Jubilees: The Hermeneia Translation

The book of Jubilees was written by a Jewish author in the second century BCE. Although no original copies of the manuscript remain, the fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls confirmed the general accuracy of later copies and suggested important amendments. The text retraces the book of Genesis and parts of Exodus and thus is one of the earliest sustained commentaries on the narratives presented in those texts. The translation in this volume is drawn from the author's monumental two-volume work in the Hermeneia commentary series and takes into account all of the textual data now available. The translation is accompanied by carefully selected notes that illuminate the text and is ideal for classroom use.

James C. VanderKam is John A. O'Brien Professor of Hebrew Scriptures at the University of Notre Dame. He has edited thirteen volumes in the series Discoveries in the Judaean Desert and is a member of the editorial committee for the remaining unpublished Dead Sea scrolls. He is one of the two editors in chief of the Encyclopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls (2000) and author of the prize-winning The Dead Sea Scrolls Today (1994), From Revelation to Canon: Studies in the Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Literature (2000), An Introduction to Early Judaism (2001), The Meaning of the Dead Sea Scrolls (2002), and From Joshua to Caiaphas: High Priests after the Exile (Fortress, 2004). Prof. VanderKam is the former editor of the Journal of Biblical Literature.