When I was a kid we celebrated the “Battle of Jericho” when “the walls come a’tumblin’ down” as a great victory of God that shows how he will bring victory to those who are faithful to him. I don’t think we thought for a moment what it must have been like for the people in the city itself who were slaughtered to a person (man, woman, and child) so that the Israelites could take possession of the place.
And I doubt if we ever heard at all the story of “Jephthah’s daughter” – it’s a little bit harder to make a nice Sunday School song out of someone who literally sacrifices his own child to show his faithfulness of God. Even today many people don’t know the story (and those who do usually try to explain it away). If you yourself don’t, read on.
For both I provide side-boxes on my book The Bible: A Historical and Literary Introduction, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press).
If you need a refresher on what happened in the battle of Jericho, it’s a great story – you can find it in Joshua 6. The story of Jephthah is found in Judges 11, but since it’s not as well known, I’ll give a summary before explaining it.
But first Joshua and the battle of Jericho:
Get access to Dr. Ehrman's library of 4,000+ articles plus five new articles per week about the New Testament and early Christianity. It costs as little as $2.99/mth and every cent goes to charity!
Unlock 4,000+ Articles Like This!
Leave A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.