| As used in this timeline, this refers to the period between the
beginnings of the conquest (1225 BC) (see Egypt
and the Exodus) until the rise of the monarchy under Saul (~1020
BC). The first of these dates is harangued, on the one hand, by apparent
inconsistencies betweenJoshua and Judges, and
on the other, by difficulties in the archeological record (the existence
of Jericho at this time, for example). The second tat is somewhat
firmer, but slightly hindered by the fact that the length of Saul's
reign appears to be damaged in the Masoretic text (where he is said to
begin a two year reign at one year old).
Readers should note that the years given in Judges for the length of Judgships are not, in all likelihood, intended for the purpose of calculating dates. They are all 40 years, or multiples thereof (some 80, one only half at 20). Probably these should be read as "a long time", "a really long time" and "a while, but not that long" respectively. 40 years is sometimes read as simply a generation (closer to 25 years). Nor are they necessarily sequential. They are scattered all over Palestine and only occasionally involve more than one tribe. The last two stories (chs. 17ff) probably need to be read as independent of the rest of the book. They are not judge stories and are not consistent with the themes of the book up until that point. [AH] |
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