The rewritten Joshua scrolls from Qumran: texts, translations, and commentary

In addition to three scrolls containing the Book of Joshua, the Qumran caves brought to light five previously unknown texts rewriting this book. These scrolls (4Q123, 4Q378, 4Q379, 4Q522, 5Q9), as well as a scroll from Masada (Mas 1039-211), are commonly referred to as the Apocryphon of Joshua. While each of these manuscripts has received some scholarly attention, no attempt has yet been made to offer a detailed study of all these texts. The present monograph fills this gap by providing improved editions of the six scrolls, an up-to-date commentary and a detailed discussion of the biblical exegesis embedded in each scroll. The analysis of the texts is followed by a reassessment of the widely accepted view considering 4Q123, 4Q378, 4Q379, 4Q522, 5Q9 and Mas 1039-211 as copies of a single composition. Finally, the monograph attempts to place the Qumran scrolls rewriting the Book of Joshua within the wider context of Second Temple Jewish writings concerned with the figure of Joshua.

Frontmatter --; Table of Contents --; Abbreviations --; Preface --; Introduction --; 1 Joshua and His Book in Second Temple Jewish Literature --; 2. The Scroll 4Q378 --; 3 The Scroll 4Q379 --; 4 The Scroll 4Q522 --; 5 The Scroll 4Q123 --; 6 The Scroll 5Q9 --; 7 The Scroll Mas 1039-211 --; 8 The Rewritten Joshua Scrolls: One Composition or Several Literary Works? --; 9 The Rewritten Joshua Scrolls in Their Exegetical Context --; Bibliography --; Index