Divine Presence Amid Violence: Contextualizing the Book of Joshua

To pursue the matter of revelation in context," I will address an exceedingly difficult text in the Old Testament, Joshua 11. The reason for taking up this text is to deal with the often asked and troublesome question: What shall we do with all the violence and bloody war that is done in the Old Testament in the name of Yahweh? The question reflects a sense that these texts of violence are at least an embarrassment, are morally repulsive, and are theologically problematic in the Bible, not because they are violent, but because this is violence either in the name of or at the hand of Yahweh." -from chapter 2

Walter Brueggemann is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary. He is past President of the Society of Biblical Literature and the author of numerous books, including Praying the Psalms, A Pathway of Interpretation, and Ichabod toward Home.