Joshua

Textual History of the Hebrew Bible, Volume 1B, edited by Emanuel Tov and Armin Lange (Leiden: Brill, 2016), chapter 3.1, pp. 251-256., 2016

This contribution presents a short overview of the general textual history of the book of Joshua in the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine periods and pays particular attention to the MasoreticText, the Qumran scrolls (4QJosh-a, 4QJosh-b and 4QJosh-c) as well as the Old Greek translation of that biblical book as well as their assessment by modern scholars.

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 2022

Although the book of Joshua is considered among the writings of the “former prophets” of Israel, the prophetic role of Joshua during the conquest finds little discussion in scholarship today. Yet the author of Joshua presents Israel’s leader at the time of the conquest as acting as prophet of Yahweh. Joshua meets prophetic criteria and possesses prophetic characteristics listed in the Pentateuch. He repeatedly speaks on behalf of the Lord to the people of Israel, using phrasing similar to the latter prophets of Israel. The Lord accomplishes a number of signs through the prophetic ministry of Joshua, such as the cutting off of the waters of the Jordan River, to verify Joshua’s position as mouthpiece of God. Joshua’s encounter with the commander of the Lord’s army in 5:13–15 and subsequent reception of divine instruction recalls the parallel experiences of Moses in Exodus 3–4 and Balaam in Numbers 22. 1 Kings 16:34 presents the fulfillment of the curse on Jericho as the realization of the word of the Lord through Joshua, connecting him to prophets like Elijah and Elisha. This study seeks to situate Joshua among the prophets of Israel, advancing discussion of prophetic activity between the time of Moses and the judges of Israel.

A book kept by the Samaritans, and stashed in Samaria, then inspiring King David. The lost canonical book is likely first written by Joshua's generation, and based on information and notes kept by the priesthood that guarded the scrolls of the Ark of the Covenant. Perhaps something that Eli had produced. The book is produced later by Muslim scribes in Arabia in the AD 700s, inspired by the carrying of the covenant of God from place to place, for that appears to be the main point of the document. The Chronicle of Joshua places near the Book of the Asatir, the Tower, (the 1st Book of Asher), a small book written in Moses' later years, yet that is a book of the secrets of Moses, not a chronicle of events, yet does speak of kings. The very large book of Jasher appears to be THE book of Asher, and is about twice the size of Genesis, telling the story of both Genesis and Joshua. Levitical-affiliated, the tribe of Asher would help in the scribe work of producing large books.

Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel, 2023

The article questions a widespread scholarly view regarding the authorship of Josh. 10:28–39. It is usually assumed that this description of a route of conquest and massacre, which Joshua leads through six cities in the Shephelah and Mount Hebron, was composed by Judean authors, and it is most commonly dated to the seventh century BCE. This paper examines the geographical reality underlying Josh. 10:28–39, as well as the spatial knowledge displayed in it. While reinforcing the common view that this is an essentially pre-Deuteronomistic, independent account and one of the relatively early elements within Josh. 10, these examinations also lead to the conclusion that its first draft was composed somewhat earlier than usually assumed - in the eighth century BCE, and not in Judah. Most likely it was written in Northern Israel before 722 BCE. This conclusion supports the recently renewed suggestion that the first edition of the Joshua Conquest Narrative was a pre-722 BCE North-Israelite composition.

Now It Happened in Those Days": Studies in Biblical, Assyrian, and Other Ancient Near Eastern Historiography Presented to Mordechai Cogan on His 75th Birthday , 2017

Certain texts about Joshua appearing in the book of Joshua and the Pentateuch appear to have been cut from a lost work or lost works about Joshua by a later editor and placed into the biblical books in which they are now found.

Liber Annuus, 2022

The pericope of Exod 32:15-19 proves that Joshua descended with Moses from the Mountain of God. Scholars generally explain Joshua’s descent minimalistically, i.e. Joshua was not in the camp, and thus from the perspective of the people’s idolatry, his profile remains unstained. Only recently has the view emerged that the privilege of accompanying Moses as his assistant is more important than merely being disassociated from idolatry. Similarly, Joshua’s first words about the sound of war in the camp (v. 17), are often considered as indicative of both Joshua’s military experience and his misinterpretation of the event. In their interpretations, Joshua dominates only as a military leader. However, the lacuna about Joshua’s whereabouts during Moses’ stay on the mountain can be explained differently, in Joshua’s favour without obscuring Moses’ role in communicating with the LORD. The text seems to present Joshua, Moses’ personal assistant, as a careful listener. Moreover, he seems to be the only speaker during the descent (v. 18) and not Moses as it is usually interpreted, and he was able to recognize the singing as cultic. All in all, Joshua’s image seems to reflect later postexilic redactional influence that highlighted him as a prudent assistant of Moses.

2016

What is the bond between a cultural icon and the surrounding culture? Using Joshua as an exemplar, this book investigates the presentation of his character in the Bible and explores the continuities and discontinuities in his reception among classical interpreters, Jewish, Christian and Samaritan. The study of a hero shared by several cultures sheds light on the elements that bind these cultures together as well as those that keep them apart.

This document addresses introductory issues in Joshua and the historical books of the OT with selected analysis in the footnotes.

Michaël N. van der Meer, "The Reception History of Joshua in the Septuagint and Contemporary Documents," in Die Septuaginta-Geschichte, Wirkung, Relevanz, ed. Martin Meiser, Michaela Geiger, Siegfried Kreuzer, Marcus Sigismund, WUNT 405 (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2018), 431-463, 2018

In this paper the reception of the book of Joshua as reflected in the Old Greek version is placed within the context of contemporary interpretations of the figure and book of Joshua in the Persian, Ptolemaic, Seleucid, Hasmonean, Julio-Claudan and Flavian periods. Attention is given to passages in Ben Sira, Eupolemos, 1 and 2 Maccabees, the Qumran Joshua Apocryphon, 4QTestimonia, the Testaments of Moses, Philo, Acts, Hebrews, 2 Baruch, 4 Ezra, Sibylline Oracles, Josephus and Pseudo-Philo. Particularly the latter two rewritten versions show interesting parallels and contrasts with the Old Greek version of Joshua, when it comes to the role of warfare and attitude to foreign powers. It is argued that a historical and contextual approach instead of an inner-biblical approach to reception history helps to explain the early reception history and even late redaction history of that biblical book.