Instructor: Phil Kruger

An in-depth look at “the most interesting and important composition of late Second Temple Judaism”

In this course we will explore the Book of Jubilees, an ancient retelling of much of the book of Genesis and the first part of the book of Exodus. In the words of Professor James Kugel, “[t]he book of Jubilees is arguably the most important and influential of all books written by Jews in the Second Temple period. It is a treasure house of ancient interpretation, composed by an unknown author who thought deeply about the Torah and Judaism. Jubilees was prized by the Dead Sea Scrolls community: parts of some fifteen manuscripts of the book were hidden by them in the caves of Qumran. But its influence certainly went beyond this group. Although rabbinic Judaism rejected Jubilees, in part because of some of its doctrines, many of its interpretative traditions are paralleled in the Talmud and various midrashic collections, as well as in the early poetry of the synagogue, suggesting possible influence. It also played an important role in early Christian communities, and it is thanks to them that the book has been preserved in its entirety to this day.” (J. Kugel, A Walk Through Jubilees: An Exegetical Commentary, Introduction, p.1 (Brill 2012)). The classes require no prior knowledge.

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