Introduction

We continue our survey of the early Christian reception of the Genesis Table of Nations tradition by examining the work of Theophilus of Antioch. This second-century Greek apologist used the authoritative Book of Jubilees in order to combat pagan philosophy. In the process, he clearly alludes to Jubilees 8–9 and perhaps even to an accompanying map.

Theophilus was a bishop of Antioch in the late second century (169–77 CE). He completed Ad Autolycum, his only extant work, sometime after Marcus Aurelius had died (3.28), that is, after 180 CE, during the reign of Commodus (180–92 CE). Ad Autolycum provides some biographical information about its author. Theophilus lived near the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (Autol. 2.24), converted to Christianity by reading the Greek OT (1.14), and then lived among Christians who were an opposed and denigrated minority (3.4).

Theophilus was very likely a “Jewish Christian,” however carefully that vexed term must be defined. Whereas he explicitly states that he is a Christian (1.12), his Jewishness must be inferred from the text. Several lines of evidence can be adduced. First, Theophilus presupposes that the Law and the Prophets are “our writings” (3.29), that Abraham is “our Patriarch” (3.24) and “our forefather” (3.28), as is David (3.25, 28). Likewise, the Hebrews of the exodus story are “our forefathers” (3.20). These first-person plurals indicate Theophilus' identification with the Jewish people, and they are not merely an extension of Pauline usage, in which the reference to Abraham as “our forefather” and “our father” includes believing Gentiles (Rom. 4:1, 11–12).