The primary purpose of the Book of Jubilees is to define the true Jewish people as those who keep God’s law and to call the Jewish people back to obedience to that Law (suggested by Sanders in Paul and Palestinian Judaism, 362). The Law is rooted in the very creation of the world. To violate law is therefore to flaunt the created order itself. Given the probability of a date just after the Maccabean revolt, the writer is reacting to those within the Jewish community who were too tolerant of the Greek world. When Antiochus IV Epiphanies banned feasts and festivals, the Sabbath and circumcision, he violated the Law of God.
The Maccabean revolt did not go far enough, since the Hasmonean kings were little better than the Selucid kings they replaced. To be a proper Jew, one must retain the traditional boundary markers of the Hebrew Bible. Unlike Sirach, Jubilees envisions a complete separation from the Hellenistic world. It is not “wisdom” which is rooted in the creation, but rather the Law of God as it appears in the Mosaic Law. While Sirach said wisdom was to keep the Law of God, he was never very clear on what that Law might be. The author of Jubilees is quite clear as he re-writes the stories of the Hebrew Bible to establish the antiquity of the boundary markers of the Jewish people.
Not every story in Jubilees is overly embellished. Chapter 39-46 is a fairly straightforward retelling of the Joseph story. The text of Genesis is summarized and very little is added. The major differences are found in 40:6-13, the description of Joseph’s power when he became the rule of Egypt. The story of Judah’s sin with Tamar is retold with an added repentance at the end (41:23-24). As with the sin of Reuben, the writer wants it made clear that Judah’s forgiveness is no excuse for present immorality. Before going to Egypt, Jacob celebrates the firstfruits at the Well of Oaths 45-46). As in Genesis 46, at Beer-sheba he experiences a vision of God telling him not to worry about the sojourn in Egypt. The family is listed in chapter 45 (cf., Genesis 46, there are a number of differences between Genesis and Jubilees in the listing of the names.) The family settles in Goshen while Joseph continues to serve in the government of Egypt. Jacob dies after seventeen years on Egypt. An important note is made in 45:15 – all of Jacob’s books are given to Levi. These are the books which have been handed down from Enoch to Noah to Abraham, etc. The ancient books of wisdom are therefore now in the possession of the priesthood “to this day.”
Joe Hellerman argued Jubilees (along with 1-2 Maccabees) is preoccupied with “symbols of Jewish socio-political identity,” primarily the practice of circumcision, the distinction between sacred and profane places, times, and foods.” (“Purity and Nationalism in the Second Temple Literature: 1-2 Maccabees and Jubilees,” JETS 46 (2003): 401).
Sacred times and places are clearly of importance to the writer of Jubilees, but all of these boundary markers are precisely the points of conflict during the Maccabean revolt and continued to be important symbols of Jewish nationalism in the first century. Circumcision and sacred times, and food laws are all points of conflict in the early church when Gentiles began to join an otherwise Jewish sect. The issue of sacred space was less of an issue outside of Jerusalem, although Paul certainly encounters the idea of the Temple in Acts 20. Jesus too encounters resistance from the Pharisees in three of these categories, the exception being circumcision.
Hellerman notes that circumcision is not simply a “sign of the covenant” in The Book of Jubilees, but it had “profoundly sociological (even geographical) significance” as well (Hellerman, 415). Jubilees 15:33-34 connects circumcision with Israel’s election and possession of the land. In 4:26 the author of Jubilees lists four sacred places, including Eden, Sinai and Zion (cf. 8:19, which lists only these three). Clearly proper time is a major interest in the book (both Sabbath, 2:17-18, 50:1-13) but also calendar (6:36-37). Least applicable of Hellerman’s categories is that of sacred food, which finds less support in Jubilees as 1-2 Maccabees.
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The book of Jubilees was written to inspire Jewish people during the Maccabean revolt to remain faithful to the Law. One way that it did this was by rewriting the history of Genesis and Exodus with the Law starting at the beginning of time (Gurtner, 237). If the law was always a part of creation, then the first patriarchs of Israel could be seen as examples of a righteous Jew. This may encourage the Jewish people who were influenced by Greek culture to be strong in their faith and remain faithful to the Law that was not only the law of Moses, but also the law of Abraham and even Adam. It also focuses a lot on purity (Gurtner, 250). Throughout Jubilees, there are many additions to the Biblical narrative that focus on purity and more specifically the impurity of other Gentile nations with the examples of idolatry, murder and sexual aberrations (Gurtner, 250). This may imply that these were some of the issues that Jewish people were being faced with during the Hellenism crisis. Of course, idolatry was a big deal with the worship of Greek gods. Perhaps murder and sexual aberrations were also a big issue during this time so that the author of Jubilees felt the need to make extra warnings against these in his account of the history of the Bible.
There seems to be so many political ideas coming at the Jewish people around this time. Maccabees is giving an almost propaganda like re-telling of the revolt stories. Prompting the Israelites to believe that their new rulers weren’t just power hunger individuals, but rather God’s chosen vessels of freedom for his people. Jubilees is sort of in the same vein, as it deals with issues of separation form the world, and what it would properly mean to be a people of the Torah. Though we aren’t quite here in the timeline, it would be curious to see how the ideas of Jubilees, advocating for a completed separation form the world and its ways, could be used in in the time of forced Hellenization. We see that the author isn’t essentially focused on a whole retelling of the Torah as a whole, skimming over the parts that don’t relate to his point. Yet when it comes to stories that show what it meant to live with foreigners in a Godly way, or the lessons to be learned from doing the opposite of this, more detail and focus is added into the narrative. As the Book title suggests, feasts and events that are sacred to the Israelite people are focus on and their importance emphasized. Again, reiterating the things that a good follower of Yahweh would continue to do. leaving the original reader to reevaluate his or her life in the light of importance placed upon following Torah law.
The Book of Jubilees feels like a passionate plea to the Jewish people to hold onto their identity in a world that’s rapidly changing, and not for the better. After the Maccabean revolt, which left the Jewish community still struggling with its cultural and religious integrity, this book steps in as a bold reminder that the Law isn’t just a set of rules, but a foundation that ties everything together.
What I love about Jubilees is how it’s not just about religious laws, but it’s about identity. The book argues that to be truly Jewish, you’ve got to hold firm to certain boundary markers, like circumcision, the Sabbath, and sacred spaces. It’s a direct response to the threat of Hellenization, and the message is clear: be distinct or risk losing who you are.
The reworked biblical stories, like the ones of Joseph and Judah, add f moral clarity and urgency. They’re not just retold for nostalgia, but they’re a call for the Jewish people to live right and keep their traditions alive. Jubilees isn’t just a history lesson; it’s a call for cultural survival, and that’s what makes it so relevant.
If the date of Jubilees is truly right after the Maccabean revolt, then it does make a lot of sense for the author of the book to desire to write a book that gives reason for the Jews to follow the Law strictly without compromising its direct commands. To place the Law into the creation story is something that not only makes sense for the author’s intended purpose but could in fact lead Jews who read it to see that much more importance in holding to it. If the Jewish people held to the belief that the God who created the universe gave it order, and gave them a way of life that was part of that was part of said order, than to accept Hellenistic culture and practice was to “violate the Law” which therefore meant to “flaunt the created order itself” (Long, 2025). Now of course, this method of putting into Genesis and Exodus that of which was not truly there is questionable and is something that we today would view as inappropriate. However, for a Jewish person who wanted his people to turn back to the appropriate way of honoring God, writing such a book was probably deemed worth it to save them.
The idea that the book of Jubilees was written after the Maccabean Revolt allows readers to understand the political scene during that time. It is a time of uncertainty and misunderstanding. Those who are not Jewish do not understand several of the practices that the Jews follow according to the Law. Among those, circumcision was especially not understood. Gentiles could not fathom why someone would ever want to mutilate their body, even if a holy book said so.
The Book of Jubilee expresses the importance of the practice of these Laws. Doing so gives the Jews a reminder of why they are doing what they are doing. It reminds them of the significance of these practices. These practices are not just mindless laws being followed, but they have a purpose and reasoning behind them, even if the others cannot see or understand that. While this book is not canonical, I can see the importance of The Book of Jubilee in encouraging and reminding the Jews of the reasoning behind what they do and why they do it. Today, it could be similar to reading a Christian book expressing the importance of living in God’s light in an ungodly culture. The Book of Jubilee was an encouragement to continue living God’s way despite others scoffing at it.