Dear Catholic Exchange,
I have a question that I am certain you can help me with. I value your website so much. It is our computer's homepage, and I rely on it for daily news, insight, and inspiration. So, I turn to you now with my question. My 9-year-old son asked me the other night about Genesis, how Adam and Eve were the first parents and had Cain, Abel, and Seth, but “where did the other people come from?” I think I have formulated an answer, but could use some help with my own understanding of Church teachings on this, and some help explaining it to him. I would appreciate your help with this.
I'm sending out a donation to Catholic Exchange tomorrow in the mail! Keep up the great work!
Many thanks,
Michelle Snyder
Dear Michelle,
I'm afraid I'm not much use on this question. Presumably, Genesis simply doesn't concern itself with other children of Adam and Eve who stand outside the main storyline. Cain's wife, for example, simply shows up when he marries her. The logic of Genesis dictates that she was another daughter of Adam and Eve, but Genesis doesn't bother to mention her birth. The genealogies of Genesis frequently do this, since their purpose is not to talk about everybody ever born, but to act as a “zoom lens” that focuses our attention on the main storyline and where it is going.
Mark Shea
Senior Content Editor
Catholic Exchange
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