conservative Christians today, opinion is perhaps equally divided.8 Internally, there is nothing to deny the bulk of the book to Joshua’s pen The important thing to recognize is that the identi cation of the author is not a crucial factor in studying the Bible text B DATE The book was written not long after the events themselves had transpired If the conquest of Canaan was completed around 1400 B.C., the book was written soon after this date (Note: Concerning dates of this period of Old Testament history, see John C Whitcomb’s chronological chart, Old Testament Patriarchs and Judges.) About twenty-four years are covered by the narrative of Joshua After the Canaanites were conquered, Joshua divided the land, settled the tribes in their respective places, and looked after the a airs of the nation until his death III SURVEY First, scan the book of Joshua in one sitting, if possible Jot down on paper your impressions from this rst reading (e.g., which part of the book is mostly narrative?) If your Bible identi es main content at the top of each page (or at the beginning of each chapter), read this sequence now, for the whole book Also, you may want to read the first verse of each chapter Now return to the beginning of the book, and assign a title to each of the twenty-four chapters Record on paper (Note that Chart 32 shows a segment beginning at 11:16 instead of at 12:1.) Read the rst paragraph of the book (1:1-9) and the last three paragraphs (24:1933) Make comparisons Before studying the survey Chart 32, try to group chapters into sections of similar content For example: What chapters are mainly of action? What chapters record mainly the allotments of territory? What chapters report preparations for conquest, and what chapters report the battles themselves? When you read the text in more detail, look for references to important experiences of the Israelites, such as altars Are there many references in the book to sin of God’s people, and judgments reaped? The account of the book of Joshua is presented in a logical sequence of four sections, as shown on Chart 29 The rst two sections, comprising the action section of he book, lead up to a peak of attaining the promised goal, as represented by a phrase of the key verse, “So Joshua took the whole land” (11:23) From this midpoint of the book, the account levels o to a plateau, as it were, to present the immediate business of Joshua, that of dividing the inheritance of land among the tribes This is followed by a tting intense ... experiences of the Israelites, such as altars Are there many references in the book to sin of God’s people, and judgments reaped? The account of the book of Joshua is presented in a logical sequence of. .. the top of each page (or at the beginning of each chapter), read this sequence now, for the whole book Also, you may want to read the first verse of each chapter Now return to the beginning of. .. From this midpoint of the book, the account levels o to a plateau, as it were, to present the immediate business of Joshua, that of dividing the inheritance of land among the tribes This is followed