I think the reply's are great..but they are still not ansewring the whole of the situation regarding Abel's sheep... the bible says that Abel offered a sacrifice..which means he cooked the meat. Now that doesn't say he ate it...but it certainly implies it, especially when you consider that the sacrificila system of the law was ordained by God with instructions on how to part the meat for consumption purposes. The to consider that God said to Noah to bring clean and unclean animals on the ark... and you come to understand that there was an evident sacrificial system in place before the flood from the days of Abel...even from the time of Adam, before children... but nesecarily post-fall. God himself made the 1st sacrfice by providing clothing from the skins of animals...which leads one to the shedding of blood. So , I feel based on what is presented, that from the time that God took the skins of animals,shed blood, that man began to sacrfice...and then of course by dictate of the nature of all the sacrifices God oradined, partook of the sacrifice, or ate from it. So man evidently had the ability, and precedent, to eat meat post fall...which would include Abel and Cain and all the rest of man up to Noah and the flood.
Christopher
