Original Research

The demise of Joshua according to Josephus

Christopher T. Begg
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 63, No 1 | a177 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v63i1.177 | © 2007 Christopher T. Begg | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 23 April 2007 | Published: 08 May 2007

About the author(s)

Christopher T. Begg, The Catholic University of America, United States

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Abstract

This article focuses on Josephus’ account of the end of Joshua in his Ant. 5.115-119. It offers a detailed comparison between that account and its biblical source (Jos 23-24) on the one hand, and two other postbiblical narrations of Joshua’s demise, that is those of Pseudo-Philo in Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 23-24 and the “Samaritan Chronicle No. II,” on the other. As compared with Joshua 23-24, Josephus’ version appears highly abbreviated, leaving aside, for example, the whole of Joshua 23 as well as 24:16-28, 31-32, even while also introducing various new elements. Josephus shares his non-reproduction of Joshua 23 and 24:31-32 with Pseudo-Philo and the Chronicle, for example, but deviates from these other witnesses in his downplaying of the role/activities of the dying Joshua.

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