Theology
Erasmus Gaß
Die Landverteilung im Josuabuch
Eine literarhistorische Analyse von Josua 13–19
[The Distribution of Land in Joshua. A Literary-Historical Analysis of Joshua 13–19.]
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Published in German.
Up to now, there have been very few literary-historical analyses of the texts dealing with the distribution of land in Joshua 13–19, although it is precisely this passage which is particularly enlightening in regard to the redaction history of the Book of Joshua and to a possible Hexateuch, since there are links in the redaction pointing to the Book of Numbers. Erasmus Gaß explores a basic priestly text, approaching this from the perspective of a literary criticism which is based on linguistic and text-critical observations rather than historical or topographical anomalies. This text honors the promise of the land given in the Pentateuch and is limited to seven tribes in Cisjordan. Moreover, he shows that the passage dealing with the distribution of land differs linguistically from the first part of the Book of Joshua and it was redacted together with the Book of Numbers before it was included in the Book of Joshua.