Joshua

Question 1

There are primarily three different models for explaining how a people called Israel came to power in the Levant. What are they?

Answer 1

1. Military Conquest Theory – power through battle; Albright, Bright, Wright
   - described by Joshua & SOME biblical
   archeology
2. Infiltration theory – power through fragmentary or gradual ascention; Albrecht, Alt and Noth supported
3. Peasant Revolt/Social Revolution Theory – power through non-violent revolution; Mendenhall and Gottlieb
   - Sociological theory/ Marx sociological
   theory
   - Unity came from commonality not from a
   divine motivation

Extra Info:

• These theories draw upon archeological data in tells
• Survey the strata of a tell = seeing different levels were representative of different societies, etc.
• layers of ash indicate radical change, burning or conquest
• transitional clay reflects changes in cultures - clay fragments w/o ash indicate occupation

Question 2

What kinds of evidence do the three models draw upon, and which seems most convincing?

Answer 2

1. History
   - look at information in the text
   * if there was a conquest it would be in the Middle Bronze Age – because there was a decline in Egyptian power & Invasion of the Sea People – Phillistines
2. Archaeology – tels
   - very interpretive
   – ancient ruins
   - layers of the tells show pottery that is representative of the society | ash level = city burned
   Findings:
   Iron = 1 Judges & United Kingdom
   Conquest = late bronze age (little
   archeological evidence)
3. Geography?

Question 3

Where does the book of Joshua fit amongst those models?

Answer 3

• All of these models pose problem
• Joshua = an extended etiology
  1. How did the Israelites get control over the
  land?
  Answer – YHWH did it, with Joshua
  as the principal human leader.
• Joshua = theological rather than historical
• YHWH gave Israel the land, and its continued possession requires obedience to the law of Moses

-Military activity was almost certainly part of the process that some of the victories

Question 4

How is the concept of “the ban” a part of this book?

Answer 4

Killing everything in the city is liturgical practice in the book of Joshua
Herem = “the ban”
They destroyed everything to purify the land for yhwh and to extinguish influences that could tempt them to worship other gods

In ANE, you must conquer it to own it. As Yahweh conquers it’s his land.

Question 5

What are the major themes and concerns of Joshua?

Answer 5

Conquest of the Land
	-Preparations for conquest
	-Conquest itself
Division among the Tribes
	-Boundaries
	- Epilogue

Yahweh is victorious – fighting = settling the stage for ownership of The Lord understood in violent ways

The Power of Liturgy/ritual – people in the Joshua are liturgical actors & worshipped God. Walls of Jericho (fell because they where worshipping the Lord) Herem is seen as liturgy devoted everything to the Sword

• Conquest and obedience linked
• Israel’s real experience as conquered people
• Israel belongs to YHWH

Question 6

How is Joshua a mirror or model of Moses?

Answer 6

• Water Crosser - Moses crosses the Reed Sea in Exodus/ Joshua and Israelites cross the Jordan River
• Divine revelation – Moses burning bush remove your sandals/Joshua meets the commander of the Lord’s Army and removes sandals
• Law inscriber - Joshua at Shechem rewrites the law/ Like Moses on Mt. Sinai
• Land Allotter
• Moses Impersonator - both deliver farewell address both death

• Model of obedience and divine presence
The Lord was with Joshua and his fame is in all the Land 6.27