The Righteousness of Abel
As noted above , numerous New Testament texts refer either implicitly or explicitly to the righteous status of Abel . In and of itself , this designation of Abel as righteous within the New Testament has interesting theological implications . Abel is the first person after the Fall to be looked upon with favor by God . 230 As such Abel becomes a paradigmatic figure for those seeking to live righteous lives . 231 Abel ’ s designation as righteous would also seem to align with the Catholic understanding of human nature as having been wounded but not utterly destroyed by the Fall . 232 Coming immediately after the Fall , the capacity for Abel to act righteously and to be looked upon favorably by God would seem to accord with the notion of a wounded rather than a wholly corrupted human nature .
It may also be possible to see the righteousness of Abel within the broader of New Testament theology . In Rom 2:13-15 , Paul writes :
For when the Gentiles who do not have the law by nature observe the prescriptions of the law , they are a law for themselves even though they do not have the law . They show that the demands of the law are written in their hearts , while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even defend them ( NAB ).
While the interpretation of these verses is disputed , some commentators , such as Simon Gathercole and N . T . Wright , have put forward the argument that the Gentiles in the above verses were not part of a hypothetical argument being advanced by Paul , but were , rather , actual Gentile Christians who , through grace , were able to fulfill the requirements of the Law . 233 In this interpretation , it is argued that Paul is alluding to the fulfillment of Jer 31:33 ( LXX 38:33 ) in the
230 John Byron , Cain and Abel in Text and Tradition , 177 . 231 Ibid . 232 Cf . Catechism of the Catholic Church , 405 . 233 Cf . Simon J . Gathercole , “ A law unto themselves : the gentiles in Romans 2.14-15 revisited ,” Journal for
the Study of the New Testament no . 85 ( March 1 , 2002 ), 27-49 ; N . T . Wright , “ Romans ,” in The New Interpreter ' s Bible , volume X , edited by Leander E . Keck et al ., ( Nashville : Abingdon , 2001 ), 440-443 .