From Jewish Apocrypha to Christian Tradition: Citations ofJubileesin Epiphanius'sPanarion

Abstract

In the growing canon consciousness of the fourth century, Christians debated what should constitute the official reading list for the church. Epiphanius of Salamis was part of this conversation. His massivePanariondescribed eighty heresies, and, for Epiphanius, wrong books were a marker of wrong belief. However, although Epiphanius was a stringent supporter of Nicene orthodoxy, he, too, referred to books outside the canon. In thePanarion, he frequently referencedJubilees, an expanded, rewritten Genesis found among the Dead Sea Scrolls and which also circulated among early Christian readers. TheDecree of Gelasiuslater declared the text anathema. This paper explores the significance of a vocal heresiographer readingJubilees, particularly when he defined heretics based on similar reading practices. It suggests that Epiphanius saw close kinship betweenJubileesand his ownPanarion. The citations ofJubileesin thePanarionalso indicate that Epiphanius defined the text as a part of a larger Christian tradition. In doing so, Epiphanius transformedJubileesfrom Jewish apocrypha to Christian tradition. Thus, the citations ofJubileesin Epiphanius'sPanarionshow the complicated dynamics of canon consciousness in the shaping of Christian Orthodoxy.