The Book of Jubilees; The Little Genesis, The Apocalypse of Moses Review
At first when I picked up this book, I mistook it for one of the lost books of the Bible referenced by canon, such as the Book of Jasher. However, as it turns out, this was even better. This book is a rabbinical Midrash, probably written around the second century B.C./B.C.E. Because it is a Midrash, we see through this book how many of the religious leaders before the time of Christ rationalized certain questions that were left unanswered in Genesis, such as the name of Cain's wife and who she is, an additional explanation why Jacob was favored to inherit God's covenant over Esau, as well as a deeper explanation of the beginning of Genesis 6 that is elaborated upon in the Book of Enoch.
This last explanation was helpful in current study I am doing about the Nephilim and that the sons of God mentioned in Genesis 6 were in fact angels and not the sons of Seth intermarrying with the daughters of Cain, as some commentators over the centuries have said.
This book is great for theological study on the basis that we see the evolution of theology in the Jewish community as well as the Christian community who had also used this book as a reference during the early years of the movement. However, because this is not revered as canonical Scripture by Jews or Christians today, if you are going to study this on a theological level, just make sure that you study it within proper context.
The Book of Jubilees; The Little Genesis, The Apocalypse of Moses Overview
The Book of Jubilees, also known as The Little Genesis and The Apocalypse of Moses, opens with an extraordinary claim of authorship. It is attributed to the very hand of Moses; penned while he was on Mount Sinai, as an angel of God dictated to him regarding those events that transpired from the beginning of the world. The story is written from the viewpoint of the angel. The angelic monolog takes place after the exodus of the children of Israel out of Egypt. The setting is atop Mount Sinai, where Moses was summoned by God. The text then unfolds as the angel reveals heaven's viewpoint of history. We are lead through the creation of man, Adam's fall from grace, the union of fallen angels and earthly women, the birth of demonic offspring, the cleansing of the earth by flood, and the astonishing claim that man's very nature was somehow changed, bringing about a man with less sinful qualities than his antediluvian counterpart. The story goes on to fill in many details in Israel's history, ending at the point in time when the narrative itself takes place, after the exodus.
Available at Amazon $16.75 Check It Now!!
Special Price For Now $10.46 Check It Now!!
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Jun 03, 2010 07:35:14
No comments:
Post a Comment