Book contents
- Unmaking Eden
- Reviews
- Unmaking Eden
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1Genesis 1, the Deep Meaning of “Animal,” and the Invention of (a Domesticator) God in Our Image
- 2Biblical, Scientific, and Other Perspectives on Domestication
- 3The Garden of Eden, Gender, and Multi-species Personhood
- 4From Cain to Flood
- 5Noah’s Curse and the Post-flood Domestication/Enslavement of Human Brothers
- 6Kingship, the Tower of Babel, and Humans as an Invasive Species
- 7Biblical Sabbath, Exodus Freedom, and Alternatives to Exploitative Domestication
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
- Select Bibliography
- Index
4 - From Cain to Flood
The Original Sin of Earth Violence and the Emergence of Soul Insensitivity
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 October 2026
Book contents
- Unmaking Eden
- Reviews
- Unmaking Eden
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1Genesis 1, the Deep Meaning of “Animal,” and the Invention of (a Domesticator) God in Our Image
- 2Biblical, Scientific, and Other Perspectives on Domestication
- 3The Garden of Eden, Gender, and Multi-species Personhood
- 4From Cain to Flood
- 5Noah’s Curse and the Post-flood Domestication/Enslavement of Human Brothers
- 6Kingship, the Tower of Babel, and Humans as an Invasive Species
- 7Biblical Sabbath, Exodus Freedom, and Alternatives to Exploitative Domestication
- Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
- Select Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Chapter 4 analyzes primeval stories of how the earth is polluted by inter-species violence, starting with the Cain-Abel story in Genesis 4 and continuing to Lamech, semi-divine warriors, and a violence of “all flesh” that causes a global flood (Gen 6:1-13). The domesticator-like God depicted in these stories turns out to be implicated in the violence in them, and – in the wake of the flood – this God character ends up endorsing human killing of animals for food.
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- Unmaking EdenGenesis and the Domestication of the World, pp. 122 - 152Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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