Book of Jubilees: The Book of Jubilees: Noah's Sacrifice; God's Covenant with him. Instructions to Moses about eating of Blood, the Feast of Weeks, etc., and Division of the Year (vi. 1-38).

1 These are written and ordained as a testimony for ever. 24. And Noah ordained them for himself as feasts for the generations for ever, so that they have become thereby a memorial unto him. 25. And on the new moon of the first month he was bidden to make for himself an ark, and on that (day) the earth became dry and he opened (the ark) and saw the earth. 26. And on the new moon of the fourth month the mouths of the depths of the abysses beneath were closed. And on the new moon of the seventh month all the mouths of the abysses of the earth were opened, and the waters began to descend into them. 2 27. And on the new moon of the tenth month the tops of the mountains were seen, and Noah was glad. 3 28. And on this account he ordained them for himself as feasts for a memorial for ever, and thus are they ordained. 29. And they placed them on the heavenly tables, each had thirteen weeks; from one to another (passed) their memorial, from the first to the second, and from the second to the third, and from the third to the fourth. 30. And all the days of the commandment will be two and fifty weeks of days, and (these will make) the entire year complete. 4 31. Thus it is engraven and ordained on the heavenly tables. And

1 33. But if they do neglect and do not observe them according to His commandment, then they will disturb all their seasons, and the years will be dislodged from this (order), [and they will disturb the seasons and the years will be dislodged] 2 and they will neglect their ordinances. 34. And all the children of Israel will forget, and will not find the path of the years, and will forget the new moons, and seasons, and sabbaths, and they will go wrong as to all the order of the years. 3 35. For I know and from henceforth shall I declare it unto thee, and it is not of my own devising; for the book (lieth) written before me, and on the heavenly tables the division of days is ordained, lest they forget the feasts of the covenant and walk according to the feasts of the Gentiles after their error and after their ignorance. 36. For there will be those who will assuredly make observations of the moon--now (it) disturbeth the seasons and cometh in from year to year ten days too soon. 4 37. For this reason the years will come upon them when they will disturb (the order),

1 and seasons and sabbaths and festivals, and they will eat all kinds of blood with all kinds of flesh.

Footnotes

60:8 Cf. Gen. viii. 20. The mountain is Lubar.

60:9 The earth needed expiation and cleansing for the vices and crimes that had polluted it.

61:1 The sacrifice is elaborated here to accord with the developed ritual of a later age; cf. Exod. xxix. 40; Lev. ii. 2-5, 15.

61:2 Gen. viii. 21.

61:3 Cf. Gen. ix. 11.

61:4 Cf. Gen. viii. 22.

61:5 Cf. Gen. ix. 7.

61:6 Cf. Gen. ix. 2.

61:7 Cf. Gen. ix. 2, 3.

61:8 Cf. Gen. ix. 4, 5.

61:9 Cf. Gen. ix. 6.

62:1 i. e. Moses.

62:2 The proper use of blood in the daily sacrifice is here referred to; cf. 14 below.

62:3 For 12-13 cf. Lev. xvii. 10, 12, 14; Deut. xii. 23.

62:4 Cf. Lev. xvii. ii.

62:5 Cf. Num. xxviii. 3-8. -Note that in our text here 11-14 deal with the Mosaic development of the covenant with Noah.

62:6 The text here returns to Noah.

62:7 Cf. Gen. ix. 13-15.

63:1 The "Feast of Weeks" (cf. Exod. xxxiv. 22) is here only connected with Noah's covenant, the establishment of which it is supposed to commemorate. Later Judaism associated it with the giving of the Law on Sinai. It was celebrated, according to our Book, on the 15th day of the 3rd month.

63:2 Notice that the non-observance of the Feast signalizes the breaking of the covenant-condition about eating blood.

63:3 Or "the first day" (of the week). See 22 below.

63:4 It is called "the day of first-fruits" in Num. xxviii. 26.

63:5 "Of a double nature" in that (?) it commemorates the covenant with Noah, and also has an agricultural character.

63:6 i. e. the Pentateuch.

63:7 Or "the first day" (of the week) = Sunday. Consequently, Pentecost would always fall on the same day of the week, Sunday. This accords with the Sadducean view.

64:1 According to Lev. xxiii. 24 only the 1st day of the 7th month was a "day of memorial." The "four days" here mentioned correspond to the four intercalary days "which are not reckoned in the reckoning of the year" mentioned in 1 Enoch lxxv. 1. They introduce the four quarters of the year and apparently, according to the scheme of 1 Enoch and our Book, were intended to be added to the 360 days (= 12 x 30), which made up the solar year (360 + 4 days).

64:2 Cf. 1 Enoch lxxxix. 7, 8.

64:3 Cf. Gen. viii. 5.

64:4 If the year consists of 52 weeks (= 4 X 13 weeks), how can it be divided into 12 months of 30 days each, which is the reckoning implied throughout the Book? For the solutions proposed see Charles's discussion, ad loc.

65:1 The effect of a solar year reckoned at 364 days would be that the festivals would always be celebrated on the same day of the week. Nisan 14 would always fall on a Sabbath, Nisan 22 (when the wave sheaf was to be offered) on a Sunday, and the Feast of Weeks, Sivan 15, on a Sunday. There is some reason to suppose that this conception of a solar year of 364 days has a dogmatic basis. See Introd., p. xvii.

65:2 The bracketed words are a dittograph.

65:3 For 33-34 cf. 1 Enoch lxxxii. 4-6.

65:4 A lunar year consists Of 354 days. Our author wages a polemic against the use of the moon for determining the seasons and feasts. But a lunar year was accepted by the Pharisees.

66:1 Render (for "new moons") "beginnings of the months."