Nothing Fails Like Bible History 10: Joshua, Jericho, & Genocide

Did the story of Jericho really happen? Did Joshua actually destroy Jericho and invade Canaan, or is the Biblical conquest of Canaan actually true? Is the Bible historical? If not, how much of the Bible is true and how much of the Bible is myth or legend. In this episode of Nothing Fails Like Bible History, discover just how much of the Biblical story of the conquest of Canaan is fact, supported by archaeology, and how much is fiction - either debunked or unsupported by the archaeological evidence.

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Some of my sources:
Nigro's 2019 Lecture on Jericho:

Other useful links:

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+ Twitter: @holykoolaid

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Thank you so much for your ongoing support. Science is greater than Dogma. Dare to be curious, but don't Drink the Koolaid!

[HolyKoolaid]

In my initial email with Dr. Lorenzo Nigro I asked if he had found evidence that the walls of Jericho were rebuilt after 1550 BCE and destroyed again in 1200 BCE, or if there was simply a small unwalled settlement on the site from 1550 BCE onward?

Lorenzo Nigro's response: "The problem is not if we have city-walls for the Late Bronze (which is yes) but if you can provide evidence or even proof that Joshua did exist in historical reality (which is not, up to now), and that the Biblical account is not a mythological reconstruction of the history of the Israelites."

My followup: "Does the Late Bronze Age wall you're referring to date to the late 13th and early 12th century or is it from earlier? Do you know when it was destroyed?"

LN: "This point is under study and further investigation on the field is needed."

[tedarcher]

Imagine Moses slugging through the desert for 40 years, then arrive in Promiseland and it's another Egyptian province!

[Zaddy-Lu]

If "God" can harden peoples hearts, then he could soften them too. But, apparently, he prefers to watch people suffer & be murdered in His name.

[elainejohnson]

So glad to know all of those "loving" genocides which God brags about in the Bible didn't actually happen! Thanks, Holy Koolaid!

[WeissTreufel]

I remember being suspended from my middle school years ago, because I called the bible 'bronze age mythology'. I feel avenged...

[AshaSelfsDemoFilms]

'That's a necessary evil' - Anyone else hear the same argument as slavery apologists?

[c.a.t.]

The Lord sure hardened a lot of hearts back in the day so as to create an excuse for plagues and war... Pharaoh (repeatedly), Pharaoh's army (who didn't want to pursue the fleeing Jews until God changed their minds), and now the Hivites (6:29). Yet Christians always insist that God gave us "free will".

[RR_theproahole]

I just can't imagine how can someone believe that these ancient stories as real history. I am an atheist and come from a Hindu background and there is a proper history of the world according to Hinduism too but I never believed them even when I was a devout Hindu because those tales are so unrealistic that they just can't be true no matter what.

[Apankou]

As a trained archaeologist who dabbles in the region and time period for fun (but works mostly later), I cannot thank you enough for this series. <3 I'm way too busy with my own stuff and too irritated by dishonest quacks to ever follow up on my "someone's gotta do a thorough roasting of those" impulse.

[grapeshot]

Yes the abrahamic tribal war gods do like their genocide. Manifest destiny followed the blueprint of the Book of Joshua.

[waynetemplar]

Even as a little kid I found it strange that Moses and his people got lost in the desert for so long

[joestrippin]

There is a huge difference between 'I'll just press the record button and rant about something' kind of videos and the 'i'm going to make a spreadsheet tabulating my research while providing extensive sourcing and further evidentiary support' videos.

[SnakeAndTurtleQigong]

Loving your new animation and production quality.
Just doing such an amazing job!

[jemborg]

And God called Moses to come forth but he came fifth and lost his beer money.

[brianmorris]

The entire bible sounds like a VERY tall tale to me. We humans have always loved making up stories.

[alfrdo]

Ah yes the exodus from Egypt, we all know of the moment Moses used his beyblade to part the Red Sea

[pxnchx]

So the Pharaoh wasn't the only one that got its heart hardened just so that God got a chance to show off, huh?...

[matthewunderwood]

It’s always a good day when Holy Koolaid posts 🧡

[bigghettomomma]

A nun at the Catholic Church I attended years ago said "The Bible is not a science book." She advocated teaching evolution and explaining the Bible as a guide to living a spiritual life. We are talking about a woman who dedicated her life to serving God and even she knows the Bible is not a book of facts.

[ashlazdanovich]

As someone who has always loved ancient history, and have also been raised in the church, this has validated what I have actually learned in following archeology (Egyptian mostly).
I was told my whole life that “secular” archeology was basically of the devil and that it wasn’t true.
There’s more to that than what I just said, but I think you can get the picture.