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Joshua, book of
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Name: Joshua (Hebrew: Bereshith, "In the beginning,")
Author: various, but attributed to Joshua
Dates: after 950 BCE

Joshua:
The oldest portions of the book of Joshua were probably written around 950 BCE, although it was heavily edited once in the 7th century BCE and then again later around 500 BCE, this time probably by the author(s) of Deuteronomy.

The theme of Joshua is the conquest of Canaan. Because of their sin, none of the Israelites who originally left Egypt were allowed to enter the Promised Land, but their children were and they would have to fight the local inhabitants in order to take residence. However, scholars have not found history to tell the same story as Joshua and it does not seem that control of Canaan went to the Israelites through the glorious conquest described in the Bible.

It is interesting to note that around the time this was happening, a loose confederation of Greek tribes were waging war with the inhabitants of the western Coast of Turkey - in other words, the battle of Troy.

Also Known As: none

Alternate Spellings: none

Common Misspellings: none

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Bible FAQ
The "Bible" is a central feature in the religious beliefs and devotions of most Christians - and a major portion of it, known as the "Old Testament," is important to Jews. Muslims, whose holy scriptures are collected in the Qur'an, also revere the Bible. But just what is the Bible? What is contained in it, where did it come from, and how reliable is it? This developing FAQ will present historical and critical information about the Bible and biblical scholarship.

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