Reading Deuteronomy after Joshua: On Reversing the Interpretative Flow
The Book of Joshua, especially its introductory passage, clearly presents itself as a sequel to Deuteronomy. As one reads further into Joshua, however, several elements in this book become problematic. As a result, readers of Joshua are pushed back to re-read Deuteronomy after their reading of Joshu...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Amsterdam University Press
2022
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| In: |
European journal of theology
Year: 2022, Volume: 31, Issue: 1, Pages: 6-20 |
| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Divine Command
B Deuteronomy B anachrony B re-reading B Joshua |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The Book of Joshua, especially its introductory passage, clearly presents itself as a sequel to Deuteronomy. As one reads further into Joshua, however, several elements in this book become problematic. As a result, readers of Joshua are pushed back to re-read Deuteronomy after their reading of Joshua. Do the treaties with Rahab and with the Gibeonites contravene the commands in Deuteronomy? Is Joshua 11:15 a correct verdict? The article argues that Joshua enjoys considerable freedom in carrying out commands from Yahweh which do not specify his required behaviour in detail. It then argues that the book makes clever use of anachrony, especially in the form of analepsis, which means that the narrator omits information until a later point in the narrative, encouraging readers to re-read, and perhaps re-interpret, parts of the story already narrated. When they do so, they see that divine commands in Joshua leave space for human variation and that the Book of the Torah does not address all possible issues. |
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| ISSN: | 2666-9730 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: European journal of theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.5117/EJT2022.1.002.FIRT |