

At the time of the split, the Southern Baptist group used the curse of Cain as a justification for slavery. The split between the Northern and Southern Baptist organizations arose over doctrinal issues pertaining to slavery and the education of slaves. Protestant preachers wrote exegetical analyses of the curse, with the assumption that it was dark skin.
#Spark in the dark a cain skin
American Protestant racial beliefs on the mark of Cain Īt some point after the start of the slave trade in the United States, many Protestant denominations began teaching the belief that the mark of Cain was a dark skin tone in an attempt to justify their actions, although early descriptions of Romani as "descendants of Cain" written by Franciscan friar Symon Semeonis suggest that this belief had existed for some time. Christianity Īccording to author Ruth Mellinkoff, commentators' interpretations of the nature of the "mark" depended on their views regarding the status of Cain, as either being given additional time to repent or as being further shamed. Some commentators, such as Rabbi Michael Berg in his English commentary on the Zohar, suggest that the mark of Cain was the letter vav. In Kabbalah, the Zohar states that the mark of Cain was one of the twenty-two Hebrew letters of the Torah, although the Zohar's native Aramaic does not actually tell us which of the letters it was. "He engraved a letter of His Name onto his forehead." Rashi comments on Genesis 4:15 by saying that the mark was one of the Hebrew letters of the Tetragrammaton: Hanin said that God made Cain an example to penitents ( Gen. Abba Jose ben Hanan said that God made a horn grow out of Cain. Judaism Ībba Arika ("Rav") said that God gave Cain a dog, making him an example for murderers. Thus, it is speculated that the mark served as a sign to others not to commit the same offense. The Septuagint translates the mark as a "sign". Some have speculated that the mark was a Hebrew or Sumerian letter placed on either the face or the arm. It is not known what the mark was, but it is assumed that the mark was visible. The mark of Cain is God's promise to offer Cain divine protection from premature death with the stated purpose of preventing anyone from killing him. The Hebrew word for mark ( 'Oth, אות) could mean a sign, an omen, a warning, or a remembrance. The Samaritan Pentateuch and the Targums translate the same verse to mean that Cain feared being "an exile and an unstable man". Philo interprets the Greek verse 12 as an allegory for Cain's fear of being soulless. Syriac Christianity interprets the Greek version to mean that Cain experienced a real physical affliction that would enable others to know who he was when they saw him. In the Septuagint, the emphasis on Cain's curse is dramatically increased by the combination of the Greek participles στένων καὶ τρέμων ("groaning and shaking upon the earth").
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Modern interpretations of the Hebrew verse 12 suggest that Cain went on to live a nomadic lifestyle and that he was also excluded from the family unit.

The combination making up this Hebrew phrase נע ונד, "fugitive and wanderer," is unique in the Hebrew Bible. The second part of the curse marks Cain as a fugitive ( Hebrew: נע) and a wanderer ( Hebrew: נד). This may imply why he went on to build cities, namely the City of Enoch. Should Cain attempt to farm the land, the earth would not yield produce for him. The first concerns the earth that was cursed by Abel's blood. Genesis 4:12 gives a two-part sentencing for Cain's curse. In a sense, the earth was left "drinking Abel's blood". When Cain spilled his brother's blood, the earth became cursed as soon as the blood hit the ground. The curse was the result of Cain murdering his brother, Abel, and lying about the murder to God. The narrative of the curse of Cain is found in the text of Genesis 4:11–16. Edwin Roscoe Mullins – Cain or My Punishment is Greater than I can Bear ( Genesis 4:13), about 1899.
