Should Jubilees be in our Bible?
Before I give my verdict, a few notes about Jubilees:
- The book contains 50 chapters.
- It probably dates to the second century BC.
- This should not be confused with the section of Leviticus stipulating the Jubilee year (Lev 25).
- It is included in the Old Testament in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, as well as in one small sect of Judaism.
- Jubilees is considered one of the pseudepigrapha (false authorship) by Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant churches.
- Jubilees evinces a high regard for the Torah—which was observed even before the time of Moses. For example, the angels were circumcised (15:27-28). Some ancient Jews hold that Adam was born circumcised!
- A negative attitude towards Gentiles (15:30-32; 22:16).
- The marriage of Cain to his sister Awan (4:1-12).
- Rejection of lunar calendar for the OT festivals (6:36)
- Fasting on the Sabbath is a capital offence (50:12-13). (What about Jesus fasting for 40 days?)
Although Jubilees is not scripture, it is valuable for illuminating the theology of some Jews in the time of Jesus.
Want to learn more?
- The full text of Jubilees may be found here in the Cornell University Library.
- The non-canonical books of the OT were written roughly 400 BC-AD 50 AD. See Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphal Dates.
- For more on this pseudepigrapha book, the pieces at Got Questions and Crosswalk are pretty good.
- Insights from my own study of the non-canonical documents among the Dead Sea Scrolls may be found here.
