Two themes have dominated scholarly interpretation of the book of Joshua within the past century: the literary discovery of the Deuteronomistic History and the archaeological detection of evidence related to Israels occupation of Canaan. In this newest volume in the series Reading the Scriptures, Rachel M. Billings addresses the fragmentation often brought about by these developments and offers a more holistic reading of Joshua, which joins theological sophistication with an emphasis on its meaning and purpose as a literary work.
Through a hermeneutical and literary lens, Billings analyzes the story of Rahab and Achan, the stories of the Gibeonites and the Transjordanian altar, and the theme of the completeness of Israels taking of the land of Canaan. She argues that the way in which the book of Joshua presents these materials reminds Israel of the dynamic nature of its identity as YHWHs people—an identity that demands a continued response of obedience parallel to YHWHs ever-unfolding work on Israels behalf. The book of Joshua portrays Israels obedience as not merely an unattainable ideal or a thing of the past, but a living reality that unfolds when YHWHs people acknowledge His claim upon them and strive to serve Him.
