Term Paper on "Joshua 24"

Term Paper 8 pages (3138 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Joshua 24 is first of all seen by its commentators as one of the Covenant rituals between the God of Israel and its people, which may be included in the series of the covenants made initially by Abraham and then by Moses.

The Old Testament text of Joshua 24 has been long commented and analyzed by scholars, in what regards its historical localization, and various conclusions have been derived, from those of Delbert Hillers who believed that its importance lies in the fact that it was the first Covenant that was made by the entire Israelite tribal amphictyony, to John Van Seters who argued that its form has so many similarities to the Deuteronomy tradition, that it should be considered as an addition to the initial work of Deuteronomy.

Thus, the reconstruction of the event in Joshua 24 varies from a perspective that sees it as a historical event, signaling important transformations for Israel (i.e. its tribal unification) and a perspective in which it is only a textual expansion of the Deuteronomic texts.

Scholars also differ therefore with respect to the placement in of the fragment in time: Hillers believes it to be a reminiscence of an ancient tradition, while Van Seters obviously places it after Deuteronomy.

Joshua 24 has been interpreted in many ways by the historians and theorists of the Old Testament. First of all, it has been shown that there is a great resemblance between the form of this chapter and that of the ancient treaties, for example the treaty concluded between Egypt and Hatti and signed by Ramses II and Hattusilis III, respectively.

The Covenant at Shechem has the same form as that of the treaty between Ramses II and Hattusilis III, covering most of the points that were mentioned in the treaty. The pattern for the vassal-sovereign treaty is made up of the following terms: stating the current relations, agreeing to mutual non-aggression, reaffirming the former treaties, establishing a defensive alliance, establishing of the orderly succession, defining the terms of extradition, naming the witnesses to the treaty, and finally making up a litany of curses and blessings.

These points made by the treaty parallel the structure of Joshua 24 thus: we are told that Joshua gathered an assembly of the tribes of Israel at Shechem and told them the words that God wanted them to hear from Him. First, God reminds Israel of the blessings that He brought to it, of the lands that He gave to the people of Israel and of the former Covenants that had been established between Him and them. This point is similar to the reaffirmation of the former treaties as stated in the pact between Ramses II and Hattusilis III:

Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac."

In the verses above Yahweh reminds the people of Israel of the beginning of His Covenant to them: the moment when their forefathers forsook other gods to serve Him, and therefore the beginning of His protection of Israel as His own people, by giving them a land to inherit, by multiplying their seed and by sheltering them against all enemies or natural disasters.

Even form the beginning of the chapter there is, thus, emphasis on the fathers of Israel who "served other gods," making it clear that the purpose of the Covenant is precisely the reaffirming of the Covenant of the "jealous God," who desires to reestablish and enhance his authority over the people of Israel.

The second great emphasis of the passage is that of the possession of the land that was granted by Yahweh to His people, and that they are to maintain only by continuing in their submission to Him and by forsaking other gods. These two emphasis are part of the mutual agreement that corresponds to the treaty formula: only on condition that the people of Israel serve Yahweh and forsake other gods, does He secure the land for them and continue protecting them as His own people.

We notice that the conditions of the Covenant related to the possession of the land and to the promise of submission are themselves similar to those in a sovereign-vassal treaty:

And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

The Covenant, like a sovereign-vassal treaty contains not only the promise of the benefits and blessings in case of obedience, but also the reverse- the menace in case of failure to abide by it- Yahweh states He will hurt Israel if they choose to serve other gods instead, just like He benefited them before:

If ye forsake the Lord, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good."

This point in the Covenant resembles, partly, that of the "defensive alliance" in the treaty-formula, since it states that if the jealous and holy God shall not be forsaken for other gods he will protect His people, otherwise He will hurt them. But most of all the menace resembles perhaps the litany of curses and blessings, since all those who will not observe the treaty will be cursed and will have to suffer drear consequences for their act of disobedience.

Once the Covenant is reestablished and the people of Israel swear to obey Yahweh as before, the witnesses have to be named, as in the sovereign-vassal treaty pattern. Still, in the Covenant of Shechem the people of Israel are called as witnesses against themselves, instead of the gods that are found in the treaty formula:

And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses."

In addition to this, Joshua also names as a witness a great stone that was placed under an oak "where the sanctuary of the Lord was." The setting of the stone by Joshua has been interpreted many times as a reminiscence of the primitive cults, where the stone was considered animated, and thus able to witness the treaty and hear the promises made on both sides. This would point thus to the historical origin of the passage as dating before Deuteronomy, since it violates the commandments given through Moses on Mount Sinai, that forbade the worshipping of idols.

The last point of resemblance between the text of Joshua 24 and the sovereign-vassal formula is that of the "orderly succession," which states that the Covenant will be followed and obeyed by the generations to come as well. In Joshua we have the actual confirmation of the Covenant keeping by the people of Israel:

And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel." (Joshua, 24:31)

Many commentators of the Old Testament have attempted to interpret and localize historically the Covenant at Shechem.

Among these, Delbert Hillers proposed that the very place of the Covenant had been long associated with a tradition of pact-making, even before the coming of the Israelites, and that the very name of the founder of this town is a clear hint to the making of treaties:

The very name of the founder of the town points to an association with treaty ceremonies and the name of the God worshipped in its temple- the largest yet discovered in Palestine- is variously given as 'God of the Covenant' (El Berit) or 'Lord of the Covenant' (Baal Berit)"

Hillers' historical interpretation of the Biblical text sets forth the idea that the land of Shechem itself is the key to Joshua 24, since it must have been the place where all the twelve tribes of Israel finally gathered, for the first time in their complete representation, to resume the pact that had not been complete in the Covenant from Deuteronomy, when the tribes were not yet unified:

There were groups within later… READ MORE

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