Yehoshua ben Nun - Was he or wasn't he?

"Sunshine in Gibeon Dom"

The book of Joshua describes the conquest campaign of Joshua ben Nun throughout the country, in order to inherit it and settle it. Joshua received this appointment from Moses during the wanderings in the desert. According to the narrator, Joshua led a very aggressive campaign of conquests. Comparing the entire length of the book with Flavius's book "The Antiquity of the Jews" a figure of a decisive man is drawn, who conducted the battles with great judgment and wisdom and his wisdom was used the people even after he retired from his activities until his death at the age of 110 (Flavius ​​156:1967).

Actually know nothing about the man. Unlike other founding figures in the Bible, the scripture does not say anything about the circles close to him or family members as these are mentioned in other founding figures, whether it is the fathers of the nation or the first kings Saul, David and Solomon, many parts of the Bible are dedicated to them. The scripture reports on their sons, on the women And their other personalities have to do with the decision-making processes such as military ministers and prophets. Even in Flavius ​​there is no mention of this complex of personalities even in a hint, which raises many questions. It is therefore not possible to learn about his other personality characteristics regarding his relationship with those close to him. A somewhat sterile figure. Who was the woman he lived with? Did he have multiple wives? did he have children Because of the centrality of Joshua as a founding figure in the biblical narrative, the scriptures were supposed to give various, if minimal, references to it. What sharpens this question is the behavior of the people after his death: "And Israel served Yahweh all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who lived long after Joshua and who knew all that Yahweh had done for Israel" (Joshua 31:XNUMX). The clear meaning is that for a certain period the elders are who led the people. Yehoshua would not continue. why? As if some kind of leadership void had been created

The only chronological indication regarding Joshua that he was 110 years old at his death. How old was he when he was appointed by Moses as his successor? Evidence of this can be found in the dialogue that took place between him and Caleb son of Jephunneh, when the latter asked for an estate in the land as written: "And the sons of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizite said to him. You knew the thing that Yahweh spoke to Moses the man of God about me and about you in the Kadesh Barnea, forty years old, I myself sent Moses a servant to lead me from the temple of Barnea to explore the land" (Joshua Yad 7-8). At the end of his presentation of his words, he answered Moshe: "And now behold, the beast will represent me when he spoke forty-five years since Yahweh spoke this word to Moses as Israel walked in the wilderness and now I myself am eighty-five years old today" (ibid. verse 10). From these words it can be said that Joshua was sent on the mission of spying when he was 45 years old. (The Bible tells us that Moses was 120 years old when he died. Since the journey in the desert lasted 40 years, the exodus from Egypt began when Moses was 80 years old This in itself seems absolutely impossible. Even if we accept this data as correct, then Caleb ben Yafuna addressed his request to Moses at the beginning of the exodus from Egypt. What is the point of making such a request when the people are far from the promised land? It is more likely that a dog who was evacuated would have made this request close to entering the country or from the time they entered the country and began the occupation. It is difficult to know how old Joshua was when he started the conquest campaign. However, if you take into account the references to Caleb ben Yefuna and the age that Joshua mentions, it seems that he was 50 years old or more. A relatively old age to start a campaign of conquests.

According to Flavius, "the years of his life were one hundred and ten, of which he was with Moses for forty years to study the useful teachings, and after his death he served as an army minister for twenty-five years" (Flavius ​​156:1967). This implies that the period of Joshua's training began with the beginning of the exodus from Egypt, and continued throughout The length of his wanderings and ended with his entry into Israel when he was 80 years old and then he began the conquest campaign, which is clearly seen Completely impossible and he ruled that he was 105 years old. The incoherence in the comparison between the two sources and the fact that according to both he started the campaign of conquest at an old age raises doubts about the reliability of the chronologies presented both in the book of Joshua and in Flavius.

The lack of information regarding Joshua's family, the personal characteristics and the chronological ambiguity can raise a fundamental question as to whether Joshua ben Nun did not exist and was not created or did he only live during the people's journey in the desert. The conquest of the land was done by a person or a group of other people and Joshua's name was overshadowed by them with the aim of enhancing his personality. It is likely that the person who wrote this book or compiled various sources relating to the conquest campaign was missing this information.

מקור

Josephus ben Mattathias (Flavius ​​Josephus) - The Antiquities of the Jews Volume 1967, Mossad Bialik, XNUMX

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