The first part of this book is an extensive verse-by-verse commentary on the Book of Jubilees. Kugel's stated aim is "to understand what the text is saying and why it is saying it," and in particular to explore the numerous bits of biblical interpretation found in Jubilees and their connection to other exegetical writings of the Second Temple period. Subsequent chapters focus on the possibility that Jubilees had more than one author, as well as on the book’s specific relationship to four other Second Temple texts: the Genesis Apocryphon, the Aramaic Levi Document, 4Q225 Pseudo-Jubilees, and the writings of Philo of Alexandria.

Originally presented as the author's thesis, Harvard, 1976.

"An emerging field of study that explores the Hispanic minority in the United States, Latino Studies is enriched by an interdisciplinary perspective. Historians, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, demographers, linguists, as well as religion, ethnicity, and culture scholars, among others, bring a varied, multifaceted approach to the understanding of a people whose roots are all over the Americas and whose permanent home is north of the Rio Grande. Oxford Bibliographies in Latino Studies offers an authoritative, trustworthy, and up-to-date intellectual map to this ever-changing discipline."--Editorial page.

In light of numerous contradictions between passages in Jubilees, this study proposes a new, literary-critical method to understand the development of the book. This analysis is significant for the interpretation of the diverse ideological and theological viewpoints found in Jubilees.

An examination of biblical interpretation, this work explores the unusual interest in the characterizations of women in the "Book of Jubilees," written in the second century BCE.

The Book of Jubilees, a Jewish retelling of Genesis and the first half of Exodus, was an important work for the community of the Dead Sea Scrolls. This Guide, following the format of this successful series, gives an introduction to Jubilees that covers its dating, its textual history and its purpose; a survey of its theological teachings and themes; and a section-by-section commentary that includes a comparison of its divergences from Genesis and the meaning and emphasis of each section. This volume, by the leading authority on Jubilees, provides the very best introduction for the student and scholar to one of the most important texts of Early Judaism.

Did Jesus claim to be the "bridegroom"? If so, what did he mean by this claim? When Jesus says that the wedding guests should not fast "while the bridegroom is with them" (Mark 2:19), he is claiming to be a bridegroom by intentionally alluding to a rich tradition from the Hebrew Bible. By eating and drinking with "tax collectors and other sinners," Jesus was inviting people to join him in celebrating the eschatological banquet. While there is no single text in the Hebrew Bible or the literature of the Second Temple Period which states the "messiah is like a bridegroom," the elements for such a claim are present in several texts in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea. By claiming that his ministry was an ongoing wedding celebration he signaled the end of the Exile and the restoration of Israel to her position as the Lord's beloved wife. This book argues that Jesus combined the tradition of an eschatological banquet with a marriage metaphor in order to describe the end of the Exile as a wedding banquet.

God is radically dedicated to our ongoing growth in spiritual maturity and holiness. This is both glorious and terrifying. It is glorious because the Lord of heaven and earth is for us. But it is terrifying because we are idolaters. This means that when God brings greater redemption into our lives he also brings a death sentence to our fallen desires. In love, God will do whatever it takes - even tearing us to shreds if necessary - to replace our feeble pleasures with lasting desire for himself. Sadly, in our culture two false responses to suffering have become deeply embedded in the Church: deadly dualism and shallow stoicism. Each can effectively hijack God's good purpose in suffering. Torn to Heal equips us to understand and reject these false and self-defeating approaches to suffering, and to embrace God's good purpose in our trials.

Galatians is one of the earliest of the Pauline letters and is therefore among the first documents written by Christians in the first century. Paul’s letter to the Galatians deals with the first real controversy in the early church: the status of Jews and gentiles in this present age and the application of the Law of Moses to gentiles. Paul argues passionately that gentiles are not “converting” to Judaism and therefore should not be expected to keep the Law. Gentiles who accept Jesus as Savior are “free in Christ,” not under the bondage of the Law. Galatians also deals with an important pastoral issue in the early church as well. If gentiles are not “under the Law,” are they free to behave any way they like? Does Paul’s gospel mean that gentiles can continue to live like pagans and still be right with God? For Paul, the believer’s status as an adopted child of God enables them to serve God freely as dearly loved children. Galatians: Freedom through God's Grace is commentary for laypeople, Bible teachers, and pastors who want to grasp how the original readers of Galatians would have understood Paul’s letter and how this important ancient letter speaks to Christians living in similar situations in the twenty-first century.