Seth (Hebrew: שֵׁת, Standard Šet, Tiberian
Šēṯ; Arabic: شيث Shith or Shiyth; "Placed;
appointed"), in the Book of Genesis of the Hebrew Bible,
is the third listed son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain
and Abel and is the only other son mentioned by name. According to Genesis 4:25, Seth was born after the slaying of Abel
by Cain, and Eve believed God had appointed him as "replacement" for Abel "because Cain killed him". He is commemorated as one of
the Holy Forefathers in the Calendar of Saints of the
Armenian Apostolic Church on July 30.
Seth in the Hebrew Bible
In Genesis, Seth was the third son of Adam and Eve, and is their only child mentioned by name besides Cain and Abel. After
stating that Seth was to Adam "a son in his likeness and image", born when Adam was 130 years old (Genesis 5:3), Genesis 5:4
states that Adam fathered "sons and daughters" before his death aged 930 years.
Seth had a son, Enosh, or Enos at age 105 (Genesis 5:6) and further children; he
lived 912 years (Genesis 5:8).
Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaqi) refers to Seth as the ancestor of Noah and hence the father of
all mankind. According to Zohar 1:36b, Seth is "ancestor of all the Generations of the
Tzaddikim" (righteous ones). Parshat Balak refers to "all of
Seth's descendants" (Numbers 24:17).
Seth in Gnosticism
In Gnosticism, Seth is seen as a replacement given by God for Cain and Abel. It is said
that late in life, Adam gave Seth secret teachings that would become the Kabbalah.
One particular school of Gnosticism arose which focused on Seth called the Sethians.
Seth in LDS doctrine
In Latter-day Saint doctrine, Seth was
ordained by Adam at the age of 69 years. Three years prior to Adam's death, he blessed Seth
that his posterity would be "the chosen of the Lord" and that it would be "preserved unto the end of the earth" (D&C 107:42). Furthermore, Seth was "a perfect man, and his likeness was the express likeness of his father" (D&C
107:43). Seth is also the name of a
Jaredite in the Book of Mormon (Ether Ether
1:10-11 and Ether
11:9).
Josephus about Seth
Josephus refers to Seth as the most notable of the sons of Adam in the Antiquities of the Jews, and reports that his descendants built the Pillars of the sons of Seth.
Seth in the Garden of Eden
According to the noncanonical Testament of Adam and medieval legend, Adam, knowing
his death is near, calls his son Seth to his side. He tells Seth to go back to the Garden of
Eden, to enter and get three seeds from the fruit of the Tree of
Life. Adam then instructs Seth to return to him and place the three seeds in his mouth before burying his body. Seth does
as his father requests and makes the trip to the Garden of Eden. At the gate stands the
Archangel Michael, who asks Seth his business. Seth tells him, and Michael lets him
pass, directing him to the tree of life. Seth collects three seeds from the fruit of the tree, and then returns, back through the
gates, down to his father, who by this time has died. He digs Adam's grave, and buries him, placing the three seeds in his mouth
before covering him with dirt. Eventually three trees spring up from Adam's grave, and it is these three trees that are later
chopped down to provide the wood for the three crosses on Golgotha.[1]However, all Biblical record suggests that after Adam and Eve were cast out of the
Garden of Eden, "Passage Genesis 3:24: 24 So God drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the Garden of
Eden the cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep and guard the way to the tree of life", nobody was allowed
back in, and it was not Michael guarding. However Michael was an Archangel and therefore could have been the "cherub" present. (Although according to Christian angelic
hierarchy an Archangel is several ranks below a superior Cherub).
Nineteenth century scholars on Seth
Nineteenth century scholars identified Seth with Shitti, an epithet for Marduk
See also
References
- ^ Testament of Adam; also see sermons and writings of Martin Luther.
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