Jubilees is a pseudepigraphical composition from the second century BCE, which was preserved among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The book rewrites the Pentateuch until the Sinaitic revelation, by means of additions, omissions and other changes. Scholars tend to the view it as a unified work, composed by one author. In light of numerous contradictions, both in narrative details and in issues of biblical interpretation, Michael Segal suggests a new approach towards understanding the literary development of the work: a redactor relied upon extant sources, generally rewritten biblical narratives, and incorporated them into a new literary framework. The redactor's unique contribution can be identified in the chronological framework and the legal passages. The internal contradictions between the different literary genres are the result of the literary development of the book. This source-critical analysis reveals a unified, complete worldview in the redactional layer of the book, which can be summarized by one fundamental principle: God established the entire world order at the time of creation. This is exemplified through the analysis of the question of the origin of evil in the world, perhaps the most pressing theological issue for any monotheistic religion. Throughout the book, one finds different approaches to this critical question, but when the redactional layer is examined by itself, a clear view emerges – God created both good and evil at the dawn of time as part of a cosmic, dualistic system.
This book is intended for all those interested in Bible, Jewish literature of the Second Temple period, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, and Early Biblical Exegesis.
