The Book of Jubilees, also known as the "Little Genesis," is an ancient Jewish text that is believed to have been written in the 2nd century BCE. The text is a retelling of the events of the first five books of the Bible, known as the Torah or the Pentateuch, with the addition of several unique interpretations and elaborations.
One of the main themes of the Book of Jubilees is the concept of the Jubilee year, a 50-year cycle in which all land is returned to its original owner and all slaves are freed. According to the text, God commanded Moses to instruct the Israelites to observe the Jubilee year as a way of promoting social justice and equality.
The Book of Jubilees also includes additional details and interpretations of events from the Bible that are not found in the traditional texts. For example, it provides a more detailed account of the creation of the world, the history of the angels, and the lives of the patriarchs.
The Book of Jubilees is considered to be part of a genre of Jewish literature known as "rewritten Bible" or "Pseudepigrapha." This type of literature retells the stories of the Bible in a new way, often with the addition of new interpretations and elaborations.
Despite its ancient origins, The Book of Jubilees is not considered to be part of the canon of the Hebrew Bible or the Christian Old Testament. It was considered as a non-canonical or extra-canonical text, it is mostly known and studied by scholars of ancient Jewish literature, theology, and history. The book is believed to have been written by a Jewish sect known as the Essenes and it's considered a valuable resource for understanding the beliefs and practices of this sect during the Second Temple period.
