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ings has been sought by F. BBttcher, ExegetisclN kritische Aehrenlese zum alten Testament (Leipsie, 1849); but the series breaks down upon examination. Budde supposes that the latter half of the series embodies such a conception; here again, however, the facts do not afford support-thus, the succession Jared-Enoch marks no progression either in significance of name or of activity. Moreover, Hebrew antiquity did not connect the beginning of reverence of Yahweh with Mahalaleel ("praise of God"), but with Enos. The Bible puts real significance into the existence and name of Noah, through whose mediation a condition of "rest" was attained in removing the feeling of distance of humanity from God as well as the fear of divine punishment, bringing about a new harmony; in his planting of the vineyard is not to be seen the rescue of the earth from the curse pronounced upon it.
V. Postcanonical Ideas of Seth and the Sethites: Jewish writers attributed to individual Sethites important places in religious and general development. Seth was rapt away to heaven for forty days and learned of the angels the basal precepts of the moral law; he also initiated the art of writing, named the five planets, discovered the division of time into months, weeks, and years (note the order), and knew of the appearance of the " star in the east." Knowing of the condng double destruction of the earth by fire and water, his descendants preserved the knowledge gained through their ancestor by two pillars of clay and of stone, the latter of which "exists till this day in the land of Siris" (Nile) (Josephus, Ant., I., ii. 3. Josephus seems here to reflect Manetho as preserved by Syncellus). Jews, Samaritans, and Gnostic Christians professed to possess writingsof Seth, as did Mohammedans (cf. Fabrieius, Codex pseudepigraphus, i. 141-147, ii. 49-55, Hamburg, 1722-23; and E. Kautzsch, Apokryphen and Pseudepigraphen, ii. 538, Ttibingen, 1900). Later men knew the name of his wife, Asura (Jubilees, iv. 11), Horaia according to the Sethites (Epiphanius, Hwr., xxxix. 5), from which probably came Norea (Irenaeus, Hxr., i. 34). Enos wrote about religion and how to pray (Fabricius, ut sup., i.157-158; Kautzsch, ut sup., i. 467, ii. 46, 73, 258). Alexander wrote about the grave of Cainan, who married his sister Mualelet, but before the flood wandered away from his family (Fabricius, ut sup., i. 159-160). "Jared" was rendered so as to show that in his time the "watchers" [i.e., angel guardians of the nations] ' ` came down " to earth to train men in uprightness (Jubilees, iv. 15; cf. however Enoch, vi. 5-6) ; or his name conveyed the information that his sons began to transgress the commands he gave and to mingle with the impure Cainites (Book of Adam). Methuselah, who married his father's sister Edna (Kautzsch, ut sup., ii. 536), founded a court of justice and a school where the law of nature was taught. For Enoch and Noah see the articles. Many other details are narrated in pseudepigraphic books.
VL Relation of Sethites to the " Sons of God," Gen. vi. z-4: By "sons of God" can not be meant Sethites. The word ha'adham (E. V., "men") in Gen. vi. 1 has the article and must mean the whole race; the same must then be true of the word in
verse 2 (this in spite of Struck's argument in his commentary on Genesis, pp. 26-27, Munich, 1905, where he reasons from Judges xix. 30 that a word may be used in its general sense and then in its narrower; he also argues against the general sense in verse 1). Moreover, "sons of God" is a common designation for angels. It is in the highest degree probable that to the mingling of supermundane and mundane beings would be attributed the origin of giants (see COMPARATIVE RELIGION, VI., 1 § 7). As the Sethites are not the "sons of God," so they are also not the "children of Sheth" (Num. xxiv. 17). (E. K6NIG.)BIBLIOGRAPHY: Of first importance are the commentaries on Genesis (noted under HExATaocu), in particular those of H. Gunkel, Gottingen, 1901; S. R. Driver, London, 1904; J. BShmer, Stuttgart, 1905; H. L. Strack, Munich, 1905; and J. Skinner, Edinburgh and New York, 1910. The subject is often treated in works on the history, of Israel-special attention may be called to those of H. Guthe, Tiibingen, 1904, and S. Oettli, Stuttgart, 1905. Other works are: P. Buttmann, Mythologus, u. 1-27, Berlin, 1829; H. Loken, Die Traditianen des Menschengeschlechts, pp. 140-188, Munster, 1869; K. Budde, Die btblische Urgeschichte, Giessen, 1883; A. H. Sayce, Races of the Old Testament, London, 1891; idem, The 'Higher Criticism' and the Monuments, ib. 1894; idem, Patriarchal Palestine, ib. 1895; H. E. Ryle, The Early Narratives of Genesis, ib. 1892 (of high value); F. Hammel, in PSBA, xv (1893), 243-246; idem, Die altisraelitisehe Ueberlieferung in inschrifllicher Bdeuchtung, pp. 308309, Munich, 1897, Eng. transl., Ancient Hebrew Traditions as Illustrated by the Monuments, London, 1897; H. Gunkel, The Legends of Genesis, Chicago 1901; E Worcester, The Book of Genesis in the Light of Modern Knowledge, London, 1901; H. Zimmern, Biblische and babylonische Urgeschichte, Leipsie, 1901, Eng. tranel., The Babylonian and the Hebrew Genesis,. London, 1901; H. Greenwood, The Book of Genesis Treated as an Authentic Record, 2 vols., ib. 1903-04; R. Kittel, Die babylonische and die biblische Urgeschichte, Leipsie, 1903, Eng. trand., Babylonian Excavations and Early Bible History, London, 1903; J. Nickel, Genesis and Keilachriftforschung, pp. 164 sqq., Freiburg, 1903; T. G. Pinches, The 0. T. in the Light of the Historical Records of Assyria and Babylonia, London, 1903; A. Jeremias, Das A. T. im Lichte des alten Oriente, Leipsie, 1904; J. Meinhold, Die biblische Urgeschichte, Bonn, 1904; J. Bbhmer, Das erate Buch Moss, Stuttgart, 1905; A. R. Gordon, The Early Traditions of Genesis, Edinburgh, 1907; Schrader, KAT, pp. 539 aqq., and COT; Berthesu, in Jahrbfcher for deutsche Theologie, viii. 657 aqq.; Kloetermann, in NKZ, v. 208 sqq.; DB, iv. 470; EB, iv. 4410-17; JE, xi. 207.
SETHIANSS. See-OPHITES.SETON, si'tun, ELIZABETH ANN: Roman Catholic, founder of the Sisters of Charity; b. at New York Aug. 28, 1774; d. at Emmittsburg, Md., Jan. 4, 1821. She was the daughter of Richard Bayley, a physician, and married William Seton. After his death, 1803, she entered the Roman Catholic Church, Mar. 14, 1805. In order to support herself and children, she taught school at Baltimore, 1806-08; but, after taking the veil with her sisters-in-law, Harriet and Cecilia Seton, on a gift of $8,000 she founded near Emmittsburg in 1809 a congregation of women for the care of children and orphans, which was placed under the rules and constitution (modified) of Vincent de Paul (q.v.) in 1811, thus becoming a religious order, and designated as the Sisters of Charity in the United States. In 1812 the order had increased to twenty members, with Mother Seton as superior-general, and at her death it numbered fifty. In 1814 the order took charge