Napoleon Bonaparte once said that "history is the version of the past events that people have decided to agree upon." In our opinion, Napoleon is quite right. Because we lack a DeLorean, we're not able to travel back in time to see exactly how history was played out. Could dinosaurs really talk? Probably not. Did George Washington really cross the Delaware? Most likely so. Did Joshua really conquer the land of Canaan? According to the Book of Joshua, absolutely. But even though most tales of history are fluffed up versions of what actually happened, that doesn't mean that they're not true at their core. As a simple disclaimer, if anyone out there does own a DeLorean or knows how to reach Doc Brown, please let us know.
Questions About Memory and the Past
- Why do you think the Book of Joshua is written as a sweeping epic narrative as opposed to flat historical account?
- What do you think is the most significant event in the Book of Joshua? Why?
- What other stories in history do you think are fluffed up?
- Does fluffing up the narrative of Joshua and the Israelites change the overall meaning of the book? Why?