b. Of the difficulties in the sacred narrative which the book of Jubilees tries to solve may Ije mentioned that it accounts for the serpent speaking to Eve by saying that all animals spoke before the fall in paradise (comp. Gen. i, 1 with Jubil. iii, 98) : explains very minutely whence the first heads of families took their wives (Ju- bil. iv, 24, 71, 100, etc.); how far the sentence of death pronounced in Gen. ii, 17 has been fulfilled literally (iv, 99, etc.) ; shows that the sons of God who came to the daughters of men were angels (v, 3) ; with what help Noah brought the animals into the ark (v, 7G) ; where- with the tower of Babel was destroyed (x, 87) ; why Sarah disliked Ishmael and urged Abraham to send him away (xvii, 13) ; why Rebecca loved Jacob so dearly (xix, 40-84) ; how it was that Esau came to sell his birthright for a mess of pottage (xxiv, 5-20) ; who told Rebekah (Gen. xxvii, 42) that Esau determined to kill Jacob (xxxvii, 1, etc.) ; how it was that he afterwards desistal from his determination to kill Jacob (xxxv, 29-105) ; why Rebekah said (Gen. xxvii, 45) that she would-be deprived ofbqth her sons in one day (xxxvii, 9); why Er,Judah's first-born, died (xh,l-7); whyOnan would not redeem Tamar (xli, 11-13); why Judah was not punished for his sin with Tamar (xli, 57-G7) ; why Joseph had the money put into the sacks of his breth- ren (xlii, 71-73) ; and how Moses was nourished in the ark (xlvii, 13), and that it was not God, but the chief- mastemah, iT3;3'il^"3, the enemg, v,'ho hardened the hearts of the Egyptians (xlviii,58).
c. Instances where events which are briefli/ mtntiomd or simply hinted at in the canonical book of Genesis, and which seem to refer to another narrative of an earlier or later date, are given more fully in the book of Jubi- lees, will be found in Jubil. xvi, 39-101, where an exten- sive description is given of the ap]5carance of the angels to Abraham and Sarah as a supplement to Gen. xviii, 14 ; in Jubil. xxxii, 5-38, 50-53, where Jacob is described as giving tithes of all his possessions, and wishing to erect a house of God in Bethel, which is a fuller de- scription of that hinted at in Gen. xxviii, 22 ; in Jubil. xxxiv, 4-25, where Jacob's battle with the seven kings
JUBILEES, BOOK OF 1044 JUBILEES, BOOK OF
of the Amoritcs is described, to -Hliich alliisiou is made in Gen. xlviii, 22.
(1. As to the reliyious observances, we are told that the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost (Dilimn DTi, Sn mSl^w, Tilipn), is contained in the covenants which God made with Noah and Abraham (comp. JubU. vi, 5G- GO with (ien. ix, 8-17 ; xiv, 51-6-1 with Gen. xv, 18-21) ; the Feast of Tabernadfs was first celebrated by Abra- ham at Heershcba (Jubil. xvi, Gl-lOl); the concluding Festinil (p.'^'S.V "'ra^U), which is on the 23d of Tisri, continuing the Feast of Tahemacles [see Festival], was instituted by Jacob (Jubil. xxxii, 87-94) after his vision at Bethel (Gen. xxxv, 9-14) ; and that the mourn- ing on the Day of Atonement (":"iS3 CT') was instituted (Lev. xvi, 29) to commemorate the mourning of Jacob over the loss of Joseph (Jubil. xxxiv, 50-CO).
(The German version by Dillmann, through which this book has recently been made known to Europeans, has been divided by the erudite translator into ffty chapters, but not into verses. The references in this article arc to those chapters, and the lines of the respec- tive chapters.)
III. A nthor and Orifjinal Language of the Book. — That the author of this book was a Jew is evident from, . (1) His minute description of the Sabbath and festi- vals, as well as all the Rabbinic ceremonies connected therewith (1. 19-33, 49-GO), which developed themselves in the course of time, and which we are told are sirtiply types described by IMoses from heavenly archetypes, and have not only been kept by the angels in heaven, but are binding upon the Jews world without end; (2) The elevated position he ascribes to the Jewish peojjle (ii, 79-91 ; xvi, 50-56) ; ordinary Israelites are in digni- ty equal to angels (xv, 72-75), and the priests are like the presence-angels (xxxi, 47-49); over Israel only does the Lord himself rule, whilst he appointed evU spirits to exercise dominion over all other nations (xv, 80-90) ; and (3) The many Ilagadic elements of this book which are still preserved in the Talmud and Midrashim. Com- pare, for instance, Jubil. i, 1 16, where the presence-angel, •1"i--^, a'^JSn "i'i\ is described as having preceded the hosts of Israel, with Srinhedrirn, 38,h; the descrip- tion of the creation of paradise on the third day (Jubil. ii, 37 with Bereshilh Rabba, c. xv); the twenty-two gen- erations from Adam to Jacob (Jubil. ii, 64, 91, with Be- reshilh Rabha and Midrash Tadshe, 169); the animals speaking before the fall (Jubil. iii, 98 with the Mid- rashim ) ; the remark that Adam lived 70 years less than 1000 years in order that the declaration "might be ful- filled " in the day in which thou eatest thereof thou shalt die," since lOOd years arc as one day with the Lord (Ju- bil. iv, 09 wiili i:,n.<h;il, Rabba, c. xix; J H»tin. IHal. c. Tryjih. P.27.S. <■,!. ( »i to ) ; the causes of the deluge (Jubil. V, 5-20 with Bereshith Rabba, c. xxxi) ; the declaration that the beginning of the first, fourth, seventh, and tenth months are to be celebrated as festivals, being the be- ginning of the four seasons called riEpP, and having already been observed by Noah (.Tubil. vi, 31-95 with Pirke. R. Kliezer, cap. viii ; Pseudo-Jonathan on Gen. viii,22); the statement that Satan induced God to ask Abraham to sacrifice his son (Jubil. xvii, 49-53 with Sanhedrim, HO,h); that Abraham was tempted ten times (Jul)il. xix, 22 with IMishna, A both, v, 3 ; Tarrpim Jeru- snlem on (Jen. xxii, l,etc.); and that Joseph "spoke He- lirew when he made himself known to his brothers (Ju- bil. xliii, 54 with Bereshith Rabba, cap. xciii). As, how- ever, some of the practices, rites, and interpretations given in this book are at variance with the traditional expositions of the Rabbins, I5eer is of opinion that the ^^Titer was a Dosithean who was anxious to bring about a fusion of Samaritanism and Rabbinic -Judaism by making mutual concessions (Ikis Biich d.Jubilden,[).CA, 62) ; Jt'llinck, again, thinks that he was an Fssene, and wrote thi.s book against the Pharisees, who maintained that the bcgiuuing of the month is to be fixed by ob-