Another book well-known around the time of Christ, The Book of Jubilees is a historical narrative of the Jews up to the time of Moses and is quoted or referenced by more than ten early church fathers.
However, Jubilees provides a twist on the formula of Jewish history books – the author uses the concept of jubilee weeks (seven ‘year weeks’ that are 49 years long) to divide and organize the story of mankind starting from creation.
As part of that history, the Book of Jubilees tells the story of disobedient angels before Noah’s flood that sinned with women. You’ll notice many similarities to the Book of Enoch‘s version of the story, with some distinct differences as well.
And in the second week of the tenth jubilee Mahalalel took unto him to wife Dînâh, the daughter of Barâkî’êl the daughter of his father’s brother, and she bare him a son in the third week in the sixth year, and he called his name Jared; for in his days the angels of the Lord descended on the earth, those who are named the Watchers, that they should instruct the children of men and that they should do judgment and uprightness on the earth.
And in the eleventh jubilee Jared took to himself a wife, and her name was Bâraka, the daughter of Râsûjâl, a daughter of his father’s brother, in the fourth week of this jubilee, and she bare him a son in the fifth week, in the fourth year of the jubilee, and he called his name Enoch.
And he was the first among men that are born on earth who learnt writing and knowledge and wisdom and who wrote down the signs of heaven according to the order of their months in a book, that men might know the seasons of the years according to the order of their separate months.
And he was the first to write a testimony, and he testified to the sons of men among the generations of the earth, and recounted the weeks of the jubilees, and made known to them the days of the years, and set in order the months and recounted the Sabbaths of the years as we made (them) known to him.
And what was and what will be he saw in a vision of his sleep, as it will happen to the children of men throughout their generations until the day of judgment; he saw and understood everything, and wrote his testimony, and placed the testimony on earth for all the children of men and for their generations.
And in the twelfth jubilee, in the seventh week thereof, he took to himself a wife, and her name was Ednî, the daughter of Dânêl, the daughter of his father’s brother, and in the sixth year in this week she bare him a son and he called his name Methuselah.
And he was moreover with the angels of God these six jubilees of years, and they showed him everything which is on earth and in the heavens, the rule of the sun, and he wrote down everything.
And he testified to the Watchers, who had sinned with the daughters of men; for these had begun to unite themselves, so as to be defiled, with the daughters of men, and Enoch testified against (them) all.
And he was taken from amongst the children of men, and we conducted him into the Garden of Eden in majesty and honour, and behold there he writeth down the condemnation and judgment of the world, and all the wickedness of the children of men.
Excerpts from Jubilees 4
But Noah found grace before the eyes of the Lord.
And against the angels whom He had sent upon the earth, He was exceedingly wroth, and He gave commandment to root them out of all their dominion, and He bade us to bind them in the depths of the earth, and behold they are bound in the midst of them, and are (kept) separate.
And against their sons went forth a command from before His face that they should be smitten with the sword, and be removed from under heaven.
And He said “My spirit will not always abide on man; for they also are flesh and their days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
And He sent His sword into their midst that each should slay his neighbour, and they began to slay each other till they all fell by the sword and were destroyed from the earth.
And their fathers were witnesses (of their destruction), and after this they were bound in the depths of the earth for ever, until the day of the great condemnation when judgment is executed on all those who have corrupted their ways and their works before the Lord.
And He destroyed all from their places, and there was not left one of them whom He judged not according to all their wickedness.
Excerpts from Jubilees 5
And in the twenty-eighth jubilee Noah began to enjoin upon his sons’ sons the ordinances and commandments, and all the judgments that he knew, and he exhorted his sons to observe righteousness, and to cover the shame of their flesh, and to bless their Creator, and honour father and mother, and love their neighbour, and guard their souls from fornication and uncleanness and all iniquity.
For owing to these three things came the flood upon the earth, namely, owing to the fornication wherein the Watchers against the law of their ordinances went a whoring after the daughters of men, and took themselves wives of all which they chose: and they made the beginning of uncleanness.
And they begat sons the Nâphîdîm, and they were all unlike, and they devoured one another: and the Giants slew the Nâphîl, and the Nâphîl slew the Eljô, and the Eljô mankind, and one man another.
And every one sold himself to work iniquity and to shed much blood, and the earth was filled with iniquity. And after this they sinned against the beasts and birds, and all that moveth and walketh on the earth: and much blood was shed on the earth,
Excerpts from Jubilees 7
In the twenty-ninth jubilee, in the first week, in the beginning thereof Arpachshad took to himself a wife and her name was Râsû’ĕjâ, [the daughter of Sûsân,] the daughter of Elam, and she bare him a son in the third year in this week, and he called his name Kainam.
And the son grew, and his father taught him writing, and he went to seek for himself a place where he might seize for himself a city.
And he found a writing which former (generations) had carved on the rock, and he read what was thereon, and he transcribed it and sinned owing to it; for it contained the teaching of the Watchers in accordance with which they used to observe the omens of the sun and moon and stars in all the signs of heaven.
And he wrote it down and said nothing regarding it; for he was afraid to speak to Noah about it lest he should be angry with him on account of it.
Jubilees 8: 1 -6
SIMILARITIES WITH THE BOOK OF ENOCH
Scholars generally date the Book of Jubilees to around 150 BC. Manuscripts were found with the Dead Sea Scrolls and many sections of the book closely parallel passages in the Old Testament and Book of Enoch.
The author also insists on using a solar calendar with 364 days in a year (as the Book of Enoch does) as opposed to a lunar calendar (360 days) to better fix the proper holy days and seasons so they don’t get off track.
The Book of Jubilees expands more than most other ancient sources on the story of the angels who sinned. The story seems to be a summary of the Book of Enoch’s tale, with some minor differences.
In Jubilees, the angels originally descend among mankind to ‘instruct’ and do ‘uprightness’, and the angels are instrumental in passing on the knowledge of the calendar and jubilees to Enoch.
This is opposed to the narrative of the Book of Enoch which states that although the angels did indeed bring knowledge, their original motive was lust and the knowledge they imparted was forbidden and destructive.
More information
For more information on the Book of Jubilees, its probable authorship, teaching and potential for inclusion in the canon of scripture, visit this article on GotQuestions.org.
What is the Book of Jubilees and should it be in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org
Book of Jubilees – Wikipedia
