Erik Larson
Summary of Conclusions
In Genesis, sacrifice is mentioned twelve times (Gen 4:4-5; 8:20-21; 12:7, 8;
13:4, 18; 22:13; 26:25; 3 l:54; 33 :2°; 35:1-7; 46:1). In Jubilees this is almost dou
bled to twenty-three times (Jub 4:2; 6:1-4, H>^22 > 7 :3~5> 3°> 13 :4> 9> 16; 14:9-19;
15:2; 16:20-23; 18:12;^2 i:7-i9; 22:3-5; 24:23; 30:16; 32:4-6; 32:27; 34:18; 44:1; 49:22;
50:10). The references tend to emphasize the place, procedure, and people
that make sacrificial worship proper and acceptable.
The author of Jubilees could not get around the fact that in Genesis
there is no one place where sacrifice was offered. As we saw above, therefore,
Jubilees follows the Genesis account in having Abraham offering sacrifice in
Shechem, Bethel, and Hebron. In fact, rather surprisingly, Jubilees adds a
new site to the list by referring to an altar that Abraham built in Beersheba
that is not mentioned in Genesis (Jub 16:20). In spite of this, however, the
author manages to indicate that the true intent of God is to limit the places
that are acceptable to God for ritual worship. We see this early on with the
statement in Jub 4:26 that there are four places that belong to the Lord: the
Garden of Eden, the mountain of the east, Mount Sinai, and Mount Zion.^20
A special prominence is given to Mount Zion, as one might expect. Ac
cording to 4:26, it was to have a special role in the renewal of the earth since
from there "the earth will be sanctified from all its sins and from its unclean-
ness into the history of eternity." Jub 8:19 refers to Zion as the "middle of the
earth."^21 And according to Jub 8:13, Abraham offers up Isaac on Mount Zion.
Then, finally, in Jub 32 Jacob desires to build a permanent sanctuary in
Bethel, but God forbids it. After allowing Jacob to read the heavenly tablets
in which future events are inscribed, God tells him, "Do not build up this
place, and do not make it an eternal temple. Do not live here because this is
not the place" (32:22). The implication is clear: the future lies with Mount
Zion.
Approaching God in the proper way is also very important to the au
thor of Jubilees. Of course, this usually means following the prescriptions
that would later be laid down in the Torah. Books were written with the pre-
Mosaic Torah regulations. They were authored by Enoch and Noah (Jub
21:10). Noah passed his books on to his son Shem, and from him they were
passed to Abraham (10:14; 12:27). On one occasion Jacob was allowed to read
- Later on in Jub 8:19 only three sites are identified as places holy to the Lord.
- Cf. J. Scott, Geography in Early Judaism and Christianity: The Book of Jubilees,
SNTSMS 113 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002), 34.