That always bothered me, too. They weren't given instruction on what to offer, and they brought based on what it is they do. YET, when Jesus comes around, he commends (!) the pharisees on their tithing of everything, including herbs. But god doesn't. But Jesus and god are the same person. Yahweh is a fucking tool.
Pretty sure it wasn't about the type of food, it was that Cain offered all his shitty vegetables, then killed his brother who offered all his best sheep.
The story isn't about the value of vegetables over meat, it's the total submission. Cain didn't totally submit, and the type of dude who wouldn't totally submit would also murder his brother, what a dick!
I don't think it is clear what is meant by God's indifference to Cain's offering. It's one of those perplexing details that has led to a lot of deep contemplation over the millenia. Have you you ever read Steinbeck's East of Eden?
No, I'm familiar enough with the story, but Steinbeck was always a bit to serious for me, shit is deeply depressing in like a Russian literature way.
Fair enough, but it is a masterpiece. And, a profound meditation on the story of Cain and Abel.
I just looked it up and wow this book is huge 😵. How long did it take you to finish it?
Audiobooks, my friend! I do a lot of driving around, so I just listen to books to keep my mind occupied.
Historical Jesus was an allegory for a superposition of many Jewish reformation traditions. I mean fuck, even "historical Christianity" at one point sat down and formally decided which particular Jewish reformation documents would go into their reformed bible. The biblical cannon is like an infrastructure bill - it's got everyone's ideological pet projects included to reach a compromise.
Some people just gotta have their burger