Joshua Questions

1.  Read Chapters 1, 3, 4, 5:13-15.  What similarities and differences do you find to events and persons in the narratives about Moses, Exodus, and wilderness?

2.  Read Chapters 6-8,  How would you describe holy war in these chapters?  How is the conquest portrayed?

3.  Read Ch. 11:23 and Chapter 23.  How do you reconcile these two accounts?

4.  Read Chapter 24.  What are the key elements?  What similarities are there to the book of Deuteronomy?

Bandstra  Questions

1.  What books make up what scholars call the Deuteronomistic History?  How does this relate to the Jewish division of the TANAK, the Prophets:  Former and Latter?

1.  How does Bandstra summarize variou positions (Noth, von Rad, Wolff) on the motivation and themes of the Deuteronimistic History?  Check out this longer summary of themes from Weinfeld at http://fontes.lstc.edu/~rklein/Doc9/tenthemes.htm

2.  What is the major Deteronomic Theme Bandstra identifies in Figure 3 (p. 192)?

3.  How would you summarize Bandstra's discussion of the history of historiography in relation to the Deuteronomistic History on pp. 192-194)?

4.  Who are El, Baal, and Asherah (p. 194)?  What is the evidence that some YHWH worshippers also thought of YHWH in terms drawn from Baal and Asherah worship? (p. 194)  For information and translation excerpts from the Baal Cycle see http://prophetess.lstc.edu/~rklein/Doc5/baalcycle_files/baal.htm

If you are interested in some of the finds at Ugarit, see http://oi.uchicago.edu/research/pubs/nn/win02_pardee.html   and the googlebooks preview of A Primer on Ugaritic:  Language, Culture, and Literature by William M. Schniedewind, Joel H. Hunt. 

5.  How does Bandstra treat the issue of "Divinely Sanctioned Violence" on pp. 208-210?  Do you find his treatment satisfactory?   Why or why not?

6.  What are the four models of how Israel was established in Canaan Bandstra discusses on 215-217?  What is the evidence in favor or and against each?

Information and images of Merneptah Stele:  http://prophetess.lstc.edu/~rklein/Doc6/Merneptah.htm   http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bible/deve-03.html

7.  What roles do Shechem and covenant renewal play in the book of Joshua according to Bandsta 210-21l and 217-219?