The Aramaic Levi Document, the Genesis Apocryphon, and JubileesBrill, 2000), 545-61 (here 548); in his study of the story of Levi according to Jub 30-32,
VanderKam maintained that the author of Jubilees "probably had another source, the Ara
maic Levi, on which to draw, whether directly or indirectly" (551), whereas R. A. Kugler,
From Patriarch to Priest: The Levi-Priestly Tradition from Aramaic Levi to Testament of Levi,
SBLEJL 9 (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1996), 146-55, suggested an intermediary text between
ALD and Jubilees.
- J. Kugel, "Levi's Elevation to the Priesthood in Second Temple Writings," HTR 86
(1993): 1-64. For his latest study on the relationship between ALD and Jubilees, see Kugel,
"How Old Is the Aramaic Levi Document?" DSD 14 (2007): 291-312. - VanderKam, "Jubilees' Exegetical Creation," 553.
pose is to create an earlier visit by Jacob to Hebron — so that he can have
Isaac meet and bless his grandsons — and to explain Deborah's presence at
Bethel (Gen 35:8), as Kugel notes.^6 To this we must add VanderKam's com
ment: "Jacob's return to his father's house in safety meant that the Lord had
now accomplished for him what Jacob had requested as a precondition for
carrying out the vow he had made during his first stay at Bethel."^7 These ad
ditions are consistent with the centrality of Jacob in Jubilees, as opposed to
ALD, where Levi is the hero. Accordingly, Jubilees devotes considerably less
space to Levi than does ALD. This is exemplified by a comparison of the
brief description of Levi's investiture in Jub 32:3: "His father put priestly
clothes on him and ordained him," and the greater detail of ALD 5:4: "and he
invested me in the priestly garb, and consecrated me and I became a priest of
the God of eternity." Also absent from Jubilees is a parallel to ALD's detailed
description of Levi blessing his father and brothers at Bethel (5:5-8). As
noted, the disparity between the descriptions perhaps rests in the centrality
of Levi in ALD, as in the Levi literature in general. Although aware of this
tradition, Jubilees' focus is less Levi-centric and therefore its account of
these events is shorter and less detailed. The different weight afforded to the
Levi material in each work reflects its author's worldview.
A second example of Jubilees' use of ALD also relates to the cultic
realm. Isaac's instructions to Levi, found in ALD 6-10, comprehend cultic
priestly teachings, including the following lists: (a) trees for sacrificial use,
(b) prescriptions for animal sacrifices, (c) sacrificial ordinances, and
(d) metrological equivalents.
I focus here on the list of trees found in ALD 7:6-7, which is docu
mented in the Geniza and the Qumran manuscripts, as well as in the Greek
manuscripts from Mount Athos. As seen from the following table, Jub 21:12-
15 contains a very similar list: