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Read C.A.S. 27 - 39, especially p. 33 - 39. Read Joshua 24 carefully along with p. 33 - 39 of C.A.S. You might also want to look briefly at Joshua 8; Deut. 26. These appear to be fragments of a covenant renewal ceremony when the people organized themselves into their first real political state. Deut. 26 may have been part of a prayer liturgy once used at the autumn harvest festivals. When the Israelites entered the land of Canaan and performed these ceremonies commemorating the covenant -- both the renewal at Josh. 24 and the yearly renewals at harvest times -- they would have remembered the legends they brought with them of other covenant ceremonies that their forefathers had experienced. For example, read Exodus 19 through 20; Exodus 24. How would the legendary events at Sinai have been relevant to the events narrated in Joshua 24? Would you like to describe this phenomenon as "myth?" If so why so? If not, why not? BE SURE TO USE THE BIBLICAL TEXT AS EVIDENCE FOR YOUR ARGUMENTS. REFER TO IT OR QUOTE IT WHEN NECESSARY. IT IS YOUR ONLY DATA SO FAR. YOUR EXPLORATION OF THE TEXT BECOME THE WARRANT FOR YOUR CONCLUSIONS.
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