nora
(Nora)
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John C. Endres, S.J.
and blessing for all the elect ones of Israel" (v. 29). The imagery here con
tains significant eschatological motifs, including the glowing descriptions of
the "blessings of the new age," the expectation of a "new Jerusalem," and
rules for ordering life in a new age.^26 This eschatological horizon in Jub 1
should provide a helpful lens for grasping the ultimate end of the interpre
tive retelling of many narratives in the lives of the patriarchs and matriarchs
of Israel: taken together, the eschatological and narrative elements suggest
concrete ways for the people of Israel to live out their covenant responsibili
ties, with a focus on the reality to come.
IV. The Apocalypse in Jubilees (23:14-31)
The second eschatological passage comes at an odd place in the narrative, di-
recdy after the description of Abraham's death (w. 1-7) but before the cycle
of stories about Isaac and his family. This cycle begins with the well-known
story of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob (Jub 24:2-8), leaving a gap be
tween Abraham's death and the sale of the birthright. The book of Genesis
also features a type of hiatus between these two events, but there it contains
a genealogy of Ishmael (Gen 25:12-18) and the birth account of Esau and Ja
cob (Gen 25:19-27).
Jubilees has greatly altered the sequence of events in this part of the
narrative. Since Jacob and Esau were born while Abraham was yet living
(Jub 19:13-14), in this version there passed fifteen years while Abraham was
living and able to see these two grandsons. The audience hears of Abraham's
love for Jacob (19:15-31) and his last words to his children and grandchildren.
Jubilees recalls Abraham celebrating Shavuoth with his sons Isaac and
Ishmael, and also Jacob, and there follows a farewell address of Abraham to
his grandson Jacob (22:10-23). This testamentary speech contains many ele
ments of a typical covenant formulary: repeating the blessings to Jacob's
forebears, a clear list of covenant stipulations, and a renewed version of the
blessing prayer for Jacob.^27 Grandfather Abraham inveighed against any
kind of mixing with Gentiles (22:16-17), idolatry (22:18 and 22), intermar
riage (22:20), and warned that idolaters can expect "to descend to sheol and
26. Knibb, "Eschatology and Messianism," 381-82.
27. In Jubilees the blessing was uttered by Abraham, though in Genesis Isaac pro
claimed it. For analysis of this section, cf. J. Endres, S.J., Biblical Interpretation in the Book of
Jubilees, CBQMS 18 (Washington, D.C.: Catholic Biblical Association of America, 1987), 43-
44-
