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Exaltation (Elevation) of the Precious Cross

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Gen.4:1. “And she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and said: “I acquired or took possession of man with the help of God.” Cain is translated as "acquisition" or "possession", that is, κτῆσι ϛ. That's why she says: Canithi (קָנִ ֥ יתִי), that is, “I took possession of man with the help of God.” This is how she expresses the etymology of the name Cain. Gen.4:4–5. “And God looked upon Abel and his gifts, but did not look upon Cain and his sacrifices. And Cain was very upset." How could Cain know that God accepted his brother's gifts and rejected his gifts? Isn't the explanation proposed by Theodotion correct? “And the Lord sent down fire towards Abel on his sacrifice, but did not send down fire towards Cain and his sacrifice.” In those days, fire often came down from heaven to consume the sacrifice. We read that this happened both during the consecration of the temple by Solomon, and when Elijah built an altar on Mount Carmel (2 Chronicles 7:1; 1 Kings 18:38). Gen.4:6–7. “And the Lord said to Cain: “Why has your face fallen? Is it not because if you offer the sacrifice correctly, but divide [it] incorrectly, then you have sinned? Be calm: his appeal is to you, but you rule over him.” I am forced, by necessity, to stop longer at certain places. After all, here too the meaning of the Seventy Interpreters is very different from what is contained in the Hebrew text. Because the Lord says to Cain: “Why are you angry and why is your face downcast? Is it because if you do well, then it will be forgiven you, but if you do not do well, then sin will sit at the door? He strives to communicate with you, but you, on the contrary, dominate him.” What the Lord said means the following: “Why are you angry and, tormented by black envy of your brother, lower your face to the ground? Is it because if you act well, then any of your misdeeds will be forgiven (or, as Theodotion says, “will be acceptable”), that is, I will accept your gift, as I accepted your brother’s gift? And if you do something bad, then sin will sit at your door and a gatekeeper like this will guard you. But since you have free will, I call you to rule over sin, and not for sin to rule over you.” And the reason why the Seventy interpreters made an error is this: the word “sin,” that is, attath ( חַטָּ ֣ את ), is masculine in Hebrew, and feminine in Greek. But the translators left this word in the masculine gender, as in Hebrew. Gen.4:8. “And Cain spake unto Abel his brother.” It is implied that Cain told his brother what the Lord had just told him about. Therefore, what is in our and Samaritan books (“Let’s go out into the field”) is superfluous. Gen.4:15. “Whoever kills Cain will pay seven punishments.” Instead of “seven punishments”, Aquila translated “seven times”, Symmachus – “the seventh time”, Theodotion – “through the sevenfold”. Regarding this verse, there is my letter to Bishop Damasus. Gen.4:16. "And he dwelt in the land of Naid". The word that the Seventy interpreters translated as Naid is pronounced Nod ( נ ֖ וֹד ) in Hebrew and is translated as σαλευόμενο ϛ, that is, “unstable,” “wavering,” “without reliable support.” Thus, this is not the “land of Naid”, as most of our interpreters believe. But here God’s sentence is fulfilled so that Cain wanders everywhere as an exile and wanderer (Gen. 4:12). Gen.4:25. “And she called him by the name of Seth. Because [she said] God has restored to me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” Seth ( שֱ ֑ ת ) actually means θέσι ϛ, that is, “positing.” Thus, since God "put" him in place of Abel, for this reason he receives the name Seth ("putting"). So in the translation of Aquila it is said: “And she called him by the name of Seth, saying: “Because God has given me another seed.” Gen.4:26. “And he called his name Enosh. He hoped to call upon the name of the Lord God.” As Adam is translated "man," so Enos, according to the richness of the Hebrew language, means "man" or "man." And since he bore such a name, it was very opportune to write about him: “Then was the beginning of calling on the name of the Lord.” Although most Jewish interpreters think differently: then for the first time idols were made in the name of the Lord and in His likeness.
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