Joshua 24 and the So-Called Hexateuch Redaction: A Reassessment

Abstract

Joshua 24 is generally assumed to be the concluding chapter of a Hexateuch. Several texts in Genesis and Exodus are indeed taken up in Joshua 24. In recent times, these texts have generally been assigned to a post-Priestly layer of redaction. In this essay, I argue that the direction of influence runs from Joshua 24 to the books of Genesis and Exodus, instead of linearly from Genesis-Exodus to Joshua. I propose that Genesis 34 and 35:1–4 reacts to the assumed pro-Samaritan viewpoint of Joshua 24. Furthermore, I postulate that Genesis 33:18–20, 50:24–26, and Exodus 13:19 aim to explain the unique traditions in Joshua 24. This emphasises the theological importance of Joshua 24 in the debate surrounding the Samaritan identity in post-exilic times, while reassessing the literary question surrounding a Hexateuch redaction.