The destruction of Jericho’s city walls (Joshua 6) is commonly attributed to the blowing of trumpets. After examining similar stories from ancient Greece, the article addresses various imprecisions of this notion. First, the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin versions of the biblical text suggest several possible instruments, but eventually the ram horn (shofar) remains the only reasonable option. Secondly, regarding the actual cause of the walls’ fall, textual analysis, again across languages, reveals a rather complex picture. Further insights are gained from the interpretations of both Jewish and early Christian commentators and contemporary scholarship. After considering a variety of possibilities, ranging from an earthquake to the ‘magic’ number seven, the solution proposed here is rooted in the soteriological hermeneutics of Sacred Scripture as a whole. In a way, none and all of the people’s actions are relevant, because only faith and obedience to God’s commandment elicit the divine ratification of salvation.
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Dozeman, Th. (2015). Joshua 1-12: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
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Franke, J.R., ed. (2005). Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press/Institute for Classical Christian Studies.
Franklin, J.C. (2015). Kinyras: The Divine Lyre. Washington, D.C./Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Gaster, Th.H. (1969). Myth, Legend, and Custom in the Old Testament. A Comparative Study with Chapters from Sir James G. Frazer’s Folklore in the Old Testament, vol. 2. New York/Evanston/San Francisco/London: Harper & Row.
Hess, R.S. (2009). Joshua. In: Walton, J.H., ed., Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, pp. 2-93.
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Howard, D.M. (1998). Joshua. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Huffman, J.A. (1986). Joshua. Waco, TX: Word Books Publisher.
Krentz, P. (1993). The Salpinx in Greek Battle. In: V.D. Hanson, ed., Hoplites. The Classical Greek Battle Experience. New York: Routledge, pp. 110-120.
McConville, J.G., and Williams, St.N. (2010). Joshua. Grand Rapids, MI/Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing.
Oratz, P., Rosenberg, A.J., and Shulman, S., eds (1980). Miqraot-Gedolot: Joshua. 2nd ed. Booklyn, NY: Judaica Press.
Nelson, R.D. (1997). Joshua: A Commentary. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Sachs, C. (1940). The History of Musical Instruments. New York: W.W. Norton.
The Navarre Bible. (2003). Joshua—Kings. Dublin/New York: Four Courts Press/Scepter Publishers.
West, M.L. (1992). Ancient Greek Music. Oxford/New York: OUP.
Wille, G. (1967). Musica Romana. Die Bedeutung der Musik im Leben der Römer. Amsterdam: Schippers.
Wood, B.G. (1990). Did the Israelites Conquer Jericho? Biblical Archaeology Review 16.2: pp. 44-58.
Wood, B.G. (2008). Did the Israelites Conquer Jericho? A New Look at the Archaeological Evidence. Associates for Biblical Research (<http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/05/Did-the-Israelites-Conquer-Jericho-A-New-Look-at-the-Archaeological-Evidence.aspx#Article>, accessed May 27, 2018).
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The destruction of Jericho’s city walls (Joshua 6) is commonly attributed to the blowing of trumpets. After examining similar stories from ancient Greece, the article addresses various imprecisions of this notion. First, the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin versions of the biblical text suggest several possible instruments, but eventually the ram horn (shofar) remains the only reasonable option. Secondly, regarding the actual cause of the walls’ fall, textual analysis, again across languages, reveals a rather complex picture. Further insights are gained from the interpretations of both Jewish and early Christian commentators and contemporary scholarship. After considering a variety of possibilities, ranging from an earthquake to the ‘magic’ number seven, the solution proposed here is rooted in the soteriological hermeneutics of Sacred Scripture as a whole. In a way, none and all of the people’s actions are relevant, because only faith and obedience to God’s commandment elicit the divine ratification of salvation.
All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
---|---|---|---|
Abstract Views | 13129 | 825 | 56 |
Full Text Views | 83 | 11 | 4 |
PDF Views & Downloads | 171 | 34 | 8 |