The Jubilee is an ancient institution deeply rooted in biblical tradition; throughout history it has undergone numerous transformations until becoming the religious and economically advantageous event we know today.
In his latest video, Mauro Biglino analyzes the origins of the Jubilee, the meaning of this name in the Hebrew Bible and the contradictions that emerge between the tradition inherent in the sacred text and the centuries-old practices of the Catholic Church. Furthermore, it highlights the strong link between Yahweh and the management of land and debts in ancient Israel, once again questioning the true nature of this “divine figure”.
English subtitles
The origins of the Jubilee in the Bible
The concept of Jubilee has deep roots in the Hebrew Bible, specifically in Leviticus, where it is described as a special year that occurred every 49 or 50 years. This event stipulated the release of debts, the return of land to its rightful owners and the liberation of Israelite slaves.
In Leviticus 25:10, we read:
“They shall declare and proclaim in the land the release of every resident; it shall be a jubilee for you, and each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family.”
However, here the first major contradiction emerges: was the Jubilee to occur every 49 or 50 years? The biblical text does not provide a clear answer, and for centuries biblical scholars and rabbis have debated the correct interpretation.
Yahweh and land ownership
One of the central aspects of the biblical Jubilee is the concept that the land does not belong to man, but to Yahweh. This is clearly expressed in Leviticus 25:23:
“You shall not sell the land permanently, since you are but aliens and my tenants.”
Yahweh is not talking about the land as a whole, but about a specific territory: the Land of Canaan. This reinforces the idea that Yahweh was exclusively interested in the people of Israel and in controlling those lands, laying the foundations for a land tenure system that excluded foreigners.
The Jubilee as a tool for social control
The Jubilee, in its original form, was an economic and social law, aimed at avoiding the excessive accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few and guaranteeing a certain equity in the redistribution of land. However, its concrete application seems to be rather uncertain. In fact, according to some scholars, there is no historical evidence that this law was ever actually applied.
For example, Professor Robert North claims that the Jubilee was a more theoretical than practical system, and Father Roland de Vaux, one of the first scholars of the Dead Sea Scrolls, emphasizes that the restitution of land and the liberation of slaves were difficult to implement in an advanced society such as the Israelite society of the time.
The transition to the Christian Jubilee
In 1300, Pope Boniface VIII instituted the first Christian Jubilee, with the declared objective of granting indulgences to the faithful. However, this practice soon became a real economic business.
For example, during the Jubilee of 1450, the Church allowed the faithful who couldn’t go to Rome to obtain indulgences simply by paying a sum of money. Over time, this system led to the abuse of indulgences, a phenomenon that would contribute to the outbreak of the Protestant Reformation.
Today, when we talk about the Jubilee, the focus is mainly on the influx of pilgrims and the economic benefits that derive from it. Each Jubilee event attracts millions of faithful to Rome, generating enormous income for both the Church and local institutions.
Yahweh: spiritual deity or earthly ruler?
One of the central questions posed by Mauro Biglino concerns the true nature of Yahweh. If he were a spiritual, omniscient and omnipotent deity, why would he have instituted such complex laws, difficult to apply and even contradictory? Why would it have been necessary to find legal stratagems, such as the so-called “prosbull” of the master Hillel, to get around the difficulties created by the divine laws themselves?
Perhaps, Biglino concludes, it is more logical to think of Yahweh not as an omnipotent being, but as a ruler in flesh and blood, a political and religious leader who needed rules to manage his society and maintain control over the lands and the people of Israel.
Conclusion
The analysis of the Jubilee once again highlights the difference between the biblical text and modern religious practices. What began as a law aimed at redistributing wealth became an event with strong economic connotations. Furthermore, the management of land and slavery in the Old Testament calls into question the image of Yahweh as the spiritual and omniscient God described by theologians.
This argument raises a fundamental question: how much of the religious tradition that we know today really corresponds to what has been reported to us by ancient texts? This is a question that deserves to be explored with a critical approach that is free and open to debate.
