Joshua, Judges, and the Hebrew Occupation of Canaan





I.
Overview of Joshua and Judges: What's in the Text?





A. Joshua (Basic Summary of Contents)





B.
Judges (Basic Summary of Contents)








II.
A Closer Look at the Joshua Narrative





A.
Joshua 1-12: Conquest and Holy War


Questions for Reflection





B.
Joshua 13-21: Partitioning of the Land


Questions for Reflection





C.
Joshua 22-24: Israel's Debt to Yahweh


1.
Chapter 22: Conflict with transjordanian tribes (Reuben, Gad, East-Manasseh)


2.
Chapter 23: Farewell of Joshua



Question for Reflection


3.
24:1-27: Covenant Ceremony



Question for Reflection


4.
24:32: The bones of Joseph laid to rest at Shechem


5.
The Septuagint Postlude (LXX Joshua 24:33a—33b)








III.
A Closer Look at the Book of Judges





A.
A Pattern of Faith and Faithlessness





B.
The Historical Puzzle of the Hebrew Occupation of Canaan






1.
The Literary Evidence: A Rapid Overview



Questions for Reflection







a) Joshua 1—12



b) Judges 1:1—2:5



    (1) Judges 1:1—2:5 as after the death of Joshua



    (2) Judges 1:1—2:5 as referring to the same time as Joshua 1—12







c) Attempts to Harmonize the Narratives



d) Objectives of the Narratives






2.
Archaeologial Evidence: A Rapid Overview






3.
Attempts to Reconstruct the History of the Israelite Occupation of Canaan







a) Conquest? (William F. Albright, Yigael Yadin, Abraham Malamat, G.E. Wright)



    (1) Unified Campaign?



    (2) Localized Conflicts?







b) Infiltration? (Albrecht Alt, Martin Noth, M. Weippert)







c) Peasant Revolt? (George Mendenhall, Norman K. Gottwald)







d) Evaluation







Questions for Discussion and Reflection









C.
Short Stories about the Judges (Judges 2:16-16:31)






1.
Ehud: the Left-handed "Son of the Right Hand" (Judges 3:12-30)






2.
Deborah (Judges 4-5)






3.
Gideon (Judges 6-8)






4.
Abimelech: an Abortive Attempt at Forced Monarchy (Judges 9)






5.
Jephthat (Judges 10-12)







a) A Human Sacrifice for Yahweh (Judges 11)



Be sure you have read pages 93-116 of Texts of Terror before the discussionof the chapter of the book of Judges.







b) Shibboleth (Judges 12)






6.
Samson (Judges 13-16)









D.
An Idol for Yahweh? (Judges 17)





E.
The Migration of the Danites (Judges 18)



Question for Discussion





F.
The War of Retribution against Benjamin: Misogyny and Violence (Judges 19-21)






1.
Rape of the Levite's Concubine (Judges 19)



Be sure you have read pages 65-91 of Texts of Terror before the discussion of this chapter of the book of Judges.






2.
The War of Retribution (Judges 20)






3.
Wives for the Benjaminite Men (Judges 21)








IV.
Conclusion: Joshuah and Judges: Introduction to the HD and Preparation for the Story of Monarchy