The Book of Jubilees
I am using AI to assist in translating the Book of Jubilees, also known as The Little Genesis, from its original Ethiopic Ge’ez text 1.
Why undertake this project?
The New Testament contains three key references to angels administering the Law:
Acts 7:53, where Stephen declares, “you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it” (ESV);
Galatians 3:19, which states, “Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary” (ESV);
Hebrews 2:2, noting, “For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution” (ESV).
Outside of these New Testament citations, the concept of angels administering the Law is rare, not found at all in the Old Testament, but it is prominently featured in the Book of Jubilees. Recognizing this connection, I realized the significant influence Jubilees had on New Testament thought.
There’s more:
Have you ever wondered why Hebrews calls Esau a fornicator or sexually immoral in Hebrews 12:16? While Genesis leaves this unclear, Jubilees provides a detailed explanation.
Additionally:
Jubilees aligns closely with 1 Enoch in describing the pre-Noahic flood rebellion of angels marrying women and producing Nephilim Genesis 6—a narrative quoted in Jude 1:14-15 and possibly alluded to in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6.
Jubilees also provides a more detailed account of the Patriarchs’ lives, from Adam to Moses, with a stronger covenant-centric focus than Genesis, and fragments of at least 15 Hebrew manuscripts discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran highlight its importance in Second Temple Judaism, influencing New Testament writers and the early church.
Dissatisfied with existing translations, I am creating a modern English version that remains as faithful as possible to the literal Ge’ez text while ensuring readability for today’s audience.
- Ethiopic Ge’ez text of the Book of Jubilees, known as Mets’hafe Kufale (መጽሃፈ ኩፋሌ) is considered a canonical text by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jews) Jubilees, Book of. (n.d.). In New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 22, 2025, from https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Jubilees,_Book_of[↩]
