013-God commands the Angel to write

God commands the Angel to write (i. 27-29).

27. And He said to the angel of the presence: 6 "Write7 for Moses from the beginning of creation till My sanctuary has been built among them for all eternity. 28.8 And the Lord will appear to the eyes p. 40 of all,1 and all will know that I am the God of Israel and the Father of all the children of Jacob,2 and King on Mount Zion3 for all eternity. And Zion and Jerusalem will be holy." 29. And the angel of the presence who went before the camp of Israel4 took the tables of the divisions of the years5--from the time of the creation--of the law and of the testimony of the weeks, of the jubilees, according to the individual years, according to all the number of the jubilees [according to the individual years], from the day of the [new] creation †when† the heavens6 and the earth shall be renewed and all their creation according to the powers of the heaven, and according to all the creation of the earth, until the sanctuary of the Lord shall be made in Jerusalem7 on Mount Zion, and all the luminaries be renewed for healing8 and for peace and for blessing for all the elect of Israel, and that thus it may be from that day and unto all the days of the earth.

Footnotes

39:6 Cf. Isa. lxiii. 9; Test. XII. Patr., Judah 25: probably Michael is meant. Note that the medium of communication is an angel, and cf. Gal. iii. 19 (" The Law . . . ordained through angels"). Later Judaism rejected this idea.

39:7i. e. not the Pentateuch, "but a history up to the Messianic Kingdom" (Charles, in Oxford Corpus).

39:8Read this ver. after ver. 25.

40:1Cf. Rev. i. 7 (in the final theophany).

40:2Cf. i. 24; Jer. xxxi. i.

40:3Cf. Isa. xxiv. 23.

40:4Cf. Exod. xiv. 19.

40:5From these the angel dictates to Moses (who writes) the Book of Jubilees.

40:6Text corrupt. Read "from the day of creation, till the heavens."

40:7i. e. in the Messianic Kingdom.

40:8Cf. Rev. xxii. 2.