no distress; he expressed no grief, but denied the deed he had done. This satanic and insatiable hatred in hypocrites is described by Christ by saying, “When they kill you, they will think that they do God service,” John 16:2. So the priests and the kings filled Jerusalem with the blood of the prophets and gloried in what they did, as if their deeds were great and successful exploits; for they considered such murders as proofs of their zeal for the law and the house of God.

  And the furious cruelty of the popes and the bishops in our day is just the same. They are not satisfied with having excommunicated us again and again, and with having shed our blood, but they wish to blot out our memory from the land of the living; according to the description of such hatred expressed in the words of the Psalm, “Rase it, rase it, even to the foundation thereof,” Ps. 137:7. These instances of hatred are satanic, not human; for all forms of human hatred grow into mildness by time; and after we have avenged the offense and pain given, the hatred at length ceases. But these instances of pharisaic hatred increase in virulence day by day; and for this very reason, because they are justified under the cloak of religion and godly zeal. Cain therefore is the father of all murderers, who slaughter the saints and whose wrath knows no end, as long as there remains one saint for them to kill. All this is proved by the example even of the crucified Christ himself. For as to Cain, there is no doubt of his having hoped that by putting Abel to death, he should still hold the high honor of his first birth-right. And in the same way the ungodly always think that their cruelty will profit them in some way. But when they find that their hope is vain they at once fall like Cain into despair.

  Now when the fact of this atrocious murder was made known to the parents, what do we think must have been the dreadful feelings which it excited? What the lamentation? What sighs and groans it caused? But I dwell not on these things; they are rather scenes for the eloquent and able orator to describe. I will only observe that it was a marvel that both parents were not struck lifeless with pain and grief. For the calamity was rendered the greater by the fact that their first-born, who had created in them such large hopes concerning himself, was the perpetrator of such a horrible murder. If therefore Adam and Eve had not been helped from above, they could never have surmounted this family calamity; for it was a catastrophe exceeding all catastrophes the world has ever known. And hence Adam and Eve were without that consolation which we may have under sudden and unexpected calamities, which consolation is that like evils have befallen others and have not come upon us alone. But our first parents had two sons only, though I believe that they had daughters also; and therefore they had not the many examples before them which are always before our eyes.

  Who can doubt however that Satan by this new kind of temptation in Cain increased greatly the grief and trial of our first parents? For they no doubt thought, Behold this is all our sin. We, when in paradise, wished to become like God; but by our sin we are become like the devil. The very same thing has befallen us, in the case of our son. We loved this son alone, and made everything of him. Our other son Abel was righteous before us, above this son; but of his righteousness we made nothing. This elder son we hoped would be he who should crush the serpent’s head; but behold! he himself is crushed by the serpent! Nay, he himself is become like the serpent, for he is now a murderer. And whence is this? Is it not because he was born of us, and because we through our sin are what we are? Therefore it is from our flesh, therefore it is from our sin, that this calamity has broken forth!

  It is very probable therefore, and the events of the series of years which followed confirm this probability, that the sorrowing parents, struck with the awfulness of this calamity, abstained for a long time from connubial intercourse. For it appears that when Cain committed this murder he was about thirty years of age, more or less. During this period some daughters were born unto Adam. For since it is said below, V. 17, that “Cain knew his wife,” there is no doubt that he married a sister. Moreover since Cain himself says, V. 14, “And it shall come to pass that everyone that findeth me shall slay me;” and as it is further said, V. 15, “And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him;” it appears most probable from all these circumstances that Adam had many more children than Cain and Abel, but these two only are mentioned on account of the important and memorable history concerning them and because those two were their first and principal children. For it is my full belief that the marriage of our first parents, during the first thirty years of their union, was most fruitful. In some books the names Calmana and Dibora are found as being daughters of Adam; but I know not whether such authors are worthy of any credit. As therefore Seth is recorded as havi
ng been begotten a long time after this awful murder, it seems to me very probable that the parents, distressed beyond measure at this monstrous family crime, refrained for a long time from marriage communion. Moses does not indeed touch upon all these things in his narrative; he intimates them only in order that he might excite, as we have said, the reader to a deep consideration of this memorable history, the circumstances of which he records in the fewest possible words, as if presenting them to be seen as through a lattice.

  But I return to the text now immediately before us. Cain is an evil and a wicked man, and yet in the eyes of his parents he is a divine possession and a divine gift. Abel on the contrary is in the eyes of his parents and in their estimation as nothing, according to the signification of his name; but in the eyes of God he is truly a righteous man; hence it is that Christ himself honors him with this exalted appellation, when he calls him, “Righteous Abel!” Math. 23:35. This was the divine judgment concerning Abel, which Cain could not endure, and therefore he thought that the only manner in which his hatred of his brother could be satisfied was by murder. And he moreover thought that by this awful means he could still retain the high honor of his primogeniture. But he was far from thinking that he committed a great sin by this murder; because as being the first-born he thought he had a right to do this. He killed him therefore as I think, not with a sword, for I conclude that there were, as yet, no iron weapons, but with a club or with some kind of stone.

  And after the murder, Cain remained quiet and unconcerned, for he thought that the deed would be concealed by hiding the body, which he buried, or perhaps he cast it into a river, considering that by such means he could rest the more sure that the body could not be found by his parents.