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In Genesis, Eve gives birth to Cain and says she has conceived a man with God. Rabbinic tradition in Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer reads this as the malevolent Sammael, riding on the serpent, fathering Cain, while Adam fathers only Abel.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Genesis 4:1
Hebrew Bible
1 Now the man was intimate with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created a man just as the Lord did!” 2 Then she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 At the designated time Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering to the Lord.
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 21:2
Rabbinic
CAIN AND ABEL "BUT of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden" (Gen. 3:3). It was taught in a Baraitha, Rabbi Ẓe'era said: "Of the fruit of the tree"—here "tree" only means man, who is compared to the tree, as it is said, "For man is the tree of the field" (Deut. 20:19). "Which is in the midst of the garden"—"in the midst of the garden" is here merely an euphemism. "Which is in the midst of the garden"—for "garden" means here merely woman, who is compared to a garden, as it is said, "A garden shut up is my sister, a bride" (Cant. 4:12). Just as with this garden whatever is sown therein, it produces and brings forth, so (with) this woman, what seed she receives, she conceives and bears through sexual intercourse. (Sammael) riding on the serpent came to her, and she conceived; afterwards Adam came to her, and she conceived Abel, as it is said, "And Adam knew Eve his wife" (Gen. 4:1). What is the meaning of "knew"? (He knew) that she had conceived. And she saw his likeness that it was not of the earthly beings, but of the heavenly beings, and she prophesied || and said: "I have gotten a man with the Lord" (ibid.). Rabbi Miasha said: Cain was born, and his wife, his twin-sister, with him. Rabbi Simeon said to him: Has it not already been said, "And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a shameful thing"? (Lev. 20:17). From these words know that there were no other women whom they could marry, and these were permitted to them, as it is said, "For I have said, The world shall be built up by love" (Ps. 89:2). With love was the world built up before the Torah had been given. Rabbi Joseph said: Cain and Abel were twins, as it is said, "And she conceived, and bare (with) Cain" (Gen. 4:1). At that hour she had an additional capacity for child-bearing (as it is said), "And she continued to bear his brother Abel" (Gen. 4:2).
Date: 630-1030 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
... Targum Pseudo-Jonathan attributes Eve’s pregnancy to Satan. Genesis 4:1 reads in this Targum, “And Adam knew Eve his wife, that she had become pregnant from Sammael, the angel of the Lord.” Genesis 5:3 reads in this Targum: “And Adam lived one hundred thirty years and begot Seth who resembled his image and likeness. For previous to this Eve begot Cain, who was not from him and was not like him. And Abel had been killed by the hands of Cain, and Cain had been driven out and his descendants were not recorded by family in the book of the genealogy of Adam. And after this he begot one who did resemble him, and he called his name Seth.” Pirqe Rabbi Eliezer 21 narrates how “(Sammael) riding on the serpent came to her, and she conceived; afterwards Adam came to her, and she conceived Abel, as it is said, ‘And Adam knew Eve his wife’ (Genesis 4:1). What is the meaning of ‘knew’? (He knew) that she had conceived. And she saw his likeness that it was not of the earthly beings, but of the heavenly beings, and she prophesied and said: ‘I have gotten a man with the Lord.’” ...
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