TinWiki: Book of Jubilees

The book of Jubilees gives a biblical account of the world’s creation and to the coming of Moses himself. The book was also referred to as ‘ the little genesis’.

Introduction

The book of jubilees is divided in to periods of 49 years (jubilees) and gives the familiar account that is written in the book of Genesis about the worlds creation.The differences that occur are the names that were given to Adam and eves daughters and there is mention of demonic entity called 'Mastema'. The author of this book had a preoccupation with calendar reform and writes about the solar calendar of 364 days and 12 months. This was a big departure from the known Jewish calendar that was Lunar based. There is also apocalyptic passages in this book but much less than what is stated in the Book of Enoch.

The only complete version of the book that survived is in Ethiopian but fragments have been found in Greek, Latin and Syriac. But the main belief is that is was originally written in Hebrew. The man who translated this book was R.H. Charles who was a distinguished academic Biblical scholar, he stated that he thought the book was a version of the Pentateuch which was also written in Hebrew. He thought that parts of the Pentateuch were later incorporated into the earliest Greek version of the Jewish Bible, the Septuagint.

Alternate Names of the Book

This book was also known as:

1. Jubilees

This derived from Epiphanius (Haer. xxxix. 6) and was thought to be the description that was mainly used. It is found also in the Syriac Fragment entitled 'Names of the Wives of the Patriarchs according to the Hebrew Book of Jubilees,' and was authored by Ceriani, Mon. sacra ET profana, ii. 1.9-10 before being reprinted by it’s present author.

2. The Little Genesis

The epithet 'little' does not refer to the extent of the book, for it is larger than the canonical Genesis, but to its character. It deals more fully with details than the biblical work. The Hebrew title was variously rendered in Greek. 1 [(Gk.) he lepte Genesis (or Lepte Genesis)] as in Epiphanius, Syncellus, Zonaras, Glycas. 2 [(Gk.) he Leptogenesis] in Didymus of Alexandria and in Latin writers, as we may infer from the Decree of Gelasius. 3 [Gk.) ta lepta geneseos] in Syncellus. 4 [(Gk.) Mikrogenesis] in Jerome, who was acquainted with the Hebrew original.

3. The Apocalypse of Moses

This title had some currency at the time, as it was an appropriate designation since it makes Moses the recipient of all the disclosures in the book.

Similarities to Other Literiture

It is clear in this book that the author incorporated two considerable sections of a "Book of Noah" in vii. 20-39 and x. 1-15. It is also known that this Noachic Book was one of the sources taken from the Book of Enoch, 1 Enoch, VI. -XI., 1x., lxv.-lxix. 25, and cvi.-cvii. Being probably derived from it.

It has been mentioned that knowledge of The Book of Jubilees seems to be mentioned in later Jewish literature. Thus the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a late compilation written in Hebrew, contains much material common to Jubilees; at times it reproduces the actual words of the text of the latter. Another late Jewish work, the Midrash Tadshe, contains passages, which are almost identical with The Book of Jubilees. The Midrash was compiled in its present form by Moses ha-Darshan in the eleventh century A.D., but is said to based upon a much earlier work by R. Pinchas b. Jair (end of second century, A.D.), who was thought to get material from The Book of jubilees. Besides the above, the book is thought to have been known to the compiler of the Samaritan Chronicle (twelfth century, A.D.), and also to the compiler of the Pirḳe de R. Eliezer (finally redacted in the ninth century A.D.). In fact, in both cases there is implicit a certain amount of polemic (especially in calendar-matters) against the positions advocated in Jubilees. But besides this, there is a remarkable similarity in subject matter between The Book of Jubilees and the Pirḳe de R. Eliezer, to which Friedlander calls attention. He points out that both "are alike in being practically Midrashic paraphrases and are thought to be an expansion of the Book of Genesis and part of the Book of Exodus. They both mention the calendar and the creation of the world. Many references about the book occur in Christian literature, mainly in the New Testament where long extracts from the Book are often cited, and by name. The translator R.H.Charles collected these. Although there are a number of parallels between The Book of Jubilees and the New Testament, they are vague and not thought to be sufficient enough to establish any real or direct connection










Chapters of the Book

Chapters one to nine
Chapters ten to nineteen
Chapters twenty to twenty nine
Chapters thirty to thirty nine
Chapters forty to fifty

External Links

Jewish encyclopedia
hidden mysteries
Britannica
Jubilee Book