Not at First Sight: Gender Love in Jubilees

Abstract

This article examines the theme of love in Jubilees, suggesting that the author distinguishes between two types of love: ‘eye-appeal’ and ‘moral-appeal’—that is, that based on a person's attributes as expressed through ethical conduct. The first consists of a three-stage cause and effect process in which a person's outward appearance elicits erotic feelings that frequently lead to transgression of the law. In systematically depicting this sin as a violation of a recorded authoritative instruction Jubilees highlights the gravity of love/desire kindled by eyesight, which threatens the social order. In contrast, love based on moral-appeal is depicted as flourishing within the marriage bond and grounding familial harmony. The scheme is exemplified in the Jubilean reworking of the Jacob–Rachel–Leah triad and Reuben's relation with Bilhah, together with other references to love introduced by the Jubilean author.