Curse and mark of Cain

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The Curse of Cain refers to Jewish and Christian biblical passages in Genesis where God YHWH placed a curse upon Cain, the firstborn of Adam and Eve. This curse has been interpreted in many ways. Most Biblical scholars currently interpret the "curse" as the Bible indicates, Cain's inability to cultivate crops and the necessity that he lead a nomadic lifestyle.

In recent history, the "curse of cain" had been often been equated with the "mark" which the god YHWH also placed upon Cain. In 18th century America and Europe, a link was assumed by whites that equated this "mark" to black skin, thereby linking any black person to being a descendant of Cain. This curse/mark doctrine was used by some Christians to justify racism and the enslavement of people of African ancestry. Others have used the curse as a Biblical justification for anti-Semitism. These racial and ethnic interpretations of the curse have been largely abandoned even by the most conservative theologians since the mid-20th century, although the theory still has some following among white supremacists and an older generation of Americans, as well as a very small minority of Christian churches.

The curse and mark of Cain in the Bible

The Bible refers to the curse of cain in the fourth chapter of the Book of Genesis. This passage describes two brothers, Cain and Abel. Cain, the oldest, "worked the soil", while Abel raised sheep. (Book of Genesis 4:2). Eventually, each of the brothers performs a sacrifice to YHWH; Cain's sacrifices some of his crops, while Abel sacrifices "fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock." (Gen. 4:4.) When YHWH accepted Abel's offering, but not Cain's, Cain's face becomes "downcast" (Gen. 4:5), and he attacks Abel and kills him in the field. (Gen. 4:8)

When the god Tetragrammaton confronts Cain about Abel's death, YHWH curses him, stating:

"Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." (Gen. 4:10-12.)

When Cain complained that the curse was too strong, and that anyone who finds him would kill him, YHWH responded, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over", and YHWH "put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him." (Gen. 4:15).

Interpretations of the curse of Cain

Modern scholarly interpretations

There is no scholarly consensus as to the original meaning and significance of the curse and mark of Cain. Because the name Cain (or qayin in Hebrew, meaning spear), is identical with the name Kenite (also qayin in Hebrew), some scholars speculate that the curse of Cain may have arisen as a condemnation of the Kenites. In the Bible, however, the Kenites are generally described favorably, and may have had an important influence on the early Hebrew religion.

There is also no clear consensus as to what Cain's "mark" would be. The word translated as "mark" in Gen. 4:15 is 'owth, which could mean a sign, an omen, a warning, or a remembrance. In the Torah, the same word is used to describe the stars as signs or omens (Gen. 1:14), the rainbow as the sign of the flood (Gen. 9:12), circumcision as a token of YHWH's covenant with Abraham (Gen. 17:11), and the miracles performed by Moses before Pharaoh. Thus, the text of the Bible only explicitly describes how the "mark" was to function as a sign or warning, not what form the mark took.

Interpretations based on race

Early Christian interpretations

According to some scholars, some early interpretations of the Bible in Syriac Christianity combined the "curse" with the "mark", and interpreted the curse of Cain as black skin. (Goldenberg, p. 180). Relying on rabbinic texts, it is argued, the Syriacs interpreted a passage in Book of Genesis 4:5 ("And Cain was greatly saddened and his face fell") as implying that Cain underwent a permanent change in skin color. (Id.)

The curse as a justification for the African slave trade

The curse of Cain has been used as an explanation for the dark skin shades of people in various parts of Africa, and a justification for racism and slavery, and a ban in interracial marriage. These racial implications are closely linked to the related implications derived from the curse of Ham doctrine, which has a much longer history, and has often been combined (or some would say conflated) with the curse of Cain doctrine, as well as the "curse of Esau" doctrine.

An early American reference to the curse of Cain doctrine in the context of modern racial issues was in a poem by Phyllis Wheatley, herself a black slave, who wrote in 1773, "Remember Christians, Negoes black as Cain/May be refined and joined the angelic train".

Adoption of the doctrine by some Protestant groups

Most 19th and early 20th century Southern Baptist congregations in the southern United States taught that there were two separate heavens; one for blacks, and one for whites.

The doctrine was used to support a ban on ordaining blacks to most protestant clergies until the 1960s in the U.S. and Europe. It is significant to note that the Coptic, Ethiopian, Orthodox, Thomasite and the Catholic church did not recognize these interpretations and did not participate in the religious movement to support them. Certain Catholic Diocese in the Southern United States did adopt a policy of not ordaining blacks to oversee, administer sacraments to, or accept confessions from white parishoners. This policy, was not based on a Curse of Cain teaching, but was justified by any possible perceptions of having slaves rule over their masters.

Until the mid-20th century, nearly all Protestant groups in America had supported the notion that black slavery, oppression, and African colonization was the result of God's curse on people with black skin or of African descent through Cain, or through the Curse of Ham.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the largest sect of the Latter Day Saint movement was founded during the height of the curse of Cain teaching by White American Christian organizations in America. Mormon church leaders however went one step further and canonized Mormon scriptures and doctrines that further justified racist policies against those of African descent based on Cain's curse being on Black people. Although the Mormon establishment had allowed Black people into their church and even a few were ordained as priests, the Cain interpretation was codified throughout the 19th and 20th century.

Mormon leaders used passages from the King James Version of the Bible, the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible, Book of Moses, to fuel the rhetoric of the "Curse of Cain" and the "Curse of Ham" between 1835 and 1970 (for a side by side comparison of the Pearl of Great Price's teachings and the KJV of the Bible's Genesis' teachings of the Curse of Cain see Curse of Cain/Genesis). The rhetoric centered around blacks being cursed of God in regard to the priesthood, their servitude to whites, their status in spiritual matters, and other issues. They had taught that the cursing would one day be lifted once spiritual blessings had been distributed to the white members of the religion.

Church leaders, including Young, taught that the curse of Cain consists of several parts (for a list of statements by LDS Church leaders specifically about the Curse of Cain see Curse of Cain/LDS historical statements):

That Cain would not be allowed to enter God's presence, nor would he enjoy the companionship of any member of the Godhead
That Cain would be called Perdition and not be resurrected to a degree of glory; He would lose any chance of exaltation
That Cain would not taste of death (become a translated being)
That the earth would not "yield unto Cain her strength," (or in other words, he would be agriculturally cursed)
That a mark would be placed upon Cain so that others would not try to kill him
That this mark was "Black skin and a flat nose".
That Cain would have to live as "a vagabond" on the earth until the return of Christ as a translated being
That Cain would rule over Satan after the final judgement
That any mixing of Blacks with any others, would pass the curse upon any of their descendants.
The denial of the priesthood and temple ordinances to Cain and his descendants, those being of Black African descent (except in rare occasions), until after Abel's descendants had a chance to receive the gospel and hold the priesthood. No blessing would be denied these people after the resurrection, but it would be denied in this life.

Note that the part of the curse that would be passed on to his descendents would be the mark, and the denial of priesthood and temple ordinances until after the resurrection.

Some quotes by Brigham Young in regards to the descendants of Cain are as follows:

Again to the subject before us; as to The men bearing rule; not one of the children of old Cain, have one partical of right to bear Rule in Government affairs from first to last, they have no buisness there....I will not consent for one moment to have an african dictate me or any brethren with regard to Church or State Government. I may vary in my veiwes from others, and they may think I am foolish in the things I have spoken, and think that they know more than I do, but I know I know more than they do. If the Africans cannot bear rule in the Church of God, what buisness have they to bear rule in the State and Government affairs of this Territory or any others?

What we are trying to do to day is to make the Negro equal with us in all our privilege. My voice shall be against all the day long.

Joseph Smith, Jr. and some other early church leaders claimed to have see Cain in open vision on a few occasions, and described his mark. The wording used to descibe the encounters (including the word hairy) has led to some jokes and light urban legends about Cain being Bigfoot within the Mormon culture.

Although many Mormon scholarly and laypeople assert that the mark or curse was not related to Black people, Mormon prophets and leaders invariably attest throughout the period that the Curse of Cain was indeed, delegated to the Black people of the world, indicating that this was not folk-doctrine, but offical church doctrinal policy.

"What is that mark? you will see it on the countenance of every African you ever did see upon the face of the earth, or ever will see... I tell you, this people that are commonly called negroes are the children of old Cain." - Brigham Young 1852

“You see some classes of the human family that are black are uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, and seemingly without the blessing of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind.. Cain slew his brother.. And the Lord put a mark on him, which is a flat nose and a black skin" - Brigham Young

Modern Christian reactions against racial interpretations

More recently, there has been a stronger Christian backlash against use of the curse of Cain doctrine in racial politics. Today, all of the mutually recognizeable Christian denominations flatly reject such a doctrine. Most Christians also point to Biblical references which refute the doctrine, including a reference in the Book of Numbers:

"And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman...9 And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them; and he departed. 10 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous." (Numbers 12:1, 9, 10).

Other Christian arguments include the following:

That the passage in Genesis relating to Cain makes no mention of the effects on his descendants.
That the effect of parts of the curse on the land could have only applied to Cain - and not Blacks - who historically, were unaffected (like all other surviving people) in their ability to cultivate land. If this interpretation held true - 19th Century Americans would not have enslaved them to do agricultural work in the United States.
That Moses' wife Tzipporah, Job, Queen of Sheba, Ebed-Melech, Tirharkah, and the Ethiopian Treasurer of Queen Candace, Hagar, Egyptians, and other Black people in the Bible were not mentioned as being partakers of the curse. Had the curse affected Black people, at least one instance of it would have been mentioned in the Bible in that context to these people.
That Christianity and the Bible was founded 2000 years ago, and early documents do not make any references to blacks being cursed, and no manuscripts have been found in the middle east by Christian leaders of those periods that support the exclusion or prejudice against Blacks, Ethiopians (Greek word for Black) or Kushites (hebrew word for Black).
That the racist interpretations of scripture did not exist before European colonization. These interpretations were likely introduced by ethnocentric ideologies that were codified into the Western mindset. This ideology adversely influenced the protestant reformation and enlightment period.
That objectively making the idea of a Cain's mark into a change of skin color would require Biblical passages to equate the two, however, in the Book of Jeremiah 13:23, there is a distinction made between skin color and marks on the skin, which all but refutes the idea that Cain's mark was Black skin: ("Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?"). Some Bible code groups claim they have identified that the mark of the curse of Cain was the sign of the cross on his forhead. [1]
That one effect of the curse was for Cain to struggle agriculturally, to be "driven" from the face of the Lord and that Cain would not settle in any specific locale. For Canaan's curse it was to serve the people of Shem's line. Making the curse a racially-based issue ignored the primary issues of the curse and was used to justify black servitude to whites. The doctrine became part of the institution of slavery and reasoning of many racist white Christian institutions in the West.

Modern Baptist exegesis

Some Baptist denominations now deny that Cain was cursed by God, but rather Cain brought the cursing on himself. "God does not say, 'Now I curse you.' He simply states the truth, 'Now you are cursed'".[2] In this way, Cain's aggression was the curse, and the outcome was the death of Abel. Because of continued problems with anger and aggression, the curse was handed down to Cain's posterity and even to Lamech who killed similarly to Cain.

In the same way, the teaching goes that Born Again believers are often cursed because of some of their stuggles or sins, and should work to overcome them, or they will be passed on to their children or descendants. If they do so, their curses will not be promulgated to their posterity.

Catholic exegesis

The Catholic Church teaches that the curse of Cain was given by the earth, not God, to Cain, as a punishment for having to "opened its mouth and drunk the blood of thy brother." The Church teaches that Cain's punishment was not having to wander, as he founded a City, but that he wouldn't have the "strengh" of the earth in his agricultural endeavors, but that the Earth would still produce for him. The Church also teaches that he was to be banished from the land of his parents as a result of his curse.

As for the mark of the curse, the Catholic Encyclopedia states, "No indication as regards the nature of this sign is given us."

Modern supporters of the racial curse of Cain doctrine

Denominations that still teach the doctrine include the Aryan World Church and New Christian Crusade Church, both considered to be extensions of White Supremacist organizations and hate groups.

Anti-Semitic interpretations

Some racist groups, such as Stormfront White Nationalist Community believe that the curse of Cain was for him and his descendants to have to wander without a permanent home. According to this interpretation, they believe that Esau and his descendants was also given this curse (See Genesis 27:38, 40), and had to wander without a homeland.

They believe that modern Jews also have this curse for the murder of Christ, resulting in the Diaspora. [3]

References

. ISBN 0226741990. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
. ISBN 0-691-11465-X. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help), Chapter 13: "The Curse of Cain".
The Curse of Cain: The Untold Story of John Wilkes Booth (ISBN 1580060218)
Black Majority: Negroes in Colonial South Carolina from 1670 Through the Stono Rebellion, by Peter H. Wood
White Attitudes toward Black People (Ann Arbor, Michigan: Institute for Social Research, 1971), by Angus Campbell
"The Fading of the Pharoah's Curse: The Decline and Fall of the Priesthood Ban against Blacks in the Mormon Church," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 14:3 (Fall 1981)
"Saints, Slaves, and Blacks: The changing place of Black people within Mormonism," Greenwood Press, (1981), by Newell Bringhurst