The Chronologies of the Apocalypse of Weeks and the Book of Jubileesthe Lord on Mount Zion corresponds to Enoch's entrance into the primeval
temple of the Garden of Eden. Thus, for example, by the time of the restora
tion at the latest, the people will recommence the celebration of the sabbath,
in accordance with the originally intended divine will for everything on
earth, particularly the cultus in the Promised Land, to correspond to the way
things are in heaven. For from the creation of the world, the Lord separated
for himself Israel as a special people to keep sabbath with him and the high
est angels (Jub 2:19, 21, 31).
Another way in which Jub 1, 23, and 50 cohere chronologically is illus
trated by the way the story of Abraham is framed in chap. 23. Upon men
tioning Abraham's death and burial with his wife Sarah in the double cave at
Machpelah (23:1-7), the author mentions Abraham's life span in terms of its
number of jubilees ("three jubilees and four weeks of years — 175 years")
and how human longevity in general had declined from "the time of the an
cients" (w. 8-9). In doing so, the author performs a complex interpretive
move that correlates precisely with his interest in temporal and spatial sym
metries. On the one hand, we see his interest in temporal symmetry in his
emphasis on the decline and recovery of human longevity in Jub 23:8-31. For
just as human longevity progressively declined from the creation of the
world until the entrance into the land from Adam's 930 years (i.e., 70 years
fewer than 1,000 years) to Moses' 120 years (Jub 4:29-30; 5:5, 8; 23:9; cf. Deut
34:7), and then further plummeted after Israel was in the land to a maximum
life expectancy of 70 years (Jub 23:15; cf. Ps. 90:10), so also human longevity
will incrementally increase after Israel's restoration to the land, from the
meager 70-year life span to the originally intended divine ideal of 1,000 years
(Jub 23:27; cf. Ps 90:4). Thus, according to Jub 23:27, after the people return
to the right way, "The days will begin to become numerous and increase, and
mankind as well — generation by generation and day by day until their life
times approach 1000 years and to more years than the number of days (had
been)." The fact that human longevity started at 70 years fewer than the di
vine ideal, decreased from there to a maximum of 70 years, and finally will
attain the divine ideal, thus besting Adam's previous high by 70 years, shows
that Jub 23 still operates within the heptadic structure that otherwise charac
terizes the book, including the story of Abraham's death, which provides the
narrative hook for the apocalyptic material.
Thus, the proof of the existence of divine providence — and therefore
the correctness of Jubilees' version of things — is in its rhythmic working in
history: construction, destruction, and reconstruction. All this was decreed
from heaven to occur in periods that were equal in length and therefore