I wanted to post a link of the whole show for discussion but all that is available is a preview, as it just aired for the first time today (I think). Please make sure to watch it so we can have a discussion about it:
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/e ... 6/Overview
[center]SPOILER ALERT: Below contains contents of the show.[/center]
To summarize, basically the video discusses the biblical narrative of Cain and Abel -- and then it explains similar variations found in the Islamic tradition -- it also talks about the Egyptian myth.
It traces back the origins of the story, from its oral traditions, to a Sumerian story -- which arose from conflicts between farmers and shepherds -- (something I might add is happening in Africa today) What's surprising is that the Sumerian account is similar to the Islamic one. (In that Cain killed Abel because he loved their sister and wanted her for himself -- whereas in the Sumerian account it referred to gods not people).
The show even found where the "Garden of Eden" was said to be. Which is where they suggest the myth may have originated from -- when people were experimenting with agriculture versus a nomadic life of shepherding.
The Bible says that the garden was originally between 4 rivers, the Tigris, Euphrates, Pishon, and Gihon.
The show located the other two rivers, essentially it looked something like this here
Basically somewhere in Western Iran -- that's where they argue the whole legend originated from -- fighting between farmers and shepherds.
But the show also talked about how interpretations of Cain and Abel lead to all sorts of atrocities. Slavery was justified because many claimed that Africans were the children of Cain -- who share his mark (dark skin).
Other Neo-Nazi groups believe the same thing.
The Spaniards and Nazis both forced Jews to identify themselves... Goebbels even made the analogy of Cain and Abel when referring to Jews.
And the show ends nicely saying that the religious "brothers" of the Abrahamic Faiths should all remember the lessons of Cain and Abel - etc.Goebbels wrote:In the first days after the introduction of the Jewish star, newspaper sales in Berlin went through the roof. Each Jew on the street bought a newspaper to conceal his mark of Cain.
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I specifically liked the Jewish interpretations of the story. (The Torah mentions that the blood cried out from the ground to God after Cain killed Abel, but the original language was plural "bloods" -- meaning that not only was Abel killed, but an "entire world" -- his whole lineage was extinguished upon his murder).
Overall, it was a really good show. I missed the beginning of it so, there might have been more.
