The cities in the Book of Joshua
Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 2:20 pm
I recently came across some information that I haven't been able to find an answer for. This is that the cities listed in the second part of the Book of Joshua, those listed as the boundaries for the territories of the tribes, are in fact the boundaries from the time of Josiah. From what I've read, some of the cities listed were not even inhabited yet during the time of Joshua. I came across this site during my research and found it very helpful. Could anyone here explain this apparent anachronism for me?
Also, is it possible that Josiah or someone else may have ordered the rewriting of scriptures from earlier sources? Could Josiah, as part of his reforms, have been trying to make the scriptures more relevant for the Jews of his time? For example, it is generally agreed that the first five books were not written by Moses, based on the fact that they use different styles and Moses couldn't write about his own death, but do you think Moses left writings that were edited into these books (and the same for Joshua in the case of the sixth book)? Thanks.
Also, is it possible that Josiah or someone else may have ordered the rewriting of scriptures from earlier sources? Could Josiah, as part of his reforms, have been trying to make the scriptures more relevant for the Jews of his time? For example, it is generally agreed that the first five books were not written by Moses, based on the fact that they use different styles and Moses couldn't write about his own death, but do you think Moses left writings that were edited into these books (and the same for Joshua in the case of the sixth book)? Thanks.