Israel’s Identity, Fall, and Destiny in the Book of Jubilees

Abstract

Second Temple Jewish literature is a helpful resource for illuminating the hermeneutical interface between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The present article seeks to contribute to our knowledge of Second Temple literature by exploring the book of Jubilees, an interpretative retelling of the Pentateuchal narrative. Our specific focus is on Jubilees’ understanding of Israel’s identity, fall, and destiny, which are three important themes that are expounded in both the Old and the New Testaments. The book of Jubilees displays the following features in its conceptualization of Israel’s identity, fall, and destiny. First, Jubilees describes Israel as the true successors of Adam, who embodied the glorious creational vision of priestly humanity and retained it even after his sin. Adam is described as the first priest of Israel who kept the ritual regulations in the Mosaic law, and the people of Israel are presented as Adam’s true priestly descendants. Not all of the Jewish people belong to Israel, and only those Jews who remain faithful to the Mosaic law, obeying particularly the priestly regulations that mark Israel as distinct from Gentiles constitute the true priestly line descending from Adam. Second, concerning Israel’s fall, Jubilees emphasizes Israel’s violation of the Mosaic law, especially the regulations that mark Israel’s priestly identity, as the paradigmatic case of sin, which is exemplified in the story of the fall of Watchers in Genesis 6. Jubilees identifies corrupt human heart and demonic power as the two causes of human sins that are also operative also in Israel, inclining Israel to forfeit their priestly identity. While the people of Israel are provided with some protection from demonic power, they are still vulnerable to demonic influence. Third, concerning Israel’s destiny, the people of Israel do not enjoy the privilege of either disembodied immortality or bodily resurrection because God’s creational intention for humanity was longevity rather than immortality. The result of Adam and Israel’s fall was therefore not mortality itself but shortened lifespan and premature physical destruction that now characterize human life in the present world. Only those Jews who keep the Mosaic law and retain their priestly identity will be restored from this shortened span and premature violent death through eschatological vindication and heavenly ascension.