The glorious successor of Moses came from the tribe of Ephraim and was one of those two courageous and devoted people to Moses, who alone were given, out of all the people brought out of Egypt, to see the Promised Land. When Joshua left Egypt, he was about forty-five years old and, thus, by the time he entered the Promised Land, the weight of eighty-five years of age already lay on his shoulders. But like his great predecessor, Joshua, even at this age, was still full of strength and undaunted courage and fully corresponded to the height of his position. As the closest companion of Moses, he was fully familiar with everything related to the government of the people and therefore did not need detailed instructions. For him, one divine word was enough: “Be strong and courageous” in order to completely devote himself to the fulfillment of the task entrusted to him - the conquest of the Promised Land.
The last camp of the Israelites was in Shittim, near the mountain on which Moses rested. The area around was amazing with its luxury, purely tropical vegetation, supported by many streams murmuring everywhere. They were separated from the Promised Land only by the Jordan, behind which, in all their splendor, stood the mountains and hills of the land flowing with milk and honey. But she was not completely open to them. First of all, it was necessary to cross the Jordan itself, and then, twelve miles away from it, rose the formidable strongholds of Jericho, which seemed to hold in its hands the keys to the Promised Land. Therefore, it was necessary to investigate both the place of crossing the Jordan and especially the state of Jericho. For this purpose, Joshua sent two spies who were supposed to secretly penetrate Jericho and scout out the state of both it and the surrounding country. Making their way to Jericho, the spies were probably amazed at the luxury and richness of the surrounding area, which even now amazes with the generosity of the gifts of its nature. Palm groves and balsam gardens filled the air with a wonderful aroma, and the whole area rang with the chirping of many different and rare birds. In Jericho itself, a lot of wealth, both natural and industrial, was collected, and its capture promised rich booty. But the city was one of the strongest in the country, and its citizens were on their guard. In order not to incur suspicion, the spies, having secretly entered the city, stopped at its very outskirts and found shelter with a certain Raava, who kept something like a hotel on the outskirts of the city, in the city wall itself, but so dirty and dubious that she herself the landlady enjoyed the bad reputation of a harlot in the city. Despite all the precautions of the spies, the people of Jericho, obviously in terrible anxiety and vigilantly watching for all suspicious persons, learned of their presence and reported to the king, who immediately demanded their extradition from Rahab. But she, amazed by the stories of miracles that accompanied the procession of the Israelites to the Promised Land, and recognizing the superiority of their God, hid them in sheaves of flax on her roof and secretly released them through the window of the wall outside the city, directing them along a completely different road than the one on which The people of Jericho set off in pursuit of them. Anticipating the imminent fall of the city, she made the spies promise to spare her and her relatives during the capture of the city, having agreed that the sign of her house, unlike others, would be the same “scarlet rope” on which she lowered the Israelites over the wall.
Having safely returned to the camp, the spies reported that both the inhabitants of Jericho and other nations were struck with horror by the victories of the Israelites, and the very next morning Joshua ordered them to move across the Jordan. It was the time of the wheat harvest (in April), when the Jordan usually overflows its banks, thanks to the melting of the snow on the Anti-Lebanon mountains, and therefore crossing the river was more difficult than at any other time. But when, according to a special revelation, the priests, carrying the Ark of the Covenant at the head of the people, stepped into the river, the waters in it divided, the upper part became a wall, and the lower part flowed into the Dead Sea, so that a land passage to the other side was formed. The priests moved with the ark to the middle of the river bed and stood there, as if holding back the water, until all the Israelites had crossed the river. In commemoration of this miracle, twelve chosen men took twelve stones from the riverbed, from which a monument was later erected in Gilgal in front of Jericho, where the Israelites camped after crossing the Jordan, and from the other twelve stones taken on land, a monument was erected in that very place. where the priests stood with the ark of the covenant. A fortified camp was set up in Gilgal, which became not only a place for a long stay, but also a stronghold for conquest. There, the Israelites celebrated the Passover for the fortieth time after leaving Egypt, and since during their wanderings in the desert, due to constant worries and disasters, the law of circumcision was often left unfulfilled, then before celebrating the Passover on the soil of the Promised Land, the people had to fulfill this law, and all males were subject to circumcision. The manna that the people had hitherto fed on immediately ceased, and now they had to feed on the fruits of the Promised Land itself.
Finally, it was necessary to begin to capture the terrible strongholds of Jericho. When Joshua was inspecting the fortifications of the enemy city, he suddenly saw a man in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. “Are you one of ours, or one of our enemies?” – the brave leader asked him. “No, I am the leader of the army of the Lord,” answered the stranger. Joshua fell on his face in awe and received a revelation of how Jericho could be taken. According to this supreme command, Joshua ordered the priests to come out with the ark of the covenant and carry it around the walls of Jericho, with the seven priests walking in front of the ark and blowing the trumpets, and the armed soldiers walking silently in front and behind the ark. For six days they walked around the city once at a time - to the great amazement of the people of Jericho, who, of course, expected an attack on the city. On the seventh day, the procession was repeated seven times, at the end of the last round, suddenly a stunning cry was heard from the hitherto silent people, and the terrible strongholds of Jericho fell from a miraculous shaking, leaving the city completely defenseless against the Israelis. All the inhabitants, except Rahab and her relatives, were exterminated, the city itself was destroyed, and a curse was pronounced on anyone who would try to build it again. Rahab, for her faith in the omnipotence of the true God, was rewarded by her acceptance into the society of the chosen people. And this branch from the wild olive tree bore good fruit. Having married Salmon, she became the mother of Boaz, David's great-grandfather, and her name, along with three other women, is included in the genealogy of Christ (Matthew 1:5).
The fall of such a strong city as Jericho was very important for the Israelites, since the art of proper siege of cities was generally in its infancy, and even more so among such a shepherd people as the Israelites. Cities east of the Jordan were taken in battles on the open field, and some fortified cities in Palestine itself held out long after the Israelis settled there. Encouraged by this success, Joshua sent a detachment of 3,000 people against the neighboring city of Ai, which, according to the testimony of spies, was too weak to bother the entire army. But this arrogance was punished by the fact that the Gayans defeated the Israeli detachment and put it to flight. This failure struck fear into the entire people, and Joshua and the elders, tearing their clothes, fell in front of the tabernacle. Then the leader of the people had a revelation that the cause of this misfortune was an Israeli, who, out of self-interest, withheld part of the spoils of Jericho.
Destruction of Jericho
The lot was cast, and he pointed to Achan, from the tribe of Judah, who was stoned, and his corpse with all his property was burned - as a warning to others who would want to be carried away by self-interest and appropriate something from the common property of the people. After this, the Israelites again went against Ai and, using military stratagem, took the city. All the inhabitants were exterminated, the king was hanged, and the property became the property of the victors.
The capture of the first two fortified cities placed a vast area of the promised land at the disposal of the Israelites and served to ensure further successes of the conquest. But before continuing their aggressive activities, the people of Israel had to solemnly accept the obligation to sacredly preserve the law of God entrusted to them. The divine goal in giving the Promised Land to the Israelites was not simply to replace the former inhabitants with new ones, but to destroy the pagans and settle in their place a chosen and sanctified people so as to establish the Kingdom of God on the ruins of the kingdom of this world. As evidence of this, the people had to take an oath in the most solemn atmosphere. The main provisions of the Sinai legislation were engraved on stone slabs, and abundant sacrifices were made on Mount Ebal. Then the priests with the Ark of the Covenant occupied the valley between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, and the people, divided into two halves, six tribes each, were to settle down on the mountains themselves. And so, when the priests proclaimed a certain position of the law, the people responded to his blessing from Mount Gerizim and his curse from Mount Ebal with a loud and unanimous “Amen”, thereby confirming the truth and inevitability of both blessings for fulfilling the law and curses for breaking it . The place where this solemn act was performed was capable, at the same time, of infusing new courage into the people and inspiring them with the most sublime feelings. All around were undulating hills, green on the slopes with vineyards and fields, among them the valley of Shechem lay like an emerald stripe, the same one where Abraham once erected his first altar to God and Jacob built his first headquarters in the Promised Land (Genesis 12:7; 33:19) , and at both ends of it the mountains Gerizim and Ebal rose like giants, the friendly “amen” from which echoed like thunder throughout the valley, dying away in the distant hills. And from these mountains, a wonderful picture of the whole of central Palestine unfolded before the astonished eyes of the people. To the north rose successively Gelbua, Tabor, Carmel and the snow-whitened northern guardian of the earth - Hermon, with green valleys and plains between them. To the east sparkled the clear waters of Lake Gennesaret with the blue ribbon of the Jordan stretching from it, and to the west one could see the wonderful blue of the Mediterranean Sea with a sandy strip bordering it. Thus, it was as if the whole Promised Land was a witness to the great oath of Israel, and the whole of it, with its mountains, lakes, rivers, hills and valleys, was solemnly dedicated to the Lord.
Meanwhile, a hundred thousand rumors about the victories and self-confident behavior of the Israelites, who ruled Palestine as if they were their own land, spread throughout the entire country and brought even more horror to the Canaanite tribes. Residents of some cities, not hoping to withstand the conquerors, even began to resort to tricks. Envoys arrived at the Israelite camp, still at Gilgal, who, judging by their worn clothes and shoes, were from afar; They declared to the elders that they had indeed come from a distant country, where, however, rumors had reached about the great victories of Israel, and asked for a peace treaty. The Israelis agreed to a treaty with them, but then it turned out that these were ambassadors from the inhabitants of the nearby city of Gibeon and the villages belonging to it. The treaty was considered sacred, and therefore its inhabitants were spared from beating, but turned into slaves to perform religious duties in the tabernacle, in which position they are found in subsequent times.
Meanwhile, other nations, seeing that each of them individually could not withstand the Israelis, entered into a defensive alliance among themselves. It was the five kings united under the leadership of Adonizedek, the king of Jerusalem, and they first of all decided to punish the Gibeonites for their betrayal of the common cause. The Gibeonites turned to Joshua for help, who moved against the combined forces of the enemy. Having overtaken the enemy with a quick night march, he suddenly attacked him, defeated him and put him to flight. The hail of stones caused even greater devastation in it than the weapons of the Israelites. The sun was already setting towards evening, and yet the pursuit was not yet over. Then Joshua, strong in faith in the omnipotence of God, exclaimed commandingly: “Stay, sun, over Gibeon, and moon, over the valley of Aijalon! And the sun stood still and the moon stood while the people took revenge on their enemies. And there was no such day, either before or after that, on which the Lord listened so much to the voice of man; for the Lord fought for Israel.” This new extraordinary miracle again showed the Israelites what a strong Helper and Patron they had, and at the same time even more frightened the Canaanites, who now saw that their very gods (the sun and the moon) had taken the side of the conquering people. The allied kings, having fled from the battlefield, tried to hide in a cave, from which, however, they were taken and put to death.
After this victory, conquest began to be accomplished easily and quickly. The cities fell one after another, and along with them the peoples who owned them were exterminated or expelled. Thus, the entire southern half of the Promised Land was conquered, with the exception of a few strong fortresses, such as Jerusalem, and Joshua returned to Gilgal with rich booty.
Now it remained to conquer the northern half. Seeing the approaching thunderstorm, the kings of the northern tribes began to prepare for defense. At the head of the alliance of seven kings was King Jabin of Hazor, who gathered a large army “like the sand of the sea” and encamped near Lake Merom. The cavalry, which consisted of many military chariots, gave this army special strength. But Joshua, strong in his faith in a just cause, suddenly attacked them, and one battle decided the fate of this part of the country. The enemies were defeated, the cavalry was captured and destroyed, the city of Hazor, as “the head of all these kingdoms,” was burned, the inhabitants were exterminated and all their wealth became the spoils of the victors.
This decisive victory gave the entire Promised Land into the hands of the conquerors. They could no longer encounter strong opposition, although there were still fortified cities that held out thanks to the strength of their walls. The war lasted about seven years; During it, seven nations were conquered, although not completely exterminated, and thirty-one kings fell in battle. Finally, the Israelis were tired of the war and wanted to take advantage of the fruits of their victories. The warriors of the Trans-Jordanian tribes, long separated from their families, began to ask for leave to return to their possessions. As a result, the war was suspended, although the conquest was not ended, and many Canaanites remained within the Promised Land, subsequently becoming a source of terrible evils and all kinds of disasters for the Israelites.
Finally, the division of the land followed. Apart from the two and a half Trans-Jordanian tribes, which received allotments for themselves even before crossing the Jordan, the entire conquered land was divided between the remaining nine and a half tribes. The division was carried out according to a special lot, which indicated to each tribe a plot of land commensurate with its size. The first lot fell to the tribe of Judah, which received a vast district with Hebron in the center. Next to it, even further south, the tribe of Simeon, which formed the southern border of the land, received an inheritance, and then, starting from the north, the inheritances were distributed as follows. The northernmost part of the land went to the tribe of Naphtali, precisely in the beautiful valleys of Anti-Lebanon. The tribe of Asher was assigned the seaside coast, a long and narrow strip of land from the borders of Sidon to Mount Carmel. The tribe of Zebulun occupied a transverse strip of land between Lake Gennesaret and the Mediterranean Sea. To the south of it, one after another, the tribes of Issachar, the second half of Manasseh and Ephraim were located, occupying the space between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. The tribe of Ephraim thus occupied the very middle of the Promised Land, and thanks to this happy position, as well as its large numbers, it acquired special significance in the fate of the Israeli people, since the main centers of the religious and political life of the people were located precisely within this tribe. In the southern half of the country, the sea coast and the western part of the mainland fell to the lot of the tribe of Dan. The tribe of Benjamin was located along the plain of Jericho and along the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea, reaching west to the unconquered fortress of Jerusalem. And then the rest of the southern half of the country, as said before, went to the inheritance of the tribes of Judah and Simeon. In general, the Trans-Jordanian plots were distinguished by rich pastures, the northern and middle ones were the most convenient for agriculture, and the southern ones abounded in vineyards and olive trees.
After the division of the land, according to a special revelation, an allotment was given to the leader of the people Joshua himself, namely the city of Timnath-Sarai in the tribe of Ephraim. Since the tribe of Levi, due to its special service, was left without a land allotment, forty-eight cities with land belonging to them were allocated to it among the various tribes; of these, thirteen cities were designated specifically for priests and six special cities with the right of refuge for innocent murderers. “Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land which he swore to their fathers to give; and they received it as an inheritance and settled in it. And the Lord gave them rest on all sides, as he swore to their fathers; and none of all their enemies stood against them; and the Lord delivered all their enemies into their hands. Of all the good words that the Lord spoke to the house of Israel, not one word remained unfulfilled; everything has come true.”
The Trans-Jordanian tribes also returned to their inheritance, whose soldiers Joshua, with an expression of gratitude for their assistance in the common cause and with an exhortation to hold on to faith in the one true God, finally found it possible to release. With great booty that fell to their share from the riches of Canaan, they went beyond the Jordan and erected a large altar at the place where the Israelites crossed the river. But this circumstance extremely alarmed the remaining tribes, who saw in this the desire of the Trans-Jordanian tribes to separate from their brothers in religious terms. The indignation was so great that a fratricidal war was ready to break out. But fortunately, prudence prevented this disaster. A special deputation appointed for this matter, consisting of the priest Phinehas and ten elected elders, found out the essence of the matter and, from the explanations of the Trans-Jordanian tribes, came to the conviction that, when building the altar, they not only did not think of separating from the religion of their fathers, but, on the contrary, with this visible altar they wanted to clearly confirm their connection with the rest of the tribes for their future generations.
The common connection for all tribes was the tabernacle with the Ark of the Covenant, but in order to make this national shrine accessible to all tribes, Joshua moved it to Shiloh, in the tribe of Ephraim, as it occupied the middle position in the country. And from here Joshua continued to rule the people peacefully until his death. His entire administration lasted twenty-five years. Finally, “he entered old age.” Feeling the approach of death, he called representatives and leaders of all tribes to his deathbed and addressed them with a strong exhortation to fulfill everything commanded in the book of the law of Moses. At the same time, he reminded them of everything that God had done to the Canaanite peoples for their sake, as well as of His promise that if they remained faithful to Him, the whole earth would become their complete possession, all the pagans would be driven out of it. He repeated the same admonition in Shechem, the sacred dwelling of Abraham and Isaac, and ended his dying conversation with the words: “So, fear the Lord and serve Him in purity and sincerity, reject the alien gods, whom your fathers served beyond the river in Egypt, and serve Lord. If it is not pleasing for you to serve the Lord, then choose for yourself now whom to serve... but I and my house will serve the Lord, for He is holy.” - “And the people answered and said: no, it will not happen that we leave the Lord and begin to serve other gods!” The dying leader wrote these words in the book of the law, took a large stone and placed it under the oak tree at the sanctuary, saying to the people: “Behold, this stone will be a witness for you... let it be a witness against you in the days to come, so that you will not lie before the Lord God.” yours." Having then released the people to their destinies, Joshua died peacefully and with the consciousness of fulfilled duty at the age of 110 and was buried in his hereditary allotment in Timnath-Sarai. Soon after him, the high priest Eleazar, son of Aaron, died. The remains of Joseph, carried by the Israelites from Egypt, were duly interred in Shechem, on the site that Jacob had once purchased and given to his beloved son.
“And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders whose lives were prolonged after Joshua, and who saw all the works of the Lord that he did to Israel.” Forty years of upbringing in the desert obviously had a very beneficial effect on the people. We almost never encounter such devoted faith in God in any of the subsequent periods in the history of the Israeli people.
After the death of the great prophet Moses, Joshua became the leader of the Jewish people. At the direction of God, Moses laid his hands on his head, and Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom. He became the successor of Moses.
It was Joshua who had the great honor of leading God's chosen people into the Promised Land - blessed Palestine. The Bible calls it a land flowing with milk and honey - it was so rich and fertile. Forty years earlier, the prophet Moses, at the command of God, led the Israeli people out of Egyptian captivity and led them through the Sinai Peninsula to the east. There lay the land of their ancestors: the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the Jews had to return to their inheritance.
Only forty years later they achieved their goal. In the spring month, under the leadership of Joshua, they approached the borders of the Promised Land, which was separated from them by the Jordan River. Behind this water barrier, in all their splendor, stood the mountains and hills of the land flowing with milk and honey.
At that time, Palestine was inhabited by numerous pagan peoples. They worshiped idols. Some of them practiced particularly wicked cults, performing human sacrifices.
God was pleased to make the people of Israel the instrument of His vengeance against the pagans. The Jews had to destroy those who encroached on God Himself, for man is the creation of God and the image of God. Human life is sacred and inviolable, it is entirely in the hands of the heavenly Lord.
The pagans were warlike peoples. They instilled fear even in the Israelites, with whom God Himself was, and the Lord strengthened the spirit of the Jews with great miracles. The procession of God's chosen people through the Promised Land turned into a series of glorious and miraculous victories that demonstrated the power of the true God to all pagans.
The first miracle occurred while crossing the Jordan River, which lies on the path of God's people. At this time of year, the Jordan was especially full of water: the snow was melting on the tops of the nearby mountains.
And so the Lord revealed His omnipotence over the waters of the Jordan. The priests of the Most High God with the Ark of the Covenant entered the river, and the waters parted before them. The upper part of the river became a wall, and the lower part flowed into the sea. Along the opened river bottom, thousands of people moved to the other side. The Jews entered the land on which, in one and a half thousand years, the feet of the Divine Savior would pass. He will come to earth to open the way for humanity to the true Promised Land - the Kingdom of Heaven, prepared by God for all who love. The first city captured by the Jews was Jericho. It was located near the crossing of the Jordan and seemed to hold in its hands the keys to the Promised Land. His.
It was one of the most powerful cities in Canaan, its walls were formidable and impregnable.
Even earlier, Joshua sent two spies into the city. Having overcome many dangers, the spies returned to the camp. The information they brought pleased the Israelis. The capture of Jericho promised rich booty.
The scouts were almost captured, but they were saved by a resident of Jericho named Rahab. She did not betray the aliens, hiding them in her house. In the city, Rahab enjoyed the bad reputation of a harlot. Rahab believed in the omnipotence and truth of the God of the Jews, Whom nothing on earth could resist. She could not help but help people fulfilling the will of the Living God, although harboring enemy intelligence officers threatened her own death.
The Lord did not abandon His people during the capture of Jericho. Archangel Michael appeared to Joshua. “The captain of the Lord’s army revealed to him how the impregnable city was to be taken. The God of Israel commanded Joshua to go out in complete silence with the Ark of the Covenant and carry it around the walls of Jericho. Seven priests were to walk in front of the Ark and blow the trumpets. For six days, this procession walked around the city once at a time.
On the seventh day, the Ark of the Covenant was carried around the city seven times. At the last circumambulation, at the sound of the priestly trumpet, the entire people of Israel exclaimed with a loud voice. The impregnable walls of Jericho shook and collapsed to the ground. Access to the city was open. Jericho was burned and its inhabitants were exterminated with the sword. Thus the law of God was fulfilled, foreshadowing the destruction of the wicked and the salvation of the righteous.
The soldiers of Israel spared only Rahab and her relatives. God generously rewarded this woman’s faith and courage. While living among the Israelites, Rahab became the wife of Salmon, a prince from the tribe of Judah, and the mother of Boaz - ancestors of King David. It was among her descendants that the Messiah, the Savior of mankind, was born many centuries later. That God was incarnate, by faith in Whom she despised fear and committed her courageous act.
Even before the capture of Jerusalem, the crusaders were thinking of founding Latin churches in the East, or more precisely, of elevating prelates from their army to episcopal sees in the cities that they liberated from the Muslim yoke and where they left garrisons.
The Latins treated the Orthodox clergy with respect, and left them in their place, as in Antioch; but where there were no Greek bishops, they appointed their own candidates: this happened in Albar, whose bishop left his diocese before...
This chapter is based on Joshua 10:40-43; II and 14-22 ch.
Soon after the victory over Beth-Horan, all of Canaan was conquered. “And Joshua smote all the land of the hills, and of the desert, and of the low places... And Joshua took all these kings and their lands at once; for the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
Then Joshua and all the Israelites with him returned to the camp, to Gilgal" (Joshua 10:40-43).
The Canaanite tribes in northern Palestine, frightened by the success of the Israelite militias, concluded among themselves...
ABRAHAM'S CHOICE
While it may be misleading to speak of a “chosen people,” it would not be a mistake to call Abraham the chosen man. Melchizedek did give Abraham the responsibility for preserving the truth of one God in contrast to the prevailing belief in many deities.
The choice of Palestine as the site of Melchizedek's activities was partly due to the desire to come into contact with a family into which the future leader might be born. By the time of Melchizedek's incarnation on earth...
The history of the ancient Jews and the process of formation of their religion are known mainly from the materials of the Bible, more precisely, its most ancient part - the Old Testament. A careful analysis of the biblical texts and the entire Old Testament tradition gives reason to conclude.
That at the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. e. Jews, like many other related Semitic tribes of Arabia and Palestine, were polytheists, that is, they believed in various gods and spirits, in the existence of the soul (believing that it materializes in the blood) and relatively easily...
Book of Joshua
It tells the story of the Jews crossing the Jordan and the subsequent conquest of Canaan. The most important moments of this story are associated with the direct intervention of God in the course of events. Jews supposedly cross the Jordan like dry land, because God stopped its flow and all the water became a wall, exposing the bottom of the river.
The impregnable walls of the Jericho fortress themselves fall from the sounds of trumpets and loud cries of the besiegers. Victory follows victory, until finally all of Canaan...
Yu. Artemyev, L. Smirnov.
“Search the Scriptures, for by them you think you have eternal life.”
I. THE TIME IS NEAR
Prophecies about the last times of this world are mainly presented in the Holy Scriptures by the prophets Daniel, Ezra, as well as the Revelation of John the Theologian.
The fact that these prophecies refer to the last times is indisputable; it is directly stated in them: “And you, Daniel, hide these words and seal this book until the last time; many will read it, and the number will multiply...
Conditions favorable to the spread of the Church.
By the time of the coming of Christ the Savior into the world, almost all the peoples of the then political world were united into one state - the Roman one. Rome was called the capital of the entire universe.
A few years before the appearance of the Savior, the Roman state turned from a republic into an empire. Emperors had despotic power. These were their representatives in certain areas. The people were subservient to the emperors. It was very different...
In the eyes of a believer, the most reliable evidence of the “inspiration” and divine background of the Bible has always been miracles and prophecies of the “word of God.”
Historians and ethnographers, first of all, identify in the Bible a whole series of miracles that should be attributed to wandering plots, favorite themes of ancient fairy tales and to universal human myths typical of almost all religions.
This is what the Bible and the creators of its legends absorbed and adopted from the universal treasury of fairy tales, myths, legends...
The Battle of Jericho was the first engagement of the Israelites in their conquest of Canaan. According to the book, the walls of Jericho fell after the priests, following an armed army, marched around the city with the seven trumpets of jubilee and the ark of the covenant.
The story of the Battle of Jericho in the book of Joshua.
The biblical history of Jericho is described in.
It is important to understand that faith here is not inaction, it is action despite danger. This is the faith that John speaks of:
For everyone who is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. ()
Faith without works is dead. Faith is a constant work. We make every effort to do what God says and keep His commandments. Joshua and the Israelites followed God's commandments and conquered Jericho. God gave them victory over the enemy. This is still the case today: if we have true faith, we are forced to obey God, and the Lord will give us victory over the enemies we face throughout our lives. Obedience is clear evidence of faith.
Trumpets of Jericho - symbolic meaning
To understand the history of the fall of Jericho, it is necessary to analyze the phenomenon of the Jericho Trumpets. What power is there in the sounding of the trumpets of Jericho to cause strong walls to fall?
Trumpets of Jericho and Ark of the Covenant The fall of the city walls from the sound of the sacred trumpets of Jericho is a symbol of the triumph of the spirit over material force. The trumpets of Jericho, accompanied by hymns of worship to the true God, are that manifestation of the mind or faith that always triumphs over material obstacles.
Many people are interested in the question: why were all the inhabitants put to the sword? Why did God command this to happen? There are two points of view here.
The first is that Jericho was the site of God's battle, not man's. God, who created people, has the sovereign right to destroy them. The spiritual heirs of John Wesley affirm that the book of Joshua reflects the truth of the absolute sovereignty of the Old Testament God.
The second answer lies in the plane of God's justice. Joshua and the Israelites were God's instruments of judgment. Regardless of Canaan's degree of sinfulness, God's judgment on him was fair.
Joshua (Yehoshua bin Nun) is the heir of Moses, personally appointed by him (Deut. 31:1 - 8; 34:9), the charismatic leader of the Israelites during the period of their conquest of Canaan after leaving Egypt. The name "Yehoshua" means Yahweh-salvation. This name, related in meaning to the names “Hosea” and “Isaiah,” was borne by several Old Testament persons. By the command of God, it was given to the One who appeared as the true Savior of the world (Luke 1:31). Joshua was chosen as the leader of the Israelite army while still in the wilderness. Of the twelve spies who visited Canaan by order of Moses, only Joshua and Caleb believed that the Israelites could, with God's help, conquer this country. God rewarded them for their faith. Of all the Jews born in Egypt, only two of them entered Canaan. Joshua came from the tribe of Ephraim and originally bore the name Hosea, but was renamed Jesus by Moses as a sign that he would save the people from the disasters of wandering in the desert and lead them into the Promised Land. Already upon entering the desert, upon leaving Egypt, with his courage he saved the people from the attack of the Amalekites (Exodus 17) and then throughout his wanderings he was the main assistant of Moses, until all power passed to him. The Book of Numbers (13 - 14) and the Book of Joshua (10:6 - 14) say that, like the soldiers whose exploits are described in the book of Judges, Jesus' devotion to military craft was religious in nature. Before the establishment of the Davidic monarchy, the institution of “holy war” was one of the pillars of the social and religious life of Israel; the war was a volunteer effort, sanctified by religion. Like the warriors in the book of Judges, Joshua was an inspired fighter who hoped that Yahweh Himself would fight for Israel.
The Book of Joshua as Historical Evidence.
The book of Joshua is named after its main character, the Ephraimite Joshua. Some ancient exegetes considered Jesus himself to be the author of the book bearing his name, but now most biblical scholars have returned to the opinion of Bl. Theodoret, who claimed that this book was “written by someone else who lived later” (Commentary on Isnav). It is placed after the Pentateuch of Moses, and is located in the closest connection with it and is composed, as it were, as its continuation, so that some learned critics (Dilman) directly attribute it to this group of biblical books, which they therefore call the Hexateuch. It tells the story of the Jews crossing the Jordan and the subsequent conquest of Canaan. The most important moments of this story are associated with the direct intervention of Yahweh in the course of events. The Jews cross the Jordan as if on dry ground, because Yahweh stopped its flow and all the water became a wall, exposing the bottom of the river. The impregnable walls of the Jericho fortress themselves fall from the sounds of trumpets and loud cries of the besiegers. Victory follows victory until finally all of Canaan is in the hands of the Jews. It would seem that on the part of Yahweh, all the conditions of the covenant were fulfilled: he gave the Jews not only the promised country itself ("promised"), but also all the property of its inhabitants. People, however, continue to break the covenant. After the death of Joshua, the Jews were faithful to Yahweh only as long as there were people alive who remembered the story of the conquest of Canaan.
The book of Joshua is divided into three parts: the first (1 – 12) is devoted to the fall of Jericho, the Testament of Shechem and the two main military campaigns of Joshua; the second (13 – 21:42) talks about the division of St. land between the tribes; the third (21.43 – 24.36) tells about the last days of the life of Joshua. Based on early legends, the book was compiled at a time when the Canaanite population had already mixed with the Israelite and when the people, denounced by the prophets, repented of their concessions to paganism. The demand of Deuteronomy to be uncompromising against idolatry determines the character of the entire book of Joshua. She depicts the settlement of Palestine in the form of the “warfare of the Lord,” in which the outcome of the battles is decided not so much by the courage of the soldiers as by heavenly help. The walls of Jericho collapse from the sound of trumpets, hailstones fall on the Canaanites, and the sun stops. Joshua's campaigns are presented as a triumphant capture of the entire earth followed by dividing it between the knees. However, the book of Judges (especially 1:3) paints a different picture. The Israelis are only slowly and with difficulty infiltrating some areas. They continue to live side by side with the Canaanites, entering into marriages and alliances with them - hence the constant threat of pagan influence (Judges 3:5-6). The connection between the knees is not strong. Most of them act at their own peril and risk. Note that the book of Joshua itself speaks mainly about his two military campaigns - against the coalition of southern Amorite cities and northern Canaanite cities. The development of various areas was carried out through conquest or peaceful penetration or alliances with the then owners of the country. The historical role of Joshua in the occupation of Palestine from the time of crossing the Jordan to the meeting at Shechem is not in doubt. Taking 1250 as the approximate date of the Exodus, the following chronology can be outlined: entry of southern groups around 1250, occupation of central Palestine by groups coming from across the Jordan starting in 1225, expansion of northern groups around 1200 BC.
The spiritual meaning of the book is determined by two main provisions: like the exodus, the establishment of Israel in Canaan was a providential act of God. The will of the Lord was to give this land to the Old Testament Church, subject to its loyalty to the Creator. The gift of God is not easy to receive for those who remain passive. Israel had to muster all its strength to overcome the obstacles that stood in its way. In this call to activity, without which the gift of God will remain unattainable, St. The Fathers saw a type of entry into the Kingdom of God, which requires “effort” (Matthew 11:12). Signs accompanying the conquest of St. earth, mean heavenly support to those who are struggling. Here is an example of a beautiful, but somewhat artificial allegory by the ancient teacher of the Church Origen, discarding the literal, historical meaning of the text. The death of Moses is interpreted as the death of the Old Testament religion, which gave way to the true religion - Christianity, symbolized by the new leader, Joshua, who is a prototype of Jesus Christ: “Now we must talk about the death of Moses. For if we do not understand what the death of Moses means, then we will not be able to comprehend what the power of Joshua (Joshua), that is, Jesus (Christ), means. If you remember the fall of Jerusalem, the desolation of the altars, the cessation of sacrifices, burnt offerings and drink offerings, the absence of priests, high priests, the extinction of the ministry of the Levites - when you see that all this comes to an end, then say that Moses, the servant of the Lord, died... But when you see the conversion of the pagans to the faith, the building of churches, not altars sprinkled with the blood of animals, but altars sanctified by the blood of Christ, when you see that the priests and Levites sacrifice not the blood of bulls and goats, but the Word of God by the grace of the Holy Spirit, then say that it was not Joshua the son of Nun who succeeded Moses, but Jesus the Son of God.”
Joshua as leader and general of Israel.
Joshua was neither a prophet nor a priest, but at the same time he is presented in the Bible as the heir of Moses. His task was to rally the Israelites (or the bulk of them) before they entered western Canaan. God tells him: “Only be strong and very courageous, and carefully keep and fulfill all the law that Moses My servant commanded you...” (1:7). Joshua demands that the tribes of Reuben, Gad and part of the tribe of Manasseh, who settled in Transjordan, take part in the general campaign. Subsequently, these tribes showed a desire for religious and civil separatism. Even before crossing the Jordan, Jesus sends spies to Jericho, the first major city standing in his way. They are hidden by the harlot Rahab (Rahava), a representative of those Canaanites who accepted the faith of Israel and subsequently remained to live with the people of Yahweh (cf. Heb. 11:31). Rahab married an Israelite, and from her line came King David. This woman is one of four foreign women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:5). The crossing of the Jordan is described as a miracle similar to the crossing of the Red Sea. “And as soon as,” says Joshua, “the feet of the priests who bear the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, step into the water of the Jordan, the water of the Jordan will dry up, and the water flowing from above will stop like a wall” (3:13). Indeed, the bed of the Jordan was suddenly exposed “for a great distance.” Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (Catechetical Words, X, 11) pointed to the representative meaning of the passage of the people of God across the Jordan. The river, which served as a kind of sacred boundary of the Promised Land, became a symbol associated with New Testament events. St. John the Baptist made repentant ablution (baptism) in the Jordanian waters a sign of preparation for the coming of the Kingdom of God. The campaign against Jericho took place from Gilgal, the first religious center of the Israelites. There for the first time on St. Easter was celebrated on earth, and there, as a sign of consolidating fidelity to the Covenant, Joshua ordered the rite of circumcision to be performed, which began to be neglected in the desert.
Jericho was one of the oldest cities in the world (the first inhabitants moved there more than 7 thousand years ago). It was destroyed by unknown conquerors around 2000 BC. Little has been preserved in the city from the time of Joshua. This is seen as evidence of its decline towards the era of the Israeli conquest. Hence the “fear” of the Jericho people before the invasion. In the vicinity of Jericho, the mysterious “chief of the Lord’s army” appears to Jesus. This vision indicates that God will accompany Israel. Jericho - the city of sin - must fall not by the hand of man, but miraculously. The angel commands Joshua to have the Levites go around the walls of the fortress with the Ark and blow the trumpets. The leader carries out the command. On the seventh day, when the Israelites circled Jericho seven times and uttered a terrible cry, the walls collapsed. The warriors rushed in and completely destroyed the city and all its inhabitants. After Jericho, the city of Ai (8), an unknown city to the east of Bethel, was destroyed. The word "gai" means ruins. Some archaeologists identify the story of its capture with the destruction of Bethel, the fall of which Isa. Nav. does not speak. According to excavations, Bethel was burned at the end of the 13th century.
After the fall of Jericho, the bulk of the Israelis concentrated in Transjordan and the central, least populated part of Palestine. Joshua makes the city of Shechem, near Mount Ebal and Gerizim, his religious center. Penetration into this area occurs peacefully. Some historians believe that there were already Jews living around Shechem. It is here that the common Israelite altar is built and the Ark is transferred here from Gilgal (later the shrine was moved to Shiloh; see Joshua 18:1). In Shechem, the tradition of the renewal of the Covenant, described in Deuteronomy (27–28), develops. It was probably related to the need to maintain the religious unity of the divided tribes. According to Isa. Nav. 8:32, the leader ordered the statutes of the Law to be inscribed on stone tablets in memory of the renewal of the Covenant. The inhabitants of Gibeon, neighboring Shechem, resorted to cunning and managed to conclude an alliance with the Israelites. They concealed the fact that they lived in the nearby region, and the Israelites, believing them, broke their rule, vowing to live in peace with them. Later, when the deception was revealed, the Gibeonites became vassals of Israel. Excavations have shown that Gibeon, even after Joshua, retained its position as a rich trading city. The Gibeonite treaty with the Israelites alarmed the kings of southern Palestine. Five of them form a coalition led by the king of Jerusalem and move troops to Gibeon. The Gibeonites send messengers to Jesus asking for help. With a quick night march, Jesus leads his soldiers to Gibeon and deals a crushing blow to the Amorite army.
This battle was glorified in ancient Israeli epics, which have not survived to our time. But their echoes were preserved in the book of Joshua. It speaks of a hail of stones that killed the Amorites and the sun that stood still. The author of the book quotes from the ancient epic (10:13). According to some interpreters, the words of Jesus addressed to the sun and moon meant a call to the luminaries to “freeze”, “stop” (Heb. dam'am), looking at the exploits of God's soldiers (cf. Habak. 3:11). Other exegetes believe that here we are dealing with the poetic image with which the ancient hymns are saturated (cf. “the stars fought from heaven” Judges 5:20). Could a real miracle happen in this case? Naturally, all the forces of nature are in the hands of God, but, on the other hand, Jesus, who began the battle in the predawn darkness, hardly needed to extend the day to win. The Battle of Gibeon is most likely described in the language of a heroic epic with its characteristic hyperboles, with the help of which the author could express the main idea: God contributed to the victory of Jesus. With the second blow, the Israelis repelled the onslaught of the Galilean coalition, led by the king of Hazor (Hebrew: Hazor). The enemies were defeated at Lake Merom, north of Gennesaret, but the victory was not as complete as the book of Joshua tells us. Soon the Hazor king restored his power and for some time (under Deborah and Barak) subjugated the northern Israelite tribes.
Before his death, Joshua, like Moses, again demanded that the assembly of the elders of Israel make a decision and finally choose: whether to bow to the side of the gods of Canaan or to devote themselves entirely to the one God. The congregation expressed its readiness to remain faithful to God, which was solemnly witnessed at Shechem. Since then, such meetings took place in the vicinity of the city constantly. Shechem became the center of formation of the northern Israeli Mosaic tradition. The story of Joshua's campaigns ends with the words: “And the land was calm from the war” (11:23). But, as the apostle explains, Joshua's work was not completed. “For if Joshua had given them rest, there would have been no mention of another day after that” (Heb. 4:8). This other day, the day of blessed “rest,” the fullness of God’s promise, is foretold in Psalm 94:11. It is significant that Joshua did not leave behind a successor for all of Israel. From now on, only the Lord was to be the only Ruler and King. But such a free Theocracy (Divine Power), acting without coercion, turned out to be unbearable for the people. The book of Judges testifies to this.
The question of the admissibility of “holy wars”.
The book of Joshua tells the story of the Holy War of the tribes of Israel against the inhabitants of Canaan. The descriptions of hostilities and the uncompromising nature of the Israelites towards the Canaanite cities are striking in their cruelty. All residents and all property of the Canaanite cities are cursed and subjected to total destruction. “That same day Joshua took Maked, and smote him with the sword, and his King, and consigned them to destruction, and everything that breathed that was in him—he left no one to survive...” (Joshua 10:28). The opinion may be quite justified that the events described in the book are least consistent with the spirit of the Jewish religion. What are the reasons for the cruelty of the Israelite tribes towards the native population?
When assessing the actions of the Israelis, one must take into account the fact that Israel fought not only and not so much for its national interests, but waged a Holy War against the most corrupt and morally degraded peoples. The essence of the religion of Canaan was the so-called Bacchic cults, in which the most extreme types of perversion and licentiousness were practiced. Some participants in festive orgies got drunk on lust-inducing drinks and, reaching a lustful frenzy, committed self-castration. It was common for the spirits that the Canaanites worshiped to sacrifice children. A huge number of charred children's skeletons, buried in the ground, walled up in walls and foundations, were discovered during excavations in Canaan. Temple prostitution was practiced in places of religious worship.
The Israelites were a kind of cleansing and punitive storm that burst into the pernicious atmosphere of superstition and perversity. Israel viewed their wars as Yahweh's Holy Wars, designed to eradicate the Canaanite abominations from the Promised Land. This conviction was reinforced by the amazing successes that accompanied the Jews in the early days. Of particular interest and significance in the general atmosphere of a merciless war are those exceptions that are narrated in the book of Joshua. The Canaanite woman Rahab was promised mercy. It is possible that Rahab (Rahab), mentioned in the genealogy of the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 1:5), is the same Canaanite woman from the time of Joshua. In this case, she became the foremother of the Israeli king and prophet David, and the foremother of the Messiah Christ. Joshua also spared the inhabitants of Gibeon. Through cunning they were able to conclude a treaty with Israel.
From the book of Joshua and subsequent biblical books, it becomes obvious that the conquest of Canaan did not become a total extermination of the Canaanites. In all likelihood, the Jews initially captured only large centers and over the course of centuries gradually took possession of the land, assimilating the local population. Some researchers believe that there was a large-scale entry of representatives of other nations into the Israeli community. Considering the complexity of the origins of the Israeli people, they note a sharp increase in their numbers, which, in his opinion, should be considered as something more than biological growth. Biological laws do not allow seventy men: (descendants of the sons of Jacob) to produce so many offspring during the period under consideration. It is believed that at the time of the exodus the Israelites were a mixed people, a crowd of runaway slaves of various origins. Among the Hebrew names we find Egyptian names. Moses' wife was a Midianite whose tribe joined the Israelites in their campaign against Canaan (Num. 10); the descendants of the Midianites (Kenites) continued to live among the people of God (Judges 1:16). Caleb, one of the heroes, and Othniel, one of the judges, were Keneseites, representatives of a different branch of Jacob - a branch of the Edomites (Josh. 14; Judges 3:9). In the desert, the Israelites were joined by a large number of people who accepted the law of Moses and assimilated into the people of God.
During the time of Joshua, the Israelites sometimes followed the pagan custom of war of extermination ("exorcism", "herem"), while referring to God. From the perspective of prophetic teaching and the Gospel, these references were a form of misunderstood theological thesis that attributed human passions to God. Probably, the cruel customs of those times are explained by the primitive state of morality, which is confirmed by a certain origin in the development of prophetism itself: if the prophet Elisha inspired Jehu to a violent coup, then a century later the prophet Hosea condemns the violence he committed 1:4.
Conclusion. Joshua is the leader of Israel.
Joshua led the Israelites when they finally crossed the Jordan and entered Canaan from the east (about 1230 BC). Directly ahead of them was the fortified city of Jericho. They were to take possession of the land promised to them by God. Canaan at that time was divided into many small independent states, each of which was formed around a fortified city - the residence of the ruler. Joshua's first task was to take Jericho, which occupied an important strategic position. As modern excavations show, Jericho was already an unusually ancient city by that time.
Careful reading of the texts of the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament along with the study of other sources has led scholars to recognize the fact that Israel's conquest of Canaan was not carried out according to a single, detailed and pre-thought-out plan. The Canaanite lands were conquered gradually, through the transition of local residents to the side of the Israeli army. This is a relatively peaceful process that lasted several centuries and reached its climax during the reign of David. Before this, most of the cities surrounded by fortress walls were in the hands of the Canaanites. Even if these cities were captured - such as Hazor (Joshua 11), the Israelites did not use them for military purposes; The first such case was the capture of Jerusalem by David. However, during this period there were often inevitable military clashes with the local population and militant competitors such as the people of Midian. Judging by the descriptions (Joshua 10 - 11), the military campaigns of Joshua were forays of mobile military units that moved westward and, if necessary, united to ensure military superiority in battles in open spaces between fortified cities.
Joshua defeated the Canaanite kings, destroyed the most important cities of the country and many places where the Canaanites practiced their religious cult. Although the conquest was not yet complete, Jews could already begin to populate the country. Various territories were distributed by lot among the Israelite tribes. The Jews were never completely successful. Enemies who constantly harassed them remained in the country, and the Israelites themselves very often adopted the lifestyle of the Canaanites and worshiped their deities. However, the Jews managed to win several more outstanding victories (such as the victories won by the tribe of Judah) and they everywhere switched to a settled life. Canaan turned into the land of Israel.
Application. Brief commentary on the Old Testament. / Books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. – Brussels: Life with God, 1989. P. 1887. Kryvelev I. A. Book about the Bible. Popular science essays. / I. A. Kryvelev. - [Electronic resource]. - Electron, text, graph, sound. Dan. and application program 1 electron, opt. disk (CD-ROM).
See: Men A. Experience of a course in the study of the Holy Scriptures. Old Testament. / A. Men. – M., 2000.T. I. § 26;Appendix. Brief commentary on the Old Testament. / Books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. – Brussels: Life with God, 1989. P. 1887.
Application. Brief commentary on the Old Testament. / Books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. – Brussels: Life with God, 1989. P. 1888.
Quote by Meyendorff I. Introduction to Patristic Theology. / I. Meyendorff. – Klin: Christian Life, 2001. - [Electronic resource]. - Electron, text, graph, sound. Dan. and application program 1 electron, opt. disk (CD-ROM). Biblical Encyclopedia / trans. Russian Bible Society. – M.: Russian Bible Society, 2002. P. 320.
World Encyclopedia: Mythology / Ch. ed. M. V. Adamchik: Ch. scientific ed. V. V. Adamchik. – Minsk: Modern writer, 2004. P. 329.
Biblical Encyclopedia / trans. Russian Bible Society. – M.: Russian Bible Society, 2002. P. 321.
Priest Maxim Mishchenko
