Jubilees

The book of Jubilees stands out for its combination of length, antiquity, and coherence. The structure of the book is considered from four perspectives: as a rewriting of Genesis and Exodus, as a chronology, as an apocalyptic revelation, and as a literary unity that shows seams from the process of reconciling a variety of sources already in tension. The themes and emphases discussed are the reaction assimilation to Hellenism, the eternality of the law, eschatology, separation from Gentiles, women, the festival calendar, God’s perfect justice, and angelology and demonology. The historical context is Jerusalem in the 150s BCE, perhaps in a school for study of the law. The Dead Sea Scrolls evidence use of Jubilees as scripture. Jubilees went on to be influential for legal, narrative, and chronological details and themes in the interpretation of Genesis. It survived as canonical only in the Ethiopic (Abyssinian) Orthodox Church