Two Prominent Israeli Scholars Assess One of the Most Controversial Aspects of Biblical History

After its sojourn in Egypt, Israel came to Canaan, all agree that by the time the Israelite monarchy was established in its eternal capital Jerusalem, the land was Israel’s.

But how did this come about? By what process? The Biblical accounts in Joshua and Judges are somewhat contradictory. Was it a peaceful infiltration? Was it a result of a series of swift and daring military victories? When did it take place? Was it a social revolution? And—whatever the answers—what is the evidence to support one view or another?

Few Biblical subjects are as fascinating and controversial. The various views put forward by scholars are especially intriguing because they are based not on mere speculation, but on an abundance of evidence, albeit not always unequivocal. And we are confronted with a variety of engaging and disparate questions involving historiography, text criticism, archaeology, sociology, and 015military strategy, to name just a few of the relevant subjects.

In this and future issues of BAR, we will be exploring aspects of Israel’s occupation of the land variously referred to as Canaan, the Promised Land, Eretz Israel, the Holy Land, and, later, Palestine and the reborn land of Israel.