Is This Book Reliable, and Does it Belong in Our Bibles?
WHAT'S THE POINT?:
After years of seeing books like Enoch, Jasher, and Jubilees constantly find their way into my conversations with other believers, I finally found myself in a discussion with a brother in faith about the book of Jubilees. In large part I avoid conversations about these extra texts mostly because I hadn't read them and really did not foresee a time when I could (as a father of 10 with a full time job my hobby reading time is limited) dive in and give it the proper attention it would require. However, this conversation came up and I was asked, "have you read it?" At that point, I realized I could no longer avoid it, I would have to give a serious study.
Frankly, I can see why people find this book interesting. It is a fantastic story. Weaving in and out of the Genesis and Exodus narrative, the Book of Jubilees moves beyond the Biblical text with an almost magical feel. Seriously, there are parts that make me feel like I'm reading a C.S. Lewis book. However, that intrigue isn't good enough to call it Biblically sound. What should we make of this text?
I will be using the R.H. Charles version translated from the Ethiopian text. Here is a link to the full free translation online.
http://www.pseudepigrapha.com/jubilees/index.htm
My goal is not to prove or disprove, but to outline my thoughts, studies, and questions for the sake of trying to sort out whether or not this text should be considered divinely inspired. Consider this a peak inside my brain as I study. Below you will find a chapter by chapter outline (eventually 50 will grace this post) which you can download, test, and even offer answers or ideas to these outlines. I have no desire to present myself as a scholar, I am not one. I simply want to take the text as I can best understand it, compare it the canonized Bible, and see if it truly belongs in the canon as people claim. I pray this study blesses you and gives you something to consider.
Below you will find each chapter (as I am able to complete them) in a downloadable .pdf document, feel free to share this page and encourage others to jump into this study.
DOWNLOADABLE OUTLINES:
Chapter 1:
Chapter 2:
Chapter 3:
Thank you for diving in. Again, take everything I say as a layman's review, not a scholarly critique, I welcome questions, challenges, and supporting evidence. I look forward to continuing this project.
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