Conquests of Canaan, battle with the Amalekites, Jericho walls, the sun has stopped
In the Latin (and then in the Catholic and Protestant) tradition, the name of Joshua is transmitted differently than the name of Jesus Christ - iosue instead of Jesus, while in the Greek Orthodox tradition both are called Jesus(therefore, the name of the first is usually added Naveen or son of Nun, while for the Western tradition it is redundant).
Biography
Already at the very entry into the desert, upon leaving Egypt, he led the Jewish army when " Moses said to Jesus: Choose us husbands, and go fight the Amalekites”(Ex.), and then during the whole wandering he was one of the main assistants of Moses, until, after the death of the latter, all power over the Jews passed to him.
Immediately after the death of Moses, God appeared to Jesus and said to him:
First, the Jews, led by Jesus, attack Jericho. For seven days, their troops march around the city walls, led by priests who carry the ark of the covenant. On the seventh day, the army marched around the city seven times, accompanied by priests playing trumpets. IN a certain moment Jesus orders all the people to shout at the same time, and immediately the walls of the city fall of their own accord.
After that, Jesus orders the complete extermination of the population of Jericho, including women, the elderly, children, and livestock. Only the harlot Rahab and her relatives were spared because Rahab had previously sheltered Jewish spies who had entered the city. Jericho itself was completely burned (Joshua, chapter 6).
During this battle, Joshua, according to the Bible, stopped the Sun and the Moon in the skyso that the enemy could not retreat, taking advantage of the evening and night darkness: “Stay, sun over Gibeon, and moon over the valley of Aialon!”(Nav.).
Five kings, having been defeated, hid in one of the caves. But they were discovered, and Nun ordered them to be killed and hanged on trees. Then the Jewish army captured the cities of Maked, Livna and Lachish. All the inhabitants of these cities were completely exterminated. The king of Gazer came to the aid of the king of Lachish, but the Israelites prevailed and completely exterminated his people. The same fate befell all the inhabitants of the cities of Eglon and Hebron:
After the conquest and division of the land, he died peacefully and was buried on Mount Ephraim (Nav., Nav.). Shortly before his death, he called on his people: “Fear the Lord and serve Him in purity and sincerity; reject the gods that your fathers served across the river and in Egypt, but serve the Lord.”(Nav.).
In the New Testament, Joshua is mentioned in the "Epistle to the Hebrews" ().
- The image of Joshua is embroidered on one of the banners of Yermak, stored in the Armory of the Moscow Kremlin.
- The phenomenon on Mercury, when the Sun stops in the sky and moves in the opposite direction, is called the Joshua effect.
- The image of Joshua appears in film adaptations in the film The Ten Commandments in 1956, as well as in the second half of the film.
- Mark Twain, in his story "A Yankee in King Arthur's Court", wishing to emphasize the feudal fragmentation of Britain (in both the Celtic and Anglo-Saxon eras), used the following comparison: "There were as many 'Kings' and 'Kingdoms' in Britain as in Palestine under Joshua."
Write a review on the article "Joshua"
Notes
Literature
- D.V. Shchedrovitsky.. - Moscow: Terevinf, 2014.
- // I. Finkelstein and N. A. Zilberman “Excavated Bible. A new point of view of archeology on ancient Israel and the origin of its sacred texts
Links
- - article from the Electronic Jewish Encyclopedia
- - Lives of the Saints
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
An excerpt describing Joshua
And it was not Napoleon who controlled the course of the battle, because nothing from his disposition was executed and during the battle he did not know about what was happening ahead of him. Therefore, the way in which these people killed each other did not happen at the will of Napoleon, but proceeded independently of him, at the will of hundreds of thousands of people who participated in the common cause. It seemed to Napoleon only that the whole thing was happening according to his will. And therefore the question of whether or not Napoleon had a runny nose is of no greater interest to history than the question of the runny nose of the last Furshtat soldier.Moreover, on August 26, Napoleon's runny nose did not matter, since the testimony of writers that, due to Napoleon's runny nose, his disposition and orders during the battle were not as good as before, are completely unfair.
The disposition written out here was not in the least worse, and even better, than all previous dispositions by which battles were won. The imaginary orders during the battle were also no worse than before, but exactly the same as always. But these dispositions and orders seem only worse than the former ones, because battle of Borodino was the first that Napoleon did not win. All the most beautiful and thoughtful dispositions and orders seem very bad, and every learned military man criticizes them with a significant air when the battle is not won over them, and the very bad dispositions and orders seem very good, and serious people in whole volumes prove the merits of bad orders, when the battle is won over them.
The disposition compiled by Weyrother at the battle of Austerlitz was a model of perfection in writings of this kind, but it was nevertheless condemned, condemned for its perfection, for being too detailed.
Napoleon in the battle of Borodino performed his job as a representative of power just as well, and even better, than in other battles. He did nothing detrimental to the course of the battle; he leaned towards more prudent opinions; he did not confuse, did not contradict himself, did not get frightened and did not run away from the battlefield, but with his great tact and experience of the war, he calmly and dignifiedly played his role of seeming boss.
Returning from his second preoccupied trip down the line, Napoleon said:
The chess is set, the game will start tomorrow.
Ordering himself a punch and calling Bosse, he began a conversation with him about Paris, about some changes that he intended to make in the maison de l "imperatrice [in the court state of the empress], surprising the prefect with his memory of all the small details of court relations.
He was interested in trifles, joked about Bosse's love of travel and casually chatted like a famous, confident and knowledgeable cameraman does, while he rolls up his sleeves and puts on an apron, and the patient is tied to a bunk: “It's all in my hands and in the head, clear and definite. When I need to get down to business, I will do it like no other, and now I can joke, and the more I joke and calm, the more you should be sure, calm and surprised at my genius.
Having finished his second glass of punch, Napoleon went to rest before the serious business, which, as it seemed to him, was coming to him the next day.
He was so interested in this task ahead of him that he could not sleep and, despite the runny nose that had worsened from the evening dampness, at three o'clock in the morning, blowing his nose loudly, he went out into the large compartment of the tent. He asked if the Russians had left? He was told that the enemy fires were still in the same places. He nodded his head approvingly.
The duty adjutant entered the tent.
- Eh bien, Rapp, croyez vous, que nous ferons do bonnes affaires aujourd "hui? [Well, Rapp, what do you think: will our affairs be good today?] - he turned to him.
- Sans aucun doute, Sire, [Without any doubt, sovereign,] - answered Rapp.
Napoleon looked at him.
- Vous rappelez vous, Sire, ce que vous m "avez fait l" honneur de dire a Smolensk, - said Rapp, - le vin est tire, il faut le boire. [Do you remember, sir, those words that you deigned to say to me in Smolensk, the wine is uncorked, you must drink it.]
Napoleon frowned and sat silently for a long time, his head resting on his hand.
“Cette pauvre armee,” he said suddenly, “elle a bien diminue depuis Smolensk.” La fortune est une franche courtisane, Rapp; je le disais toujours, et je commence al "eprouver. Mais la garde, Rapp, la garde est intacte? [Poor army! It has greatly decreased from Smolensk. Fortune is a real whore, Rapp. I have always said this and am beginning to experience it. But the guard, Rapp, are the guards intact?] he said inquiringly.
- Oui, Sire, [Yes, sir.] - answered Rapp.
Napoleon took a lozenge, put it in his mouth and looked at his watch. He did not want to sleep, it was still far from morning; and in order to kill time, it was no longer possible to issue any orders, because everything had been made and was now being carried out.
– A t on distribue les biscuits et le riz aux regiments de la garde? [Have they distributed crackers and rice to the guardsmen?] Napoleon asked sternly.
– Oui, Sire. [Yes, sir.]
Mais le riz? [But rice?]
Rapp replied that he had conveyed the sovereign's orders about rice, but Napoleon shook his head in displeasure, as if he did not believe that his order would be carried out. The servant entered with punch. Napoleon ordered another glass to be served to Rapp and silently sipped from his own.
“I have no taste or smell,” he said, sniffing the glass. - This cold has bothered me. They talk about medicine. What kind of medicine when they can not cure the common cold? Corvisart gave me these lozenges, but they do nothing. What can they treat? Cannot be treated. Notre corps est une machine a vivre. Il est organise pour cela, c "est sa nature; laissez y la vie a son aise, qu" elle s "y defende elle meme: elle fera plus que si vous la paralysiez en l" encombrant de remedes. notre corps est comme une montre parfaite qui doit aller un certain temps; l "horloger n" a pas la faculte de l "ouvrir, il ne peut la manier qu" a tatons et les yeux bandes. Notre corps est une machine a vivre, voila tout. [Our body is a machine for life. It is designed for this. Leave life alone in him, let her defend herself, she will do more alone than when you interfere with her with medicines. Our body is like a clock that must run a certain time; the watchmaker cannot open them and only by groping and blindfolded can he operate them. Our body is a machine for life. That's all.] - And as if embarking on the path of definitions, definitions that Napoleon loved, he suddenly made a new definition. “Do you know, Rapp, what the art of war is?” - he asked. - The art of being stronger than the enemy at a certain moment. Voila tout. [That's all.]
Rapp didn't answer.
Demainnous allons avoir affaire a Koutouzoff! [Tomorrow we will deal with Kutuzov!] - said Napoleon. - We'll see! Remember, in Braunau he commanded an army and not once in three weeks did he mount his horse to inspect the fortifications. We'll see!
He glanced at his watch. It was still only four o'clock. I didn’t feel like sleeping, the punch was finished, and there was nothing to do after all. He got up, walked up and down, put on a warm frock coat and hat, and left the tent. The night was dark and damp; barely audible dampness fell from above. The bonfires did not burn brightly near, in the French guard, and far away through the smoke they shone along the Russian line. Everywhere it was quiet, and the rustle and clatter of the already begun movement of the French troops to take up a position could be clearly heard.
Napoleon walked in front of the tent, looked at the lights, listened to the clatter, and, passing by a tall guardsman in a shaggy hat, who stood sentry at his tent and, like a black pillar, stretched out at the appearance of the emperor, stopped opposite him.
- Since what year in the service? he asked with that habitual affectation of coarse and affectionate militancy with which he always treated his soldiers. The soldier answered him.
- Ah! un des vieux! [BUT! of the old people!] Got rice in the regiment?
- Got it, Your Majesty.
Napoleon nodded his head and stepped away from him.
Mastery of Canaan
Crossing the Jordan
Fall of the walls of Jericho
Victory over the Canaanites
Stopping the sun
Settlement of tribes according to destinies
Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim (Numbers 13:18). His name "Jesus" used in the Russian translation has a Greek form. So, as he led the people of Israel into the promised land, he can be considered the prototype of a great leader. Who is now leading his people to the promised land in heaven.
Jesus Navil was a close collaborator of Moses throughout the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. He was with Moses on the mountain of God, Sinai (Ex. 24:13). He was among the 12 spies (Num. 13:8,16). Josephus says that Jesus Pavia was 85 years old when he interceded for Moses. It took Joshua six years to subdue the earth, and he spent the rest of his life in the reign and in the distribution of the land among the 12 tribes. Joshua Pavia reigned in Israel for 25 years. He died at the age of 110 and was buried in Tamnaf-Saray, on Mount Ephraim. Jesus Pavia was a glorious leader, had a disciplined army, sent spies, but prayed and trusted in God.
archaeological note
About the name of Joshua. The Amarna tablets, written at that time from Palestine to the pharaoh in Egypt, about the defeat of the king of ashes, contain the following words: "Ask Benjamin, ask Tadua, ask Joshua."
Majestic head. Israel had a book. She was just a particle of God's word that we have now. Oh, how important! God's stern warning to Joshua at the beginning of his great achievements was to be very precise in keeping God's word written in the book. Jesus
Joshua kept God's commands, therefore, with phenomenal success. What a great leader in the Christian church!
Chapter 2
Two spies and Rahab
God bless him this lesson for all
Rahab heard about the miracles that took place in Israel and became convinced that the God of the Israelites was the true God (10:11). When she met with the spies, she risked taking the side of the Israelites and their God.
Maybe she wasn't what they called her, a "harlot." She lived among people of low morality. Canaanite women were public harlots. Her occupation among the people with whom she lived was considered honorable, and not humiliating, as is considered in modern times.
Rahab was married to an Israelite named Salmon (Matt. 1:5). Caleb had a son named salma (1 Chron. 2:51). It is possible that this is the same Salmon. If this is so, then through marriage he became related to a noble family in Israel. Rahab thus became the offspring of Boaz, David, and Jesus Christ. Her name is mentioned in the list of heroes of the faith (Heb. 11:31).
archaeological note
Rahab's house in the city wall (2:15). In Jericho, residential buildings were built in the city wall (see next page).
Chapter 3
Crossing the Jordan
When the bearers of the ark of the covenant approached the banks of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan stopped flowing and became a wall at a great distance to the city of Adam. The city of Adam was located 26 km to the north. Below the city of Adam, the water went into the dead sea and into the sandy bottom of the river, which became dry enough to cross. Near the city of Adam, the Jordan flows between steep clay banks, 13 meters high. These banks sometimes collapse into the water. In 1927, during an earthquake in this part of the country, there was a large collapse of these banks, which delayed the flow of the Jordan for almost a day. It is possible that the Lord used such phenomena to "stop" the waters of the Jordan for Joshua and the people of Israel. In any case, what happened was a great miracle of God, which greatly frightened the Canaanites, who had already been greatly frightened (5:1).
1400 years later, Jesus Christ was baptized in the Jordan River at the place where Jesus Pavia crossed the Jordan.
Chapter 4
Stones monuments
The Lord commanded that two monuments of stones be erected: one on the eastern bank of the river, where the ark of the covenant stood (9), and the other on the western side of the river in Gilgal (4:20), so that subsequent generations of Israel would not forget the events and places of this miracle.
Easter celebration
Finally, having reached the promised land, on the fourth day after crossing the Jordan, the Israelites celebrated the Passover (4:19; 5:10). The day after the Passover, the manna stopped falling from heaven (5:12). To protect his people, the Lord sent a mysterious leader with an army, which greatly encouraged Joshua in his further ministry (5:13-15).
Chapter 6
Conquest of Jericho
The conquest of Jericho was a direct manifestation of God's power to inspire the Israelites from the very beginning of their struggle against the strongest nations for them. For seven days they went around Jericho with the priests, the ark of the covenant, and the sound of the trumpet. And above them was the leader of the host of the Lord (5:14), who at the appointed time on the seventh day, with the sound of a trumpet and the exclamations of the people, destroyed the walls of Jericho.
The city was put under a spell and a curse was pronounced on anyone who dares to rebuild the city (26, see 1 Kings 16:34).
Jericho was located 10 km from the Jordan, and Gilgal, the headquarters of Joshua, is halfway between Jericho and the Jordan.
The walls of Jericho surrounded the city, which covered an area of 3 hectares. it was the outer fortress of the city, around which many people lived.
New Testament Jericho is located 2 km south of the ruins of the old city. And the present Jericho Village is located 2 km to the southeast.
archaeological note
Dr. John Garstang, Director of the British School of Archeology in Jerusalem and the Palestinian Government's Department of Antiquities, excavated Jericho from 1929-36. He found potsherds and a scarab that proved the destruction of the city around 1400 BC, coinciding with the time of Joshua and many other discoveries that prove the biblical story of the destruction of Jericho.
“and the wall of the city fell down to its foundations” (19). Dr. Garstang found that the wall of the city had "collapsed," fallen flat. The wall of Jericho was double, with a passage between the walls of 5 m
Figure 38. Ruins of ancient Jericho. The picture shows the walls
Old city. Photo by Matson.
Figure 39. Aerial view of the hills of ancient Jericho. Bottom
Jericho Plain. Photo by Matson.
Width. The outer wall was 2 m thick, and the inner wall was 4 m thick and 10 m high. The walls were built on a not very strong foundation of bricks 10 cm thick and 1/2 m long, held together with mud. Both walls were connected by a superstructure of residential buildings on top of the walls, including Rahava's house in the "wall". Dr. Garstang found that the outer wall had fallen outward and tumbled into the ravine, pulling the inner wall with the dwellings behind it, as the bond between the bricks was thinner here. The base of the palace wall in four rows of stones stood with a strong slope outwards. Dr. Gerstang thinks that the walls of Jericho were greatly shaken by an earthquake, (the signs of which are quite obvious), in a way that God could use at any time.
“They burned the city and everything in it with fire” (23). Excavations have shown strong signs conflagration and destruction. He also discovered in the excavations layers of coal and ash from the destruction of the walls by fire. The outer wall was badly damaged by fire. Residential buildings near the walls were destroyed to the ground. The bottom layer of earth was mixed with burnt debris, which contained pits of white ash covered with a layer of fallen red brick.
"But you beware of the accursed" (17). Under the ashes and fallen walls, Dr. Garstang discovered the ruins of storerooms, with a plentiful supply of provisions: wheat, barley, lentils, dates and other products, which from a strong temperature turned into coal, intact and unused. All this serves as proof that the winners refrained from using these reserves.
Chapter 7.8.
Fall of Gaia and Bethel
Near Gaia, the Israelites suffered a terrible defeat because of the crime of Achan. Soon after the miraculous passage through
Jordan and the capture of Jericho, the defeat at Gaia was a very unpleasant experience for Israel. Here they learned an instructive lesson. God did not leave them, but he wanted to teach them obedience.
archaeological note
Bethel. The words in 8:9,12 show that the next battle was for both cities: Ai and Bethel, 8:28* 12:9,16 and that both cities were destroyed. The distance between them was only 2 km.
The Bethel (Beitan) burial mound was excavated in 1934 by the Kail Memorial Expedition, under the mutual guidance of the American School in Jerusalem and the Xenian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh, under the guidance of V.F. Albright. They found that the destruction of the city coincided with the invasion of Joshua, which was accompanied by a great fire and "strong battle". Whole blocks of fallen and charred walls were found, 2 m thick, made of red brick, black ash from burnt earth and other charred garbage. Nowhere else in Palestine, Albright says, has he seen such a great conflagration.
Chapter 8:30-35.
Repetition of the Law at Mount Ebal
Moses gave this command (Deut. 27). Shechem was in the middle of a valley of indescribable beauty, between Mount Gilgal and Mount Gerizim. Here Abraham built his first altar 600 years earlier. At this place, Pavius Jesus read the book of the law to the people of Israel in a solemn ceremony.
Chapters 9,10.
Jesus pavia commands the sun and moon
Stay
Hawaiian was located 16 km northeast of Jerusalem and was considered one of the great cities of the earth (10:2). The Gibeonites, frightened by the fall of Jericho and Gaia, hastened to enslave themselves to the Israelites. This event stirred up the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuf, Lachish and Eglon to go to war with Gibeon. Jesus Lavin set out with his army in defense of Gibeon. As a result, this famous battle took place near Gibeon and Bethoron, where the sun stood all day. How the sun stopped, we do not know. Some people think that we lost one calendar day at that time. One way or another, the day was miraculously prolonged for Joshua to complete the victorious defeat of the enemies.
Archaeological notes the destruction of Lachish and Debir are mentioned in 10:32,39.
Lachish. The archaeological expedition of Welkom in (1931-) discovered a large layer of ash from the time of Joshua in Lachish.
Davir (Keriaf-Jarim, Tel Beit Mirzam). In these cities, a joint expedition of the Xenian Seminary and the American School in Jerusalem in 1926-28. Discovered a deep layer of ash, charcoal and lime, with signs of intense fire and other evidence of culture dating back to the time
Joshua Nun. The bottom layer was from the time of the Canaanites, and the top layer was from the time of the Israelites.
Chapter 11
Defeat of the northern kings
During the Battle of Bethoron, at which the sun stopped, Joshua Pavia defeated the kings of the south. And now the victory over the kings of the north at Merom gave him the opportunity to conquer all of Palestine.
Three great miracles were performed for this victory: the crossing of the Jordan, the fall of the walls of Jericho, and the stopping of the sun. All these miracles were manifestations of God's power.
archaeological note
Azor. "But he burned the hazor with fire" (11:11). Garstang discovered during the excavations of Azor the ashes of this fire and many sherds, as evidence of this fire in 1400 BC.
In the Amarna letters addressed to the pharaoh in 1380 BC. An Egyptian envoy from the north of Palestine says: "Let my lord the king remember what Hazor and his kings experienced."
The remains of ashes and the ruins of cities confirm the biblical narrative of Joshua's conquest of Palestine and its cities, such as Jericho, Lachish, Bethel, Debir, Hazor and others.
Chapter 12
Enumeration of the defeated kings
All the defeated kings mentioned in chapter 12 were 31. In general, all of Palestine was conquered by the Israelites (10:40; 11:23:21:43). Yet in some places the Canaanites continued to live (13:2-7; 15:63, 23:4; Judg. 1:2,21,27,29,30,31,33,35). After the death of Joshua, these pagan nations did much harm to the Israelites. The lands of the Philistines, Sidonian and Lebanese remained unconquered.
Chapters 13 to 22.
Division of land according to destinies
The map on the next page shows the approximate location of the Canaanite peoples and the division of the land between the 12 tribes of Israel. There were 6 cities of refuge in Palestine (chap. 20 and tut. 19) and 40 cities for the Levites, including 13 for the priests (21:19). The altar by the Jordan River (ch. 22) was a symbol of the national unity of the people, which was divided by the Jordan River.
Chapters 23,24.
parting word of jesus avalanche
Jesus pavia received from the hands of Moses the written law of God (1:8). To this book he added another book of his (24:26). He is very wise Joshua
Used "books" like Moses (Deut. 31). He wrote in the "book" the division of the earth (18:9). He read to the people the “book” of Moses (8:34). At Mount Gilgal, he wrote "on a stone a copy of the law of Moses" (8:32).
Canaanites
All the inhabitants of Palestine were called Canaanites. In the stricter sense of the word, the name was applied to the inhabitants of the Ezdrilon Plain. Amorites were sometimes called all the inhabitants, especially the peoples living on the western side of the Dead Sea, who conquered the eastern side of the Jordan, driving out the Ammonites. Perizzites and Jebusites inhabited the southern mountains.
Eve and the Hittites were scattered in strong groups from the former strong northern kingdom, whose capital was Carchemis and occupied the Lebanese region. The Gergeses are believed to have lived east of the Sea of Galilee. The state borders between these peoples were unstable, so that in different time they occupied different places.
Religion of the Canaanites
The main deity of the Canaanites was Baal. Ashtoreth, the wife of Baal, was the chief goddess. She was considered the mother of all fertility. The Babylonians called her Ishtar, while the Greeks and Romans called her Astarte. Baals, plural from Baal, were images of Baal. It was the same with the Astartes. Often the sacred pillar, stone and tree stump was a symbol of the deity Astarte (Deut. 16:21,22). Usually the temples of Baal and Astarte were together. Temple priestesses were prostitutes. And in Sodom, the men were in the role of prostitutes at the temples. The worship of Baal, Astarte and other Canaanite deities was accompanied by the lowest and most sinful orgies, and these temples were Dens of every abomination.
Archaeological Notes
God gave the people of Israel a specific command to destroy or drive out the Canaanites (Deut. 7:2,3). Joshua set to work with great zeal and God, the manifestation of great miracles, helped him in this. In fact, God himself was victorious for them.
In excavations near Gezer, Macalister, a representative of the Palestine Research Foundation, in 1904-9, in the Canaanite stratum, before the Israelites took possession of Palestine in 1500 BC, found the ruins of the "heights", the temple in which the worship of Baal and the goddess was performed Astarte. These "heights" occupied an area of 45 by 35 m, surrounded by a wall, where religious celebrations were held. 10 rough pillars, 1.5 by 3 m in size, were immured in the walls, in front of which sacrifices were made.
In the ruins below these "heights," Macalister found many pots containing the remains of children's bones, which were sacrificed to Baal. This place was a children's cemetery.
Another terrible custom was called "sacrifice on the grounds." When the construction of a new house was completed, a baby was sacrificed to Baal, whose body was later walled up in a wall for the happiness of all those living in the house. Many of these children were found in Gezer, as well as in Megiddo and other places. (on infant sacrifice, see p. 206).
Also under the ruins of these "heights", Macalister discovered a large number of wall decorations of Astarte with crudely depicted sexual organs to incite carnal passions.
So the Canaanites, with their non-moral customs, held their religious services before idols and sacrificed the first-born babies to these deities.
This shows that most of Palestine was Sodom and Gomorrah on a large national scale.
Is it any wonder that God commanded the Israelites to destroy the Canaanites? Did such a vile and low culture have the right to exist? Here is one of the historical examples of God's justice over the wickedness of an entire nation.
Many archaeologists excavating in Canaan are surprised that God did not destroy this people much earlier.
God's command to destroy the Canaanites, besides God's justice and recompense for their wickedness, was also to protect the Israelites from idolatry with its vile customs. God chose the people of Israel for one specific purpose, to produce Christ from them and to show all mankind that there is one true and living God in the world. When Israel fell into idolatry, any purpose of their national existence was annulled. The destruction of idolatry throughout the land was God's precaution for Israel. Jesus Pavia made a good start in Israel. If only the Israelites had continued this way of life, many things could be said differently in our time.
Joshua (Heb. jehosua, “[Yahweh]-help”, it is assumed that the name Jesus is identical with the name Jasuia, known from diplomatic correspondence from the Egyptian archive of El-Amarna 14th century BC; Nun is a patronymic form on behalf of the father of Jesus ), in the Old Testament tradition, an assistant and successor who led the conquests of Canaan; the main character in the book of Joshua (see picture: there will be an image). He came from a tribe and originally bore the name Hosea (Heb. hosua, a form without a name at the beginning corresponding to the name jehosua). At first, Joshua is described as "a young man - a helper of the highest rank" (Heb. naar, compare Ugaritic nr, a servant of the highest rank), "servant" (mesaret) of Moses (Ex. 24, 13; Numbers 11, 28). Led by Joshua, the Israelites, who left the wilderness of Sin, defeat the Amalekites in Rephidim (under the patronage of Moses, who holds the rod of Yahweh in his hands; the position of the rod ultimately predetermines the outcome of the battle; Ex. 17, 8-13). Moses calls Hosea, the son of Nun, Jesus (Num. 13, 17) and sends along with other men (a total of twelve people according to the number of the tribes of Israel, see Twelve sons) to inspect the land of Canaan. After the inspection, only Joshua and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, tell Moses that she is very good, for which everyone else wants to stone them. However, Yahweh condemns everyone, except Joshua and Caleb, to wandering and in the wilderness (14). At the command of Yahweh, Moses places Joshua "before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation" (27, 19). After the death of Moses, Yahweh inspires Joshua to become strong and courageous, to keep and fulfill the law of Moses (Josh. 1, 1-9). Under the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites come to the banks of the Jordan. Yahweh informs Joshua that he will begin to glorify him, as he glorified Moses before. The first sign of the patronage of Joshua by Yahweh is the crossing of the Jordan. When the priests carrying the ark of the covenant enter the river, it stops in it and all the people cross to the other side. After this, Joshua makes sharp knives and circumcise the sons of Israel, who were born in the wilderness from Egypt. With the release of the Israelites from the desert, it ceases to fall from, and they begin to eat the fruits of the land of Canaan. According to the word of Yahweh, Joshua orders the seven priests to carry the seven trumpets in front of the ark of the covenant, bypassing Jericho during the seven days of the siege of the city; on the seventh day, Jesus tells the people that Yahweh handed over the city to the sons of Israel, and “as soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people [all together] cried out with a loud [and strong] voice, and [the whole] wall [of the city] collapsed to its foundation” ( 6, 19). All that was in the city - "both husbands and wives, and young and old, and oxen, and sheep, and donkeys, [all] destroyed with the sword" (6, 20), sparing only the family of the harlot, who sheltered the scouts sent Joshua in Jericho before the siege. All the treasures of the city are placed in the sanctuary, and the Israelites are commanded to beware of taking from the accursed. When the Israelites are defeated by the inhabitants of Ai, Joshua tears his clothes, falls on his face before the ark of the covenant, and lies until evening, until Yahweh reveals to him that Israel has sinned. Joshua exposes the disobedient, who turns out to be Achan, who took beautiful clothes, silver and gold from the accursed. After Achan confesses his crime, he and his family are stoned and burned with fire in the valley of Achor, which retained this name later (one of the typical for the first chapters of the book Joshua is an example of an etiological tradition explaining the origin of the place and its name). At the word of Yahweh, Joshua sends an army to Ai at night, sets up an ambush, surrounds the city and, having lured the army out of the city limits, exterminates the entire population, and Ai hangs on a tree. On Ebal, Joshua builds an altar, engraves a copy of the law of Moses on a stone and reads its text before the assembly of Israel (chapters 7-8). Joshua punishes the tribe of the Jews by commanding them to chop wood and draw water for the altar of Yahweh, which they continued to do in subsequent times (another example of an etiological tradition). Five Amorite kings who opposed Gibeon, who made peace with Joshua, Yahweh betrays into the hands of Joshua and throws stones at them from heaven; through the prayer of Joshua, who called to Yahweh, they stop for the duration of the battle and. The activity of Joshua is attributed to the conquest of all the main cities of Canaan as a result of wars with peoples, some of whom (Hittites, etc.), according to historical data, did not live in Canaan at that time. Having divided the Canaanite land (19, 49-50), Joshua dies at the age of 110; he is buried on Mount Ephraim.
Contrary to Jewish and Christian traditions, which attributed the compilation of the book of Joshua to her, in the 1st half of the 20th century. a number of scientists (Alt and others) expressed the opinion that the first chapters of the book are a collection of diverse etiological traditions associated with the name of Joshua much later (c. 8-6 centuries BC). At the same time, attention was paid to the fact that the penetration of the Israelite tribes into Canaan could occur peacefully, and not as a result of bloody wars and conquests attributed to Joshua. significant. It is indicated that in the 2nd half of the 13th c. BC e. (in the period to which the real end of the exodus can be attributed), according to archaeological data, many Canaanite cities were forcibly destroyed. Therefore, part of the book may, in content (and, in the opinion of some researchers, in form, since some of its parts represent a recording of ancient epic songs) turn out to be closer to the time of the underlying historical events(the conquest of Canaan by those tribes of Israel that came from Egypt); in this case, the compilation of the oldest parts of the book dates back to c. 900 BC e. (which is three centuries later than the real events underlying it). The question of the ratio of mythopoetic elements (the miracle with the parting waters of the Jordan, the stone hail that fell from the sky, the wall of Jericho collapsed from the sound of trumpets, stopped
Joshua is an outstanding Jewish commander, the successor of Moses.
He led the Jewish people during the conquest of Canaan. Dedicated to Joshua separate book in the biblical canon.
In the Latin Bible, his name is spelled differently than the name of Jesus Christ: Iosue (Jesus Christ - Iesus), this spelling was then inherited by Catholics and Protestants.
In Orthodoxy, both prophets are called by the same name - Jesus, so it is customary for the commander to add the epithet Navin (or "son of Navin") to distinguish him from Christ. IN Orthodox Church Joshua is revered as a saint among the righteous.
Biography
Joshua was a descendant of Ephraim son of Joseph. He inherited the name Navin from his father, and in translation it means "ruler". At first he bore the name Hosea (Hoshea), but Moses renamed him and gave him the name by which he is now known.
When the Jews were in the desert, Joshua acted as a general, leading the people to battle with the Amalekites. After that, he relentlessly followed Moses and was his main assistant, and after his death he became the full head of the Jews.
The biblical text says that after Moses died, God allegedly appeared to Joshua and promised that from now on he would win victories over the surrounding peoples and conquer their lands.
Fall of Jericho
The most famous military exploit of Joshua is the capture of Jericho. At the same time, the Jews, under his leadership, surrounded the city and walked around it, playing the pipes; at this time, the priests carried the "ark of the covenant" around the city walls.
After that, Jesus ordered the whole army to shout loudly at the same time, and then the walls of Jericho collapsed at once. Jesus ordered the destruction of the entire population of the city, including babies, slaves and livestock. Only the prostitute Rahab was left alive, who had previously sheltered Jewish spies. The city itself was completely burned by the Jews.
Further battles
After that, the Jews entered the "promised land". Here Jesus fought a series of successful battles with the Canaanite tribes, who sometimes came out against him in real coalitions. Even five kings united against the Jews, but they could not resist the army of Jesus.
Fighting with them, Jesus used some magical tricks:
- When the enemies retreated into the mountains, a hail of stones fell on them from above, from which they died in countless numbers;
- Jesus allegedly succeeded in stopping the sun and moon in the sky so that the resulting darkness of the night prevented the enemies from retreating to a safe distance.
Wherever the Jews set foot, everywhere they were successful. They dealt with the conquered population very cruelly and inhumanly, exterminating it completely and burning the cities. After the "promised land" was occupied and divided, Joshua died peacefully and was buried on Mount Ephraim.
Before his death, he bequeathed to the Jews "to fear God" and to reject those gods to which they had prayed until now. Consequently, even his predecessor Moses could not force the Jews to completely turn away from the old Semitic gods and submit to the new "one god", the knowledge of which he brought from Egypt.
Joshua on the "banner of Yermak"
The image of Joshua is present on one of the banners attributed to Yermak, a Russian Cossack, conqueror of Siberia. This banner is kept in the Kremlin Armory.
) servant of Moses due to the fact that he helped him in the work of ministry. His original name was Hosea (). The first time we find Joshua is at a time when the Israelites were preparing to fight the Amalekites at Refedim. Moses then entrusted him with command over the army of Israel (). At that time, Nun was forty-four years old, although he is called a young man (). The penetrating eye of the legislator of the Jewish people soon discovered in Joshua the qualities necessary for the future head of the whole people. Soon after a successful battle with the Amalekites, he is among the 12 spies sent by Moses to survey the land of Canaan (), and one of the two who gave a favorable review for the Israelites (). At the end of the forty-year wandering of the Jews in the desert, Navin, who remained among the few Israelis who survived the indicated time, by the command of God, was appointed by Moses the head of the people () and solemnly inducted into this title (). Eighty-four years old, Nun miraculously passed at the head of Israel r. Jordan, having performed the preliminary rite of circumcision and the celebration of Passover, entered the Promised Land. Then a series of wars began with the Canaanites, during which Joshua and the people of Israel won almost constant victories. The first city after the Jews crossed the Jordan - Jericho was taken by them without a fight - the walls of Jericho miraculously fell, and everything in it was put to fire and sword; then the city of Ai was taken, and the law was written and read on Mount Ebal, in the presence of all Israel. Then, after a peaceful alliance with the Gibeonites (), the Jews won a famous victory over the allied army of the five kings of Canaan, who attacked the Gibeonites, and at the same time conquered the entire southern side of the land of Canaan, to Cadiz-Barnea (). Highly remarkable is this bloody battle near Gibeon, in the valley of Aiadon. Headlong running along the slope of Mount Betheron, utterly struck by the Israelites and beaten by miraculous, like large stones, hail from the sky, the numerous enemy was still not completely exterminated, and the day was already declining towards evening. Stay, the sun over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aialon Joshua exclaimed. And the sun stood still, and the moon stood, while the people took revenge on their enemies. Is not this written in the book of the Righteous One, the writer of the book of Joshua observes on this occasion: the sun stood in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to the west for almost a whole day(). A similar miraculous lengthening of the day is also mentioned in the history of King Hezekiah (). After this, will anyone dare to deny that the Almighty Creator and King of all creation can do whatever pleases His holy will, command all nature, change the laws of its nature, for the sake of the most wise purposes of His Divine economy? After subduing half of Canaan, Nun returned to Gilgal. Then he went to Lake Merom, defeated the allied princes of the north of Canaan, under the leadership of Jabin, king of Hazor, and reached the gates of Sidon and Mount Hermon. Within six years, six Canaanite tribes with thirty-one kings, including the Enakims, the monster of the former Israelites, were defeated by Nun and almost everywhere destroyed with the exception of Philistia; and thus the whole earth was cleansed for Jews from the desert of Arabia to Lebanon(, ). After this, Nun, who had already reached an advanced age, with the assistance of the high priest Eleazar and the chiefs of the tribes of Israel, began to divide the Promised Land, and all the tribes received their plots in exactly the form that the patriarch had predicted long before. Jacob, blessing his children (). Nun himself received from the people as a portion of Tamnaf-Sarai on Mount Ephraim. The Tabernacle was set up in Shiloh, six cities of refuge were appointed, forty-eight cities were assigned to the Levites, and the soldiers who had taken part in the campaigns were released to their former places of residence. Some time after this, Nun called all the people together, admonished them to strictly fulfill the law of God, to be faithful to God, not to communicate with the pagans who remained among them, not to enter into any relationship with them, under the fear of great disasters. Finally, having forced the people to renew the covenant with God in Shechem, Joshua died peacefully in the 110th year of his life and was buried in the limit of his inheritance, Famnaf Sarai. His name is mentioned in the book. Acts of the Apostles () and in the Epistle to the Hebrews ().
