{"id":2937,"date":"2023-03-11T17:24:37","date_gmt":"2023-03-12T00:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thepursuitofholiness\/?p=2937"},"modified":"2023-03-11T17:24:37","modified_gmt":"2023-03-12T00:24:37","slug":"the-ancient-near-east-background-of-joshua","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/thepursuitofholiness\/2023\/03\/the-ancient-near-east-background-of-joshua\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ancient Near East Background Of Joshua"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

The book of Joshua<\/a> is a book that many have not taken the time to study.\u00a0 There are not many sermons preached on it, and in more liturgical communities it rarely makes an appearance in a lectionary[1]<\/a>.\u00a0 Joshua has become a battering ram of sorts for the group known as \u201cNew Atheists\u201d who point to its context as proof of a god that is genocidal, egocentric, and as a result cannot possibly exist.<\/p>\n

However, this assessment is not only unfair but grossly incorrect.\u00a0 To be fair these issues must be addressed and not glossed over.\u00a0 To gloss over them would damage the faith in the long run.\u00a0 These concerns have very real answers that can easily be ascertained if one is willing to the work.<\/p>\n

Joshua is a treasure in the Old Testament and acts as a hinge between the five books of Moses, the Pentateuch, and the rest of the Old Testament[2]<\/a>.\u00a0 It is a book that fulfills the promise of Yahweh to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob about the promised land. The purpose of this paper is to give a background of this pivotal book of scripture.\u00a0 To assist with this task, we will look at the biblical-historical, archeological, and ancient near east aspects to better understand the background of Joshua.<\/p>\n

Biblical-Historical Background In Joshua<\/strong><\/h3>\n The book of Joshua begins with a recap telling of the death of Moses and a commissioning of Joshua as the new leader of the people[3]<\/a>.\u00a0 The text takes place after the forty years of wandering through the desert, and after the previous generation had passed away.\u00a0 One may recall that because of there disobedience the Lord said that the transgressing generation would never see the promised land.\u00a0 The new generation, the generation of Joshua, was in training during this time.\u00a0 Joshua learned from Moses, observed the miracles of the Lord, and was being trained to be the new Moses.\u00a0 He was being trained to be the new leader of the people of Israel.<\/p>\n It is placed after the Pentateuch as a fulfillment of God\u2019s promise regarding the promised land.\u00a0 Some scholars had previously thought that it made up the sixth book of the Hexateuch<\/em> because of its similarities to Deuteronomy[4]<\/a>.\u00a0 This was the predominant theory up until Dr. Martin Noth proposed what is now known as Deuteronomistic history.\u00a0 According to Noth there was a Deuteronomist editor and compiler who compiled the modern prophets during the Babylonian exile[5]<\/a>.\u00a0 This editor drew on existing sources and traditions that existed.\u00a0 Joshua was part of this process.\u00a0 There is evidence within Joshua that show that it was written over time, in block periods, and not in a uniform fashion.\u00a0 Therefore, Joshua is not the sole author as tradition suggests.\u00a0 Though this does not mean that he did not write portions of it.\u00a0 This editor compiled the existing Joshua source material, and that of the former prophets, to present a uniform history of Israel.<\/p>\n Joshua can be broken up into two halves.\u00a0 Chapter 1-12 are the conquest narratives that have the miraculous crossing of the Jordan, the siege of Jericho, and other battles in Canaan[6]<\/a>.\u00a0 Chapters 13-24 is the division of the land among the tribes of Israel.\u00a0 It is a crucial book that not only sees the fulfillment of Yahweh\u2019s promise, but lays the backdrop for what happens in the rest of the Old Testament.<\/p>\n Archaeological Material<\/strong><\/h3>\n Biblical scholarship was heavily influenced by the rise of archeology in the mid-20th<\/sup> century[7]<\/a>.\u00a0 Joshua is putting forth historical events so archeology should be able to corroborate them.\u00a0 Based on internal evidence with Joshua archeologists place the events during the late Bronze age[8]<\/a>.\u00a0 Archeology can corroborate biblical evidence, and there are times when it runs counter to it.\u00a0 The relationship between Joshua and archeology is somewhat mixed.<\/p>\n Jericho is perhaps the best example of archeology in Joshua.\u00a0 Archeologists almost universally accept Jericho as what is now known as Tell es-Sultan[9]<\/a>.\u00a0 Archeology shows that the city was destroyed and rebuilt a few times before the conquest in Joshua.\u00a0 In the early Bronze age saw cataclysmic earthquakes that destroyed the walls and towers of the city.\u00a0 The city was rebuilt and in the Middle Bronze age was destroyed by Egyptian conquest.\u00a0 By the late Bronze age, the proposed time of Joshua, the city walls were almost completely gone, and the city was laying upon ruins of itself[10]<\/a>.\u00a0 Archeologists have yet to find a solid place for Gilgal.<\/p>\n Another archeological anomaly for Joshua is the city of Ai.\u00a0 Archeologists believe that the ancient city of Ai is now identified ats et-Tell[11]<\/a>.\u00a0 The challenge from an archeological standpoint is that et-Tell was not inhabited during the proposed time of Joshua in the late Bronze age.\u00a0 Not only was it uninhabited, but it was unfortified[12]<\/a>.\u00a0 Some archeologists thought that it was perhaps a military outpost for the nearby city of Bethel, but this appears to not be the case.<\/p>\n These archeological clues do lead to the issue of how Joshua should be interpreted.\u00a0 It does present history but does so in a manner that is not straightforward.\u00a0 The archeological anomalies do not disprove Joshua either.\u00a0 Cities in the ancient world rebuilt over destroyed cities (such is the case with Jericho), and others were abandoned for centuries at a time (Ai) which could lead to significant erosion of evidence.\u00a0 This has led scholars to conclude that Joshua is a narrative history.\u00a0 The theological underpinnings are more important that the history being presented.<\/p>\n Ancient Near Eastern Material In Joshua<\/strong><\/h3>\n To understand Joshua, it is helpful to understand the genres of Ancient Near Eastern literature.\u00a0 It is not prudent to read ancient history from a modern historical lens.\u00a0 Joshua falls closely in line with other conquest narratives of the ANE.\u00a0 In Joshua God\u2019s role with his people is the underlying theme of its history[13]<\/a>.<\/p>\n These ANE texts also give us more information as to what is happening in the region.\u00a0 One of the main themes in Joshua is the conquest of Canaan.\u00a0 Who was Canaan?\u00a0 Texts from the ANE show us that they were not a unified nation, but a collection of city states.\u00a0 The Amarna letters<\/em><\/a> show that the region was disorganized and there were great periods of social unrest[14]<\/a>.\u00a0 The Canaanites were vassals of the Egyptians meaning that they paid homage to Egypt and acknowledged their superiority.\u00a0 Though Canaan was a vassal Egypt did not keep them in tight control.\u00a0 Vassal treaties were very common in the ANE and are representative of blessings and curses.\u00a0 This was also made very clear several times in Joshua even as early as 1:8. Joshua 1:8 lays out blessings and prosperity for obedience, and in the case of Achan later on, curses for disobedience.\u00a0 This would have been fully understood among the people.<\/p>\n Joshua chapter two hints a relationship with Egypt when flax is mentioned.\u00a0 The Gezer Calendar mentions that it is harvested in February [15]<\/a>.\u00a0 Flax was not grown in the Canaanite region but was imported from Egypt and was used to make linen and rope.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Genocide In Joshua?<\/h3>\n There are also clues regarding the time of the conquest in other documents of the ANE.\u00a0 The annuls of Ramesses III gives us some idea about the region, timeline of events, and even how to understand the language used.\u00a0 There are two timelines as to when the events of Joshua occurred.\u00a0 One theory in 1450 B.C. and the other is around 1200 B.C.\u00a0 The former date would have been at the height of Egypt\u2019s power.\u00a0 If that were the case Egypt would have likely come to the aid of their Canaanite vassals.\u00a0 Joshua gives no record of this, but in 1200 Egypt fell and the Canaanite city states were all on their own.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0The city states had small armies, if any, and would have been vulnerable to conquest.\u00a0 Based on this information the 1200 date is more probable for the dating. \u00a0\u00a0An easy fight would mean that the Lord had delivered the land.\u00a0 The annuls of Ramesses III also assists us with some hard questions.\u00a0 Many times in the annuls the pharaoh says that he completely annihilates opposing armies and peoples[16]<\/a>.\u00a0 These regions that were annihilated were Turkey, Syria, and Cyprus.\u00a0 Was there a mass genocide that wiped these ethnicities off the Earth?\u00a0 Not at all. That correlation can also be made in Joshua with the supposed \u201cgenocide\u201d of the Canaanite people.\u00a0 It was the language of victory and does not mean extermination.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Bibliography<\/h3>\n*********** ** Brisco, Thomas V. Holman Bible Atlas<\/em>. Holman Reference. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998.<\/p>\n ** Collins, John J. Introduction to The Hebrew Bible<\/em>. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004.<\/p>\n ** Drinkard, Joel F. \u201cThe History and Archaeology of the Book of Joshua and the Conquest\/Settlement Period.\u201d Review & Expositor<\/em> 95, no. 2 (Spring 1998): 171\u201388.<\/p>\n ** Firth, David G. New Studies in Biblical Theology: Including the Stranger: Foreigners In The Former Prophets<\/em>. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2019.<\/p>\n ** Matthew, Victor. Old Testament Parallels<\/em>. Holman Reference. New York: Paulist Press, 2016.<\/p>\n ** McConville, James G. Joshua: An Introduction and Study Guide<\/em>. UK: Bloomsbury, 2017.<\/p>\n ** McKenzie, Steven L. Introduction to The Historical Books: Strategies for Reading<\/em>. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2010.<\/p>\n ** Nigro, Lorenzo. \u201cTell Es-Sultan 2015: A Pilot Project for Archaeology in Palestine.\u201d Near Eastern Archaeology<\/em> 79, no. 1 (2016): 4\u201317.<\/p>\n ** Pink, Arthur Walkington. Gleanings in Joshua<\/em>. Chicago: Moody Press, 1964.<\/p>\n ** ***********Walton Et Al. The Bible Background Commentary<\/em>. Holman Reference. Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2000.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a>. David G. Firth, New Studies in Biblical Theology: Including The Stranger: Foreigners In The Former Prophets<\/em> (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2019), 7.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a>. Steven L. McKenzie, Introduction to The Historical Books: Strategies For Reading<\/em> (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2010), 39.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a>. Arthur Walkington Pink, Gleanings in Joshua<\/em> (Chicago: Moody Press, 1964), 29.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a>. McKenzie, Introduction to The Historical<\/em>, 43.<\/p>\n [5]<\/a>. John J. Collins, Introduction to The Hebrew Bible<\/em> (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004), 183.<\/p>\n [6]<\/a>. McKenzie, Introduction to The Historical<\/em>, 45.<\/p>\n [7]<\/a>. Collins, Introduction to The Hebrew<\/em>, 187.<\/p>\n [8]<\/a>. McKenzie, Introduction to The Historical<\/em>, 48.<\/p>\n [9]<\/a>. James G. McConville, Joshua: An Introduction and Study Guide<\/em> (UK: Bloomsbury, 2017), 33.<\/p>\n [10]<\/a>. Lorenzo Nigro, \u201cTell Es-Sultan 2015: A Pilot Project for Archaeology in Palestine,\u201d Near Eastern Archaeology<\/em> 79, no. 1 (2016).<\/p>\n [11]<\/a>. Thomas V. Brisco, Holman Bible Atlas<\/em>, Holman Reference (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 78.<\/p>\n [12]<\/a>. Joel F. Drinkard, \u201cThe History and Archaeology of the Book of Joshua and the Conquest\/Settlement Period,\u201d Review & Expositor<\/em> 95, no. 2 (Spring 1998).<\/p>\n [13]<\/a>. Walton Et Al, The Bible Background Commentary<\/em>, Holman Reference (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 2000), 211.<\/p>\n [14]<\/a>. Victor Matthew, Old Testament Parallels<\/em>, Holman Reference (New York: Paulist Press, 2016), 156.<\/p>\n [15]<\/a>. Ibid., 166.<\/p>\n [16]<\/a>. Ibid., 163.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The book of Joshua is a book that many have not taken the time to study.\u00a0 There are not many sermons preached on it, and in more liturgical communities it rarely makes an appearance in a lectionary[1].\u00a0 Joshua has become a battering ram of sorts for the group known as \u201cNew Atheists\u201d who point to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4296,"featured_media":2940,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1752,284,1755],"class_list":["post-2937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-ancient-near-east","tag-bible","tag-joshua"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Ancient Near East Background Of Joshua<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The book of Joshua is a book that many have not taken the time to study.\u00a0 There 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