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the Bible: Joshua 1:1-9
One
of the areas of study that fascinates me is the origin and transmission of the
Bible. From its writing to its preservation, from its beginnings to today, the
way that we have received the Word of God in writing is a truly remarkable
process. The long span of time covered by the writing of Scripture- about 1500
years- is amazing in historical context. To put it in perspective, 1500 years
ago there was still a Roman empire, the prophet Mohammed had not yet been born,
the AD/BC system for dating had not yet been invented, and Christianity had not
yet split into its Eastern and Western branches (and the Protestant Reformation
was still a millennium away!).
One
of the questions that arises when examining the history of the Bible is how the
books that eventually were recognized as the official canon of Scripture were
treated when they were first written. We have hints that at least some were
accepted as coming from God at an early date, while others took a while for the
church to fully recognize. Occasionally we find passages of Scripture that
provide us with clues to this process.
In Joshua
1, we have some indications of the beginning of the recognition of the writings
of Moses as an authoritative book of law (instruction, in the ESV). Moses had
just died, and Joshua, as his assistant, would have had access to all that he
had written during Israel’s wilderness wanderings. It’s even possible Joshua
might have helped in the writing, as a secretary or amanuensis, but we are not
told this in the Bible. Still, given that Deuteronomy is largely a long sermon
by Moses, it isn’t hard to imagine that Joshua at least “took notes” as he
spoke.
What
we do clearly see in Joshua 1 is that the Lord instructs Joshua to take the
book that Moses has written and to read and meditate on it daily. We break
Moses’ writings down into five books, but as a collection they are called the
Torah (Law) by Jews, and the Pentateuch (five books) by many Bible students.
This book was now the guide Joshua was to follow as he took over the leadership
of Israel from Moses. Within a few years of its composition, or even just a few
weeks or months of the writings at the end of Deuteronomy, Joshua received the
command to treat this collection as an authoritative source of God’s commands
and instructions.
If
this is true, then at least parts of the Bible were treated as Scripture almost
immediately. This doesn’t fit with what some scholars suggest about the history
of Judaism. They believe it evolved gradually over many, many years, and that
when we see something that looks like an early acknowledgement of an
authoritative Scripture that means the book in which we find that reference must
have been written centuries later. Some go so far as to question whether Moses and
Joshua really lived, or were just later legends conceived by the priests to
establish what they wanted Israel and its kings to believe about the origin of
the nation.
Now
it is true that we do not have the original books of Moses as written by his
own hand. However, some scholars believe that Moses’ original manuscript may
have survived until at least 620 BC, when, during repairs under King Josiah of
Judah, Hilkiah found the “book of the law” in the Temple. Moses had originally
deposited a copy of the book next to the ark (Deuteronomy 31:26), and many believe
this was the copy Joshua would have read, passed down for generations. While we
don’t know how the book was lost, under these circumstances it would have been
found over 800 years after it had been written! While this seems almost
impossible, we have manuscripts today that have survived far longer and are
still readable. I have seen fairly up close some of the Dead Sea scrolls
fragments, which date back 2000 years, and although my language skills are
rusty, I could definitely make out the letters and words on those manuscripts.
We
do know that copies were made, and that the scribes who wrote these copies came
to have very strict rules so that they could guarantee that they transmitted
the words accurately. (In fact, some of these strictures are still applied by
those who write out the Torah scrolls for Jewish synagogues today.) The Torah
still guides the worship and practice of Jews today, and has a great influence
of Christians as well. Given what we read in Joshua, the Torah has been seen as
God’s Word and God’s Law for over 3400 years, ever since it was written by
Moses and handed over to Joshua. The Bible began with the books of Moses, and
has continued to hold its place of authority ever since, even as the Holy Spirit
inspired more books to be written and added to Scripture.
