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Hubert and Jan van Eyck, “The Ghent Altarpiece (Detail),” 1432 (photo: Public Domain)
By John Grondelski, National Catholic Register,
John M. Grondelski (Ph.D., Fordham) is former associate dean of the School of Theology, Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey. He is especially interested in moral theology and the thought of John Paul II. [Note: All views expressed in his National Catholic Register contributions are exclusively the author’s.]
OLD TESTAMENT & ART: Tucked above depictions of Adam and Eve, the haunting images of Cain and Abel in the Ghent Altarpiece underscore the wages of sin and the need for redemption.
Man having fallen and been expelled from Eden, the Bible moves on. The first thing we learn is that Eve has a bouncing baby boy, Cain. Then another, Abel.
The next thing we’re told is their work: Abel is a shepherd, Cain a farmer. Both go to offer the “first fruits” of their work — Abel, choice lambs, Cain, the top of his harvest. We’re told God accepted Abel’s offering but not Cain’s. The Bible doesn’t say outright why but it’s hinted at: Cain harbors a certain resentment, an “anger” and jealousy. He clearly feels entitled. Apparently, God didn’t understand his entitlement. …
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