Seth
Seth appears in the biblical narrative as the third named son of Adam and Eve, born following the fratricide of Abel by Cain.
The Book of Genesis records that Adam was one hundred and thirty years old when he fathered a son in his own likeness and image, naming him Seth. The etymology of the name Seth, or Šēt in Hebrew, is fundamentally linked to the concept of appointment or compensation.
Eve named him Seth to signify that God had appointed another seed for her instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. The name implies a foundation, suggesting that the world was founded from him.
This act of naming serves as a recognition of divine provision, where the mother acknowledges that God has granted a new future and a continuous lineage in place of the one cut off by violence.
The birth of Seth marks a pivotal transition in human history, establishing a lineage distinct from that of Cain. While Cain and his descendants are associated with the development of city-building and arts but also with violence and impiety, the line of Seth is characterised by a turning towards the Creator.
To Seth a son was born named Enosh, and at that time men began to call upon the name of the Lord. This phrase indicates the commencement of corporate, organised worship and the proclamation of God's character. Seth lived for nine hundred and twelve years before he died.
Theological Significance of the Image
The biblical text emphasises that Adam fathered Seth in his own likeness, after his image. This phrasing parallels the creation of man in God's image, establishing a continuity of the imago Dei through the generations.
Just as God created man in His likeness, Adam transmitted this divine likeness to his posterity through Seth. This transmission is significant because it asserts that the image of God was not obliterated by the fall of Adam but was communicated from father to son.
Patristic theology distinguishes between the terms image and likeness. The image refers to the inherent rational and spiritual qualities of human nature, whereas the likeness refers to the dynamic realisation of those qualities through virtue.
By recording that Seth was born in Adam's image, the scripture indicates that Seth inherited the regal image and the mandate to rule that Adam held as the vice-regent of creation. This establishes Seth not merely as a biological descendant but as the inheritor of the covenantal promise and the spiritual status of a son of God.
The Sethite Interpretation of the Sons of God
A significant tradition within Christian history interprets the sons of God mentioned in Genesis 6 as the descendants of Seth.
This view, championed by figures such as Saint Athanasius, Saint Ephrem the Syrian, and Saint John Chrysostom, posits that the Sethites were called sons of God because they maintained a pious lineage and hoped to be called by the name of the Lord.
Saint Athanasius explains that the race of Seth was segregated from the race of Cain because of the curse laid upon the latter. The sons of God are identified as the righteous line of Seth, while the daughters of men are identified as the female descendants of Cain.
According to this interpretation, the sin recorded in Genesis 6 was not a union between angels and humans, but a moral failure involving the intermarriage of the righteous Sethites with the unrighteous Cainites.
The Sethites, who were known for their holiness and habitation on the holy mountain near Paradise, were tempted by the beauty of the Cainite women and descended into the valley, thereby ruining their ancestral nobility.
This mixing of the distinct lines eroded the faithfulness of the Sethite remnant and accelerated the corruption of the earth, leading to The Flood. Saint Ephrem the Syrian elucidates that the Sethites were called the just people of the Lord because they had separated themselves from the house of Cain.
However, opposing views exist, particularly the position that the sons of God were fallen angels who procreated with human women. This view relies on the term B'nai HaElohim, which is used elsewhere in the Old Testament to denote angels.
Critics of the Sethite view argue that it strains the grammatical antithesis between the sons of God and the daughters of Adam found in the text.
Despite these objections, the Sethite interpretation remains a dominant perspective in much of the Eastern Orthodox tradition and Latin West, utilised to emphasise moral compromise and the necessity of maintaining covenantal boundaries,.
Messianic Lineage and Genealogy
Seth occupies a critical position in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Luke traces the lineage of Jesus backwards to Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
This inclusion underscores Seth as the indispensable link in the messianic chain, connecting the second Adam, Christ, back to the first Adam. Seth is the seed through whom God physically preserved humanity via Noah and spiritually saved humanity through Christ.
The Sethite line represents the church of the Old Testament, the assembly of those who cherished the promise of redemption.
In the Chronicles, the genealogy begins with Adam, Seth, and Enosh, establishing the historical continuity of the people of God. This lineage stands in contrast to the line of Cain, which perished in The Flood.
Seth became the progenitor of the rest of the human race after The Flood, as Noah was his direct descendant. Consequently, all humanity alive today traces its lineage to Adam and Eve through the line of Seth.
Extra-Biblical Traditions and Legends
Numerous traditions and legends expand upon the life of Seth. In the Life of Adam and Eve (also known as the Apocalypse of Moses), Seth appears as a dutiful son who travels with Eve to the doors of the Garden of Eden to beg for the oil of mercy from the Tree of Life to anoint his sick, dying father.
On this journey, Seth conquers a wild beast that attacks him, demonstrating his authority over creation. Although the Archangel Michael refuses to give him the oil at that time, he promises that it will be given to the holy people at the end of time.
According to the historian Josephus, Seth was a man of excellent character whose descendants were the inventors of wisdom concerning the heavenly bodies.
Josephus reports that in order to preserve their discoveries from destruction by fire or flood, the sons of Seth erected two pillars—one of brick and one of stone inscribed with their knowledge.
In Orthodox hagiography, Seth is often linked to the legend of the True Cross. Tradition holds that Seth received a branch or seeds from the Tree of Life (or the Tree of Knowledge) which he planted at Adam's head upon his death. From these seeds grew the wood that would eventually form the Cross of Christ, creating a physical link between the fall of man and his redemption.
Gnostic Interpretations
In Gnostic literature, Seth is elevated to the status of a divine saviour and a revealer of truth. The Second Treatise of the Great Seth presents a docetic Christ who descends from the spiritual realm and identifies himself with the spiritual figure of Seth.
In this context, the souls of believers are seen as kindred spirits of Seth, originating from the upper world. Sethian Gnostics venerated Seth as a divine incarnation and believed that they, the spiritual elect, belonged to the immovable race of Seth.
These texts often depict Seth fighting against the powers of darkness and chaos to deliver the souls of light. The Orthodox Church rejected these Gnostic interpretations, affirming instead the historical and human reality of Seth as a patriarch within the economy of salvation.
The figure of Seth serves as a fundamental pillar in the history of redemption. As the appointed compensation for Abel, he functions as the head of the righteous lineage that preserved the knowledge of God in a fallen world.
Through him, the image of Adam, and ultimately the image of God was transmitted to future generations.
His life and the traditions surrounding him underscore the persistence of a godly remnant and the unfolding of a divine plan that bridges the tragedy of Eden with the hope of the Resurrection.
Whether viewed through the lens of genealogy, typology, or ancient tradition, Seth stands as the appointed forefather of the Messiah and the architect of a humanity oriented towards the Creator.