As a consequence, from the original sin Adam and Eve are banished from the garden of Eden with the warning that they shall die. For almost a millennium, Adam and his decedents live without fear of death from natural reasons. The first reported death was that of Abel who was killed by his brother Cain out of envy and violence. This event made all other humans aware of their mortality in the face of violence, but it wasn’t until Adam’s death that they became aware of their mortality in the face of nature. Upon this event, the desire of men for immortality became a desire for immortality through fame.
Faced by the possibility of death, humans became mad and self-destructive. They started to see the beauty in women. As tribes and families grew along each other they engaged in fighting and took the women by force. Kass here points out the difference between appreciating beauty and the exclusive desire to possess that overtook men. Since men obeyed no external law and forgot their mortality, God decided that it was time to destroy all of creation and restart his job. Fortunately, Noah found grace in the eyes of God. Noah was different to all other men because he was born after Adam died and hence was conscious of his mortality since birth. He was the prototype of a self-conscious mortal man. His simplicity and his virtues appealed to God. Since Noah walked with God and evidenced that righteousness was better than heroic manliness, God decided to spare him and allow him to replenish life in Earth. The flood then became the fitting response to men’s self destructiveness.
