Joshua
Joshua
Semi-technical
Evangelical

Joshua

in Apollos Old Testament Commentary

by Pekka Pitkänen

5 Rank Score: 5.24 from 1 reviews, 1 featured collections, and 2 user libraries
Pages 456
Publisher IVP Academic
Published 2010
ISBN-13 9781844744770
The book of Joshua presents a number of interpretative problems. On the basis of literary studies and archaeology, some have claimed that the book is a product of a much later age than the one it portrays and does not reflect actual events. Another important issue is how it should be read as Christian Scripture, given that it describes at least a partial annihilation of indigenous people groups. Related to this today is the ongoing struggle over essentially the same piece of land that is described in Joshua.

To address these and other issues, Pekka Pitkänen reads Joshua in its Ancient Near Eastern context. He makes extensive comparisons with relevant contemporary literature and includes an archaeological survey of all places mentioned in the Masoretic text. He argues that Joshua helps conclude the pentateuchal tradition and is best understood as a conquest document originating from the Late Bronze-Early Iron Age that helps define Israelite identity in Yahwistic terms and promulgates Yahwism in Israel as the exclusive religious ideology. In application, he engages with genocide studies and reflects on theodicy and the use and abuse of power.

In this volume, Pekka Pitkänen shows the relevance of Joshua to modern readers. While he remains anchored in the world of the text throughout the commentary, Pitkänen brings contemporary geopolitical issues (like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) to bear on Joshua and the genocidal "Israelite conquest tradition."

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This volume includes the author’s own translation and balances historical, textual, philological, and theological questions. There is broad engagement with current scholarship, attention to the ancient Near Eastern context, and some attention to modern concerns such as warfare violence and neocolonialism. A good resource for scholars and serious students of the text. [Full Review]