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With the death of Moses the Bible Story ends in the 5 priestly books of the Pentateuch. It continues in the prophetic literature of the O.T., in the so-called Deuteronomic Histories of Joshua, Judges, 1&2 Samuel and 1&2 Kings. Josh.1, and Jdgs.2.11-23 introduce the simplistic prophetic judgment on their history as the Israelites conquered and settled in Canaan: while Israel obeyed YHWH all would be well, but disobedience would be the prelude to disaster.

Moses died after gazing at the land of Canaan, the land that lies between the deep Jordan valley and the Great (Mediterranean) Sea, between the continents of Africa and Asia. He would have seen the high hills running North-South alongside the Jordan, hills sparsely populated and eminently suitable for incoming nomads with flocks and herds. Beyond the hills, he knew, was the fertile plain of the lush agricultural Canaanite city states with many well-fortified towns near the main highway, frequented by merchants and warring armies with their horse-drawn chariots. On the far coast, however, Moses could not have known of the new Sea Peoples arriving from Southern Europe with their superior knowledge of iron weapons. These were eventually to become the Philistines as they made their way inland and settled.

Canaan had never been 'one empire'; geographically it divides into three areas, not one. Moses was gazing over to the Central area in which Shechem was the main Canaanite religious centre. To the South were the high rugged hills defended by the city-state of Jerusalem, and to the North, past Megiddo and the Valley of Jezreel, were the mountains of Galilee where the road to Damascus left the coastal road.

While Moses and his people had wandered in the wilderness Rameses II of Egypt and King Muwatallis of the Hittites had fought each other in this area - the battle of Kadesh is described on the walls of Karnak at Luxor - but now the new Pharaoh, Merneptah, was less powerful and more occupied by the Sea People's assault on the Egyptian coast. Canaan was for a short while less well defended than usual.

During this same time the new generation of Moses' people had not only learnt to survive and to fight in the wilderness, they had also begun to learn the local dialect from the Moabites, the Amorites, Edomites, and Canaanites. This is the earliest known form of Hebrew! In the city-states they were beginning to write their trading transactions in the world's first Alphabetic script which had been devised in the Hittite city of Ugarit.

CONTINUING THE BIBLE STORY: Moses' successor was Joshua who led the story of conquest. The Book of Joshua begins with a speech of encouragement as if by YHWH himself: 'I will not fail you, nor forsake you..... be strong and very courageous.....' and the people began to move. (chs 2 - 5.12) Three days later they assembled by the river, while Joshua sent spies to Jericho. The spies were befriended, and saved from discovery, by the prostitute, Rahab, in return for a promise of immunity for herself and her family when her town was defeated by the insurgents. At the river, the priests led a procession, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, while the flow of the river dried up - (shades of the exodus from Egypt?). All the people crossed the ford, but there is no mention of their animals! Memorial stones were erected, and they made camp at Gilgal. Joshua ordered all the men, those who had been born in the wilderness, and any others who had joined them, to be circumcised, and to keep Passover. Only then were they ready to proceed.

THE CENTRAL ASSAULT (chs 5.13 - 8.35) The walls of Jericho tumbled down, after the priestly processions around the town for six days and the seven-fold procession on the 7th day. With no opposition at all the city was 'given to God' and totally destroyed: all except Rahab were killed, and all the treasure given to YHWH. On they went to the next town, AI, where to their horror they failed to capture it. Investigation proved that Achan had helped himself to a little booty from Jericho, so he and his family were killed, and the next assault on AI was a success

Then Joshua went on, apparently unopposed, to Shechem itself, where he built a Sanctuary to YHWH in the Canaanites' holy place. He established the Law of YHWH in that place and on the people there, with liturgical pronouncements from the sides of Mt Ebal and Mt Gerizim. (see Deut. 27, where this is recorded with Mosaic authority).

INTO THE SOUTH (chs 9 - 10.43) The Gibeonite tribe tricked Joshua into granting them immunity from attack, but they in turn were attacked by five Canaanite tribes who had joined together in self defence, the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Lachish, Eglon and Jarmuth. But ... 'YHWH threw down huge stones from heaven on them' ... and Joshua defeated them during a hailstorm. (NB. Although Joshua did defeat some of these towns note the silence about Jerusalem!)

SURGE TO THE NORTH (chs 11, 12) King Jabin of Hazor in the north of Galilee, formed an alliance with his neighbouring Canaanite kings and they planned to attack Joshua's forces. He, however, managed to hamstring their horses and fire their chariots, leaving them defenceless. Hazor and its king were destroyed. (Hazor's destruction is validated by archeological evidence).

This story ends with Joshua and his united army victorious - 'he took the whole land ... and the land had rest from war' (with still no mention of their families or flocks!)

REFLECTIONS ON THIS STORY OF CONQUEST

a) It is an exciting and triumphal story, but owes more to the religious imagination than to evidence acceptable by today's standards.

b) Josh 12 lists 31 towns that fell to Joshua - more than chs 1-12 even mention, so we have not heard the whole story. Ch 13.1-7 suggests there was 'still much more to do'

c) JERICHO: Archeologists have tried hard to 'prove' that Jericho's walls were destroyed at this period of time: J Garstang dug 1930-36, and thought he had found conclusive evidence but his claims were disproved by K Kenyon 1952-58. Her digs proved Jericho to have been one of the oldest known inhabited settlements, but that by Joshua's time it was in ruins.

d) AI too, like Jericho, was in ruins in the time of Joshua, - but nearby Bethel does show evidence of sudden destruction at this time. We cannot prove that for AI we should read Bethel. Lachish in the south was destroyed at this time.

THE CONQUEST There is no doubt that the incoming people of Israel did enter and conquer

Canaan, but it was probably a longer and more drawn-out campaign than the story suggests. The stele of Merneptah, erected 1212-1209, makes the very first historical reference to the 'people of Israel', still not yet a nation. Probably there was some military activity, plus gradual infiltration of the hill country, - and probably too, a welcome with no opposition from residents who shared their Semitic kinship. The book of Judges gives a more realistic picture than the book of Joshua.

THE WELCOME Joshua's unopposed progress towards Shechem in the central area has led to the theory that only a few of the 'future' Israelites came in from Egypt and the Exodus experience of Sinai; that the 'few' who took over the Central lands are known as the 'Rachel tribes', descendents of Joseph, (the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, see Gen 48.8-20), and Benjamin, related but not quite the same as the other tribes. It must be noted that Joshua was an Ephraimite, and that the first King of Israel, Saul, was of the tribe of Benjamin.

THE BOOK OF JUDGES is presented as a sequel to Joshua, but it presents a more realistic account of the gradual take-over of Canaan by the Israelite tribes whether independently or working in pairs, but not as a united army, (Jdgs ch 1). Judges gives an impression of the ebb and flow of gradual success over a period of about 200 years, (13th - 11th cents BCE.)

SHECHEM: Joshua proclaimed YHWH as Israel's God of the Covenant at Shechem, the ancient Canaanite Holy Place, dedicated to Baal-berith, the 'Lord of the Covenant'. Archeological investigation, most notably by G.E.Wright, 1956-69, has unearthed remains of the largest temple-complex in the land, before Herod's Temple in N.T. times, and teaching us much about Canaanite fertility worship. Joshua, however, summoned 'all Israel' there and, in Josh 24, told the whole of their Sacred History so far, of God's call to Abraham, of the ancestors, the Exodus and the Crossing of the Sea, and their conquests. (There was no mention of Sinai because that was not one of YHWH's mighty acts, only the people's response).

He invited/challenged all who were there, the incoming conquering 'Rachel tribes', their Semitic relatives who had never left Canaan, and any others who chose to become part of the YHWH Covenant Community, to choose that day, whether or not to obey YHWH as their one and only God. The assembled people agreed and 'put away their old gods'. The Covenant was re-affirmed, and the Law restated and given. (Was this the Canaanite-flavoured Covenant Code, now in EX, 21-23?) Lastly a memorial stone was set up under the oak tree in the Sanctuary.

ISRAEL was now established, from all who had elected to become part of the new 'People of YHWH'. Twelve tribes were organised, along the political lines of some of their neighbours, eg the Edomites and Ishmaelites. The tribes were autonomous, held together only by their common Covenant Bond to YHWH ... Israel was a 'theocracy' - YHWH was King!

In the course of time Shechem became a danger point for the YHWH faith, for it continued to be the focus of the regular agricultural pilgrimage festivals, three times a year, and the sexual attractiveness of fertility cult worship often undermined the worship of YHWH. Eventually the Ark of the Covenant was removed and placed in a new YHWH shrine at Shiloh.