Unusual Bible Interpretations: Joshua by Israel Drazin, Gefen Publishing House, Jerusalem; ISBN 978-965-229-709-9 ©2015, $24.95, p. 174, plus references and index
By Fred Reiss, Ed.D.
WINCHESTER, California — The Book of Joshua is part of a collection of biblical books, which include Deuteronomy, Judges, Samuel, Jeremiah, and Kings, called Deuteronomic history because these books are believed to be written and edited by various scribes from a single literary source. Joshua is named by tradition as the author of the eponymous work, but scholars attribute its creation between the eighth and sixth centuries BCE, some five to seven hundred years after the events.
Unusual Bible Interpretations divides the Book of Joshua into three parts. The first (Joshua 1-12) tells of the conquest of Canaan by a unified Hebrew nation, beginning some forty years after the Exodus from Egypt. The second describes the distribution of the conquered lands to the tribes of Israel (Joshua 13-21), and the third part (Joshua 22-24) recounts the history of the Israelites some fourteen years into the conquest.
In Unusual Bible Interpretations, prolific writer of Jewish-themed works and modern day polymath Israel Drazin re-examines ancient questions about the history, morals, and ethics portrayed in the Book of Joshua, a book he stresses is filled with non-sequiturs and many inconsistencies with itself and with other books of the Bible. Drazin worked for thirty-eight years as a chaplain for the US military, achieving the rank of brigadier general. He also earned one master’s degree in psychology and a second in Hebrew literature, as well as a PhD in Judaic studies. He is also a rabbi and an attorney.
While seeking answers to the discrepancies appearing in the Book of Joshua, Drazin summarily discards any textual hyperbole and destroys the mystical and illogical opinions of midrashic rabbis, always choosing to explain history as the result of natural events rather than miracles. He links each chapter of Unusual Bible Interpretations with a chapter in the Book of Joshua and asks and examines a pertinent question about that chapter. For example, regarding Chapter 5 in the Book of Joshua he inquires, “Joshua, why didn’t Moses circumcise the Israelites before they entered Canaan?” For Joshua 7 he asks, “What gave Joshua the right to kill Achan in a nonjudicial fashion?” Finally, for Joshua 9 he raises the question, “Was Joshua acting morally when he enslaved the Gibeonites?”
Drazin argues that in order to appreciate biblical meaning, one must comprehend its writing style, how numbers are employed as descriptors, and by what means ancient and taboo practices were enacted. As he reviews each chapter, Drazin calls on this knowledge whenever possible to elucidate and explain discrepancies. At one point, Drazin is so exasperated by the errors, that he rhetorically asks if the editors of the Book of Joshua were actually knowledgeable of the Torah’s contents.
Scholars generally agree that the Book of Joshua is not a factual history of the Jewish people; the book is more likely the result of a nation’s collective memory, fractured by time. Unusual Bible Interpretations continues that conviction. Drazin’s explanations are free of fables and myths, although not everyone will like this approach. Unusual Bible Interpretations is an excellent stand-alone volume, or as a companion to anyone studying the Book of Joshua.
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Dr. Fred Reiss is a retired public and Hebrew school teacher and administrator. He is the author of The Standard Guide to the Jewish and Civil Calendars; Ancient Secrets of Creation: Sepher Yetzira, the Book that Started Kabbalah, Revealed; and a fiction book, Reclaiming the Messiah. You may comment to him at fred.reiss@sdjewishworld.com, or post your comment on this website, provided that the rules below are observed.
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