The Book of Jubilees - What is it? Should the Book of Jubilees be in the Bible?

TL;DR:

The Book of Jubilees is an intertestamental Jewish text that retells and expands on Genesis and Exodus, dividing history into forty-nine-year “jubilee” periods and adding details about angels, the patriarchs, and Mosaic laws. Though historically interesting and influential in Second Temple Judaism, the Book of Jubilees is not part of the Bible.

what does the bible say?

The Book of Jubilees is an intertestamental Jewish text that expands on Genesis and Exodus, providing additional details about angels, the patriarchs, Mosaic laws, and the Nephilim while organizing history into forty-nine-year “jubilee” periods. Though it influenced Second Temple Jewish thought and preserves insights into ancient interpretations of biblical events, it is not mentioned in the Old or New Testament, lacks original manuscript support, and was never affirmed as divinely inspired. Consequently, it remains a historically interesting but non-canonical work that offers cultural and theological context rather than authoritative Scripture.

from the old testament

The Book of Jubilees is not mentioned in the Old Testament and is not part of the Hebrew Bible. However, it retells stories from Genesis and Exodus with additional details, such as a chronological “jubilee” structure of history (dividing time into forty-nine-year periods) and expanded narratives about angels, the patriarchs, and Mosaic laws.
The material included in the Book of Jubilees often overlaps with the Book of Genesis. Additional details are provided, however, such as names for Adam and Eve's daughters, the chronology of time prior to Moses receiving the Law, four classes of angels, an interesting interpretation regarding the Nephilim of Genesis 6, and that Hebrew was the original language of the world.

from the new testament

The New Testament does not reference the Book of Jubilees. Like other pseudepigraphal works, it influenced some Jewish thought during the Second Temple period but is not considered inspired Scripture. Believers are encouraged to do due diligence in studying the Scriptures so that we can be aware of works, such as the Book of Jubilee, that are not God’s inspired Word (Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15).

implications for today

The Book of Jubilees (also called Lesser Genesis) is an ancient writing that claims to be revelation given to Moses regarding the division of the days, weeks, months, and Jubilees of the Law. These Jubilees are considered forty-nine-year periods of time in which all of world history is divided.

Today, the only complete ancient copies of the Book of Jubilees are in Ethiopian. However, numerous fragments or portions exist in Greek and Latin, with one discovery in Syriac. In addition, several Hebrew fragments were discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls discoveries in the twentieth century.

The date of the Book of Jubilees is uncertain. Several early Christian writers mentioned it. In addition, the oldest Hebrew fragments date to approximately 100 BC. The Book of Jubilees further seems to quote 1 Enoch, a book dated to 200 BC or before. Most scholars date the original composition sometime in the second century BC.

Should the Book of Jubilees be added to the Bible? Several concerns have kept this book from being added. First, there is no complete early copy of the writing in the original language. The Old Testament, in contrast, was completed centuries before the Book of Jubilees and has much greater manuscript support in its original Hebrew and Aramaic languages.

Second, the Book of Jubilees came after the Old Testament during a period in which no inspired writing was added to Scripture. This does not determine whether the text of this work is accurate or not but affirms it was composed in a time period between the Old and New Testaments during which no writing was added to Scripture.

Theologically, if God wanted the Book of Jubilees to exist as part of the Bible, He would have made a way for the early church to affirm its inclusion. Instead, the earliest collections of the New Testament left this writing out of every single developed list of its accepted writings and did not consider the Book of Jubilees inspired for consideration in the New Testament.

understand

The Book of Jubilees retells Genesis and Exodus with added details and forty-nine-year “jubilee” periods.
The Book is not in the Bible and was never considered divinely inspired.
Though the Book of Jubilees offers historical and cultural insight into the Second Temple period, it is not authoritative Scripture.

reflect

How does the Book of Jubilees provide context for your Bible study?
How does understanding ancient Jewish interpretations of Genesis and Exodus give nuance to the Bible’s text?
How can you discern between historically interesting texts and those that carry spiritual authority in your study of the Bible?

engage

How might we use insights from texts like the Book of Jubilees to better understand Second Temple Jewish culture without confusing them with Scripture?
How can our study of canonical Scripture be enriched by comparing it with intertestamental texts, while maintaining proper discernment?
What lessons can we learn about God’s revelation and the sufficiency of Scripture from the fact that the Book of Jubilees was never included in the Bible?