Les livres de Josué et des Juges confrontés à l'archéologie récente

In order to distinguish what, in the books of Joshua and Judges, relies on historical information and what belongs to the work of the Deuteronomist historian, the exegete and historian use the recent archaeological discoveries in the region of Ephraim (I. Finkelstein's surveys) and in the region of Manasseh (A. Zertal's surveys) at the turn of the Later Bronze Age and Iron Age I (1250-1200 BC) - the region of Samaria, which was uninhabited until then (beginning of Iron Age I), witnessed the arrival en masse of new inhabitants. This provides a solid basis for the historian who wishes to draw out of the books of Joshua and Judges reliable information concerning limited «Israelite» settling in central Palestine. At first, the clans of Ephraim and Manasseh lived in harmony with the Canaanites and were of equal force. But Ephraim very quickly gained supremacy over Manasseh and the indigenous populations, a supremacy which was to last over two centuries. The preponderance of Benjamin and Judah resulted in the founding of the monarchy of Saul (around 1020) and of David (around 1000). Hosea 12 provides confirmation of the double origin of the people of Israël : a patriarchal origin with Jacob and a prophetic origin with Moses.Van Cangh Jean-Marie. Les livres de Josué et des Juges confrontés à l'archéologie récente. In: Revue théologique de Louvain, 28ᵉ année, fasc. 2, 1997. pp. 161-188