Ha-Alidrash, p. xi.) Whilst Frankel maintains that the writer was an Egyptian Jew, and a priest at the temple in Leontopolis, which accounts for his setting such a high value upon sacrifices, and tracing the origin of the festivals and sacrifices to the patriarchs (Manatschrift, v. p. 396).
Notwithstanding the difference of opinion as to which phase of Judaism the author belonged, all agree that this book was written in Hebrew, that it was afterwards translated into Greek, and that the Ethiopic, of which Dillmann has given a German version is made from the Greek. Many of the expressions in the book can only be understood by retranslating them into Hebrew. Thus, for in stance, the remarks mid es gfrbt keine UEBERGE IIUNG ' (Jubil. vi. tot, to2), `und sie sollen kehien Tag UEBERGEI1EN (vi. 107), become intellioible when we bear in mind that the original had -LT, intercalation. Moreover, the writer designates the wives of the patriarchs from the family of Seth by names which express beauty and virtue in Hebrew , Seth married Azurah, 1-1-11V3.1, restrain; Jared married Beracha, ilD'11, blessing; Enoch and Me thuselah married wives of the name of Adni, nrip, tleasure; whilst Cain married his sister Avan, vice (Jubil. iv. 24-128). The words 43-Ipzn 42, Gen. xxii. 16, are rendered in the book of Jubil. (xvii. 42), bei meinem Haupte, which is the well known Palestinian oath, TM, 4trAil "1-11 (comp. Sanhedrim, 2, 3, al.), and which no Greek writer would use, especially as the Sept. has not got it here. There are also other renderings which shew that the writer had the Hebrew Scriptures before him and not the Sept., a fact which is irreconcil able on the supposition that he was a Greek Jew, or wrote in Greek, as he would undoubtedly have used the Sept. Thus, for instance, the book of Jubil. xiv. 9, ro, has der aus DEINEM LEIBE hervorgeht,' which is a literal translation of the IIebrew 11100 ViN, Gen. xv. 4 ; othenvise the Sept. gs 4eXehaerat ix era : Jubil. xiv. 29 has abcr A bram WEIIRTE SIE AB,' so the Hebrew ZVI') nniN (Gen. xv. 11), not the Sept. Kat o-tmexd „, ahrdis'Appau (comp. also book of Jubil. xv. 17 with Sept. Gen. xvii. 7 ; xv. 43 with Sept. xvii. 17 ; xv. 46 with Sept. xvii. t9). To these is to be added the testimony of St. Jerome, who remarks upon non, hoc verbum, quantum memoria sug gerit, nusquam alibi in scripturis sanctis apud He brmos inveuisse me novi, absque libro apocrypha qui a Grzecis uexprryivecrts appellatur. Ibi in
ficatione turris pro stadio ponitur, in quo excer centur pugiles et athletm et cursorum velocitas comprobatur (comp. In epistola ad Fabiolam de mansionibus, Mansio xviii. on Num. xxxiii. 21,22); and actain (Mansio xxiv. on Num. xxxiii. 27, 28), hoc eodem vocabulo onn) et iisdem literis scrip tum invenio patrem Abraham, qui in supradieto apocrypho Geneseos volumine abactis corvis, qui hominum frumenta vastabant, abactoris vel depul soris sortitus est nomen ; as well as the fact that portions of the book are still extant in IIebrew (comp. Jellinek, Bet Ha-lifidrash, vol. p. ix. etc.) The agreement of many passages with the Sept. when the latter deviates from the Hebrew, is, as Dillmann observes, to be ascribed to the trans. lator who, when rendering it into Greek used the Sept. (Ewald, Yahrbuch, p. 9o).
4. Date and Importance of the Book. —That this book was written before the destruction of the Temple is evident, not only from its description of the sacrifices and the services performed therein, but from its whole complexion, and this is admitted by all who have written on it. Its exact date, how ever, is a matter of dispute. Krtiger maintains that it was written between 332-320 H. C. ; Dillmann and Frankel think that it was written in the first centmy befime Christ ; whilst Ewald is of opinion that it originated about the birth of Christ. The medium of the two extremes is the most probable.
The importance of this book can hardly be over rated, when we remember that it is one of the very few. Biblical works, written between the close of the O. T. canon and beginning of the N. T., which have come down to us. There are, however, several other considerations which render this book a most important contribution, both to the in terpretation of the Bible and to the history of Jewish belief anterior to the Christian era. r. Many portions of it are literal translations of the book of Genesis, and therefore enable us to see in what state the Hebrew text was at that age, and furnish us with some readings which are preferable to those given in the textus receptns, Jubil. xvii. 17 shows that the correct reading of Gen.