Digging Up Dirt on Joshua - The Bible For Normal People

Is the book of Joshua an accurate historical rundown, a tall theological tale, or something…in between?

Digging Up Dirt on Joshua: Historical Conquest or Fan Fiction?

LIVE CLASS

March 19th, 2025 from 8:00-9:30pm ET

Cost: Pay What You Can

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Did those epic conquest stories actually happen or are we dealing with ancient storytelling? And what does archaeology have to say about it all?

In this live class, archaeologist and Hebrew Bible scholar Dr. Cynthia Shafer-Elliott will dig into how Joshua fits into the big-picture Bible narrative and tackle big ethical and theological questions about divine warfare, land possession, and how these texts have been used—and misused—in modern times.

This Class Includes:

One-night live class and live Q&A session

Downloadable class slides

Link to class recording

Topics We'll Cover:

The Conquest Narratives: History or Theology?

Examining the structure of the book of Joshua and whether it presents a historical account, a theological interpretation, or something in between.

Archaeology and the Conquest: What Do We Actually Know?

Exploring the archaeological evidence (or lack thereof) for the events described in the book of Joshua, including key sites like Jericho, Ai, and Hazor.

The Ethics of Joshua: Violence, Land, and Theology

Addressing the moral and theological questions surrounding divine warfare, land possession, and how these texts have been used (or misused) in modern contexts.

YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Dr. Cynthia Shafer-Elliott is an Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible at Baylor University. Her expertise and research focus on the historical, cultural, and social contexts of ancient Israel and Judah as reflected within both the archaeological record and the Hebrew Bible (with a particular interest in the Former Prophets). More specifically, Dr. Shafer-Elliott’s research emphasizes households, food, gender, religion, and social memory. She is an experienced field archaeologist and is part of the archaeological excavations at Tel Halif and Tel Abel Beth Maacah in Israel.