| Two major frameworks have dominated scholarly reading of the book of Joshua within the past century: the literary "discovery" of the Deuteronomistic History and the archaeological discovery of evidence that enabled analysis of the historical data underlying the story of Israel's occupation of Canaan. This dissertation will address the fragmentation often brought about by the latter development and offer a more wholistic reading of the book with a focus on its meaning and purpose as a literary work, building upon several other recent attempts at such a reading in the process.;In response to the scholarly observation that the book of Joshua is fraught with tensions that are not easily understood or resolved, I propose as a starting point the surprising "verdict" in Josh 24:31 that "Israel served the Lord during all the days of Joshua." When it is taken seriously as a literary clue that points to a theological interpretation of the totality of Israel's actions in the book of Joshua, it broadens and deepens the reader's understanding of Israel's service to the Lord, allowing it to encompass Israel's repentance and YHWH's mercy, not only Israel's obvious acts of obedience.;Through this hermeneutical and literary lens, I consider two pairs of stories and a major set of themes in the book of Joshua: the stories of Rahab and Achan, the stories of the Gibeonites and the Transjordanian altar, and the themes of Israel's complete or incomplete taking of the land of Canaan. I argue that the way in which the book of Joshua presents these stories reminds Israel of the dynamic nature of its identity as YHWH's people---an identity that demands a continued response of obedience parallel to YHWH's ever-unfolding work on Israel's behalf. The book of Joshua portrays Israel's obedience as not merely an unattainable ideal or a thing of the past, but a living reality that unfolds when YHWH's people acknowledge His claim upon them and strive to serve Him. In this way, the book of Joshua tells the story of Israel's early days in the land in a way that makes it available as a resource for Israel's life before YHWH throughout the ages. |
