Michael Segal
A. Contradictions between the Rewritten Narratives
and the Chronological Framework- The length of a "jubilee" period.^9 In all of Jubilees, the duration of a "jubi
lee" period is 49 years, as demonstrated by comparing the chronological
framework in the book with the chronological data in the Pentateuch itself,
and particularly in its genealogical lists.^10 Furthermore, in a few instances
the book calculates a decimal number (as found in the Bible) according to
the heptadic system of jubilees, weeks, and years. Thus Jub 23:8 describes the
length of Abraham's life, based upon Gen 25:7: "He had lived for three jubi
lees and four weeks of years — 175 years" (3 x 49 = 147; 4 x 7 = 28; 147 + 28 =
175)-
In contrast, Jub 4:21, which describes Enoch's sojourn with the angels
following the birth of his son (when he was 65 years old according to MT, SP,
and Jubilees; 165 according to LXX), is based upon a different understanding
of the length of this period. According to this verse, "he was, moreover, with
God's angels for six jubilees of years"^11 This period of six jubilees is parallel
to the period described in Gen 5:22: "And Enoch walked with God after he
begat Methuselah 300 years." A simple calculation reveals that according to
Jub 4:21, a "jubilee" lasts for 50 years, in contrast to the rest of the book.^12
9. This example was first noted by Dimant, "Biography of Enoch," 21.
10. While a complete study of the chronological data in Jubilees is beyond the scope
of this article, it should be noted that it is generally closer to the dates preserved in the Sa
maritan Pentateuch, in contrast to the other textual witnesses.
11. The description of Enoch's sojourn with the angels for six jubilees is also reflected
in a composition entitled 4QPseudo-Jubileesc [4Q227] 2, 1-2 (DJD 13,171-75):
1 [ E]noch after we taught him
2 [ ]o[ ] six jubilees of yearsWhile it has generally been suggested that this scroll presents a composition based upon Ju
bilees, it is possible that this perspective needs to be reversed, and in fact this fragment (or a
similar composition) may actually represent a possible source for Jubilees itself.
- VanderKam (Calendars in the Dead Sea Scrolls: Measuring Time [London:
Routledge, 1998], 121 n. 18; The Book of Jubilees, Guides to Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
[Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 2001], 33) interpreted this verse in accordance with the
general meaning of "jubilee" in Jubilees (49 years), and arrived at the conclusion that Enoch
spent 294 (6 x 49 — 294) years in heaven, and returned to the earth 6 years prior to his death.
However, it is difficult to accept this harmonistic interpretation that overlooks the direct us
age of Gen 5:22. J. M. Scott, On Earth as in Heaven: The Restoration of Sacred Time and Sacred
Space in the Book of Jubilees, JSJSup 91 (Leiden and Boston: Brill, 2005), 23-71, also inter
preted the "six jubilees of years" as 294 years, and on this basis, suggested that this verse has