Studies in the Book of Jubilees (review)

Hebrew Studies 46 (2005) 440 Reviews The final chapter, by John W. Wright, studies the characterization of the presence and activity of God in the book of Chronicles (pp. 240–267). The study looks at different literary genres (narrative, speeches, and genealogies) and suggests that God’s involvement in history is not easily described. While there is a marked emphasis on the united monarchy period (David-Solomon), he is not completely absent from the later periods. The volume concludes with two indices (references and authors) and is generally well edited. I found only two typographical errors (p. 157 in the quote of the biblical reference of Jer 33:25–26, the editors overlooked that 25 appeared twice; on p. 197, note 28, the editor overlooked the typo in the name of J. Aviram who becomes J. Avisam). The articles are generally well documented and provide stimulating ideas that will definitely be interacted with in future studies dealing with the theological dimensions of the Chronicler . As a general tendency (if one can speak of this in an edited volume that contains many different perspectives and is not necessarily characterized by a methodological unity) I perceived an increased willingness not to question a priori the Chronicler’s historical and theological competence. The volume definitely represents a fitting tribute to the work of Ralph W. Klein, whose upcoming publication of his Chronicles commentary in the Hermeneia series will continue to stimulate research in this important area of biblical studies. Gerald A. Klingbeil River Plate Adventist University Libertador San Martín/Entre Rios, Argentina kling@uap.edu.ar STUDIES IN THE BOOK OF JUBILEES. Edited by Matthias Albani, Jörg Frey, and Armin Lange. TSAJ 65. Pp. ix + 344. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1997. Cloth, ¤ 114. $138.70. This important volume marks a pivotal event in the modern study of the Book of Jubilees: the official publication of all of the known Jubilees manuscripts from Qumran, including the fragments from Cave 4. The symposium which gave rise to this rich volume, held in Leipzig in 1996, assembled many distinguished researchers in the field of Jubilees studies, Qumran literature, and ancient Judaism, and was jointly sponsored by the universities of Leipzig and Tübingen. The volume is divided into three sections. The first, “Introductory Issues and Biblical Interpretation,” includes significant essays that set forth the fundamental insights into Jubilees, its interpretative approach to the Hebrew Scriptures and complex relationship to the emerging canon of biblical litera- Hebrew Studies 46 (2005) 441 Reviews ture, its philosophical tendanz, its putative social setting, and its relationship to other ancient Jewish literature. Appropriately, the first essay, by James C. VanderKam is entitled “The Origins and Purposes of the Book of Jubilees,” and should remain a standard introduction to the field for many years. The other essays in this section, by Armin Lange, George J. Brook, and Jacques T. A. G. M. Van Ruiten, while somewhat more specialized, still shed light on the larger interpretive issues for Jubilees studies. For example, Armin Lange argues, against the scholarly consensus, that Jubilees is not to be included in the genre of apocalypse, as evidenced by its treatment of divinatory dreams. The second section is a varied collection of essays, mainly having to do with aspects of the calendar underlying Jubilees. Many of these essays are necessarily technical, and the volume does a great service in placing these side by side. Of particular note is Lutz Doering’s ground breaking essay, “The Concept of the Sabbath in the Book of Jubilees.” Doering argues convincingly that observance of the Sabbath is a central organizing principle of Jubilees, framing the book, and that observance of the Sabbath was the exclusive right and privilege of the Jewish inheritors of the biblical tradition. Doering identifies a strain of tradition directly at odds with the universalist, hellenizing tendency seen in much other Jewish literature of the period. The third section of the volume, “Reception,” was created especially for James Scott’s essay, “The Division of the Earth in Jubilees 8:11–9:15 and Early Christian Chronography.” This is a very fine piece of scholarly detective work, and we may surmise that the special placement of the essay...