Space, time and group identity in Jubilees 8-9

Abstract

Jubilees 8-9 is a rewriting of Genesis 10. It changed a depiction of Israel’s identity in genealogical terms into one using spatial terms. This ideological construct was based on a Noah tradition and on Biblical texts describing the ideal borders of the land allotted to Israel. Using a triad of space, time and identity the author of Jubilees advanced his conviction of who the true Israel was. He emphasized the holiness of their land and demarcated the borders of the territory that God allotted them.