The Book of Jubilees and the Origin of Evilor could even be understood as part of the way God set up the cosmos to run
from the very beginning.^7 The same may be said for statements in literature
from the second temple period that, without referring to "origins" per se,
adopt a level of discourse that assumes sin is initiated by human beings or, at
least, emphasize that humans are responsible when disobedience occurs.^8
Instead, in most — if not all — instances, writers were taking up and inter
preting received traditions in ways that enabled them to address and manage
the social and religious circumstances with which they were acquainted.
This is not to say, however, that the writers were not interested in the
question of "origins" at all, not least the author of Jubilees, whose immedi
ate interests may be compared with the early Enochic writings, on the one
hand, and the so-called Pseudo-Eupolemos materials, on the other. Fun
damental to their religious programs were appeals to the way God has es
tablished the cosmos, so that a narrative or story line — whether grand
and intricate or small and simple — would readily function as a way to
identify activities and ideas that depart from this order.^9 In addition, by at
tending to "origins" we should acknowledge more broadly that Jewish
writers were participating in the larger debates of the time in which repre
sentatives of Mediterranean and Near East cultures were vying for the su
periority of the traditions received by their respective ethnic groups.
Against assertions by advocates of Egyptian, Babylonian, and Greek cul
ture,^10 Jewish writers during the Hellenistic age were variously adopting
ways of making a case for the preeminence of Jewish religion and culture.
In particular, the discourse in l En 6-11 and Jubilees cannot be seen in iso
lation from this setting.
The following discussion will briefly sketch what might be described
as several beginnings regarding wrongdoing, sin, or evil in the early chapters
of the book of Jubilees. These relate to five distinguishable, yet somewhat in
terconnected, episodes: (1) the wrongdoing of the first woman and Adam in
the Garden of Eden (Jub 3:8-31), (2) the murder of Abel by Cain (4:1-6; cf.
- So the Two Spirits Treatise (lQS iii 13 -iv 26) and Sir 11:14; V:7; 33 :1°-^1 5; and 42:24.
- See, e.g., more abstract statements that regard this or that activity as lying behind
all other forms of malevolence (so on desire for money in SibOr 2:135-136; 1 Tim 6:10) or
those texts that identify the underlying factor for sin as a particular part of the human being
(Mark 7:21 par.; Matt 15:19; lames 1:13-15). - In addition to the examples listed in nn. 1-7 above, see Rom 1:18-32.
- The debate is mirrored in the second century B.C.E. Pseudo-Eupolemos frag
ments. Moreover, for the third century B.C.E., we may note the works of Berossus (History of
Babylonia) and Manetho (Aegyptica).