JOSHUA (in the Septuagint Joeephue, Acts vii. 45, and Hebr. iv. 8, he is called the son of Nun, who succeeded Moses in the command of the Israelites. Joshua, whose original name was Hoehea (Pm, Numb. xiii. 8, 16), accompanied his countrymen from Egypt, and diatinguished himself by his courage and military talents in a war with the Amalekitea (Exod. xvii. 9-13). He was sent, together with several others, to explore the Promised Land, and waa the only one of the spies, with the exception of Caleb, who exhorted his countrymen to invade Canaan (Numb. xiv. 6-9, 38). In consequence of this he received especial marks of favour from God, and was nominated by Moses, on the express order of God, to succeed him in the command of the Israelitish army (Numb. xxvii. 18-23; Deut. 2S ; xxxi. 23). Joshua led the Israelites over the Jordan, B.c. 1451 and in the course of seven years conquered the greater part of Palestine, and assigned a particular part of the country to each of the tribes. He died at the age of 110, and was buried at Timnath Scrath, in Mount Ephraim (Josh. xxiv. 29, 30). We learn from Josephus that Joshua commanded the Israelites for twenty-five years ('Antiq.,' v. 1, sec. 29).
The author of the Book of Joshua and the time in which it was written are equally uncertain. Many critics have supposed that it was written by Joshua himself; bat the entire book in its present form could not have been written by him, for many parts of the book refer to events which happened after the death of Joshua (Josh. iv. 9; ay. 13-19, compared with Judg. i. 10-15; Josh. xvi. 10, with Judg. i. 29; Josh. xix. 47, with Judg. xviii. 29). Many critics suppose the book to have been written by Samuel or Eleazar, whose death is recorded in the last verse of the book. Lightfoot ascribea it to Phinehas, the ECM of Eleszar, and Do Wette to the time of the Babylonish captivity. But at whatever time it may have been written, the author appeara to have compiled tho greater part, if not the whole, of the work from very ancient documents, some of which were probably drawn up by Joshua himself. The survey of the conquered country is expressly said to have been "described in a book " (Josh. xviii. 9); and Joshua is also said to have written "in the book of the law of God" the renewal of the covenant between God and the people of Israel (Josh. xxiv. 26). The Book of Jaeher, which has long since been lost, is quoted in Joshua (x. 13) as a nork of authority. In Josh. v. 1, the author appears to quote the exact words of a document written by a person who was present at the eventa recorded.
The Book of Joshua is a continuation of the Book of Deuteronomy, and gives an account of Jewish history from the death of Moses to that of Joshua. It may be divided into three parts, of which the first contains the history of the conquest of the southern and northern parts of Palestine (chaps. i.-xi.), and a recapitulation of the conquests both of Moses and Joshua (ch. xii.); the second part gives a description of the whole of Palestine (eh. xiii.), and an account of the land which was allotted to Caleb and each of the tribes (chaps. xiv.-xxii); the third part contains an account of the dying address, death, and burial of Joshua (chaps. xxiii., xxiv.). The canonical authority of this took has never been disputed. In all the manu scripts of the Old Testament it immediately follows the Pentateuch.
Many Christian commentators consider Joshua to have been a typo of Christ ; but this opinion is not supported by any writer of the New Testament.
The Samaritans have two books which bear the name of Joshua. 1. One of these is a chronicle, consisting of forty-seven chapters of Jewish history from a little before the death of Moses to the time of the Roman emperor Alexander Severna. It appears to have been called the Book of Joshua, because the history of Joshua occupies the greater part of the work (the first thirty-eight or thirty-nine chapters). It is written in the Arabic language, in Samaritan cha racters. Copies of this work are extremely scarce. The only copy in Europe, as far as we are aware, is in the University Library at Leyden, to which it was left by Joseph Scaliger. 2. The other Book of Joshua, written by one Abul-Phatab, is also a chronicle of events from the beginning of the world to ear. 898 (A.D. 1492). There is a copy of this work in the Bodleian Library at Oxford. Schnurrer, who possessed another copy, has given an account of the chronicle in the ninth volume of the 'Repertorium fur Bib]. and Morgenl. Litt.' (The Introductions of Eichhcrn, Jahn, De Wette, Augusti, and Borne; Roeemniiller, Scholia ; the best critical works on Joshua are by Marius, Jonas Imperatoris IBsteris illustrata, Antwerp, 1574 ; Meyer, Ueber die Ecstandtheile and die Oekonoruie des B. Josua, with a r eview of the same book in Bertholdt'a 'Journal der Theolog. Litt.,' vol. ii., pp. 337-366; Herwerden, Disputatio de Ltbro Josuce, Groping., 1826; Maurer, Covmintar. tiler d. B. Jona, .Sc.)