The Book of Jubilees. A Critical Text. Aeth. 87

Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium

by James C. VanderKam

The Book of Jubilees, a Jewish retelling of Genesis and the first half of Exodus, was an important work for the community of the Dead Sea Scrolls. This Guide, following the format of this successful series, gives an introduction to Jubilees that covers its dating, its textual history and its purpose; a survey of its theological teachings and themes; and a section-by-section commentary that includes a comparison of its divergences from Genesis and the meaning and emphasis of each section. This volume, by the leading authority on Jubilees, provides the very best introduction for the student and scholar to one of the most important texts of Early Judaism.

369 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The gold standard for accessing this important witness to 2nd Temple Judaism in the 2nd c. BCE. Jubilees itself is a retelling of Genesis and Exodus (up to Sinai) as a narrative told to Moses on Sinai by the "Angel of the Presence" -- a mediator of God. It purports to be, then, the content of the heavenly tablets, copied identically onto the first tablets brought by Moses down from Sinai (later destroyed). In this way, it seeks to place its interpretation of Gen-Ex as authentic since it, in the narrative conceit of Jubilees, predates our current Gen-Ex texts. Really fascinating to look at for how it fills in various gaps or tensions in the text of Gen-Ex, as well as for its theology of the covenant and its focus on the festivals / calendars / the harmony of time.

[Dawn Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a must read for serious students of antediluvian and end times studies.