« A qui appartient la terre promise ? Une leçon du livre de Josué »

Abstract

Land seems to cause a great amount of sufferings in Africa. Reading the book of Joshua provides me with a “parabolic” detour to rethink our relation to the land of our Ancestors. My search on the interconnectedness of characters in the narrative around the land led me to notice that, since Joshua is portrayed as the “Second Servant of Yhwh,” the narrative provides the reader with the necessary information to identify Yhwh as the King of Israel and the Western region of the Jordan as his territory. No one can claim ownership on it. But anyone who confesses Yhwh’s mighty deeds and lordship, either from within the land or from without, has a share in it. We thus learn from the book that God alone can claim ownership on the land or the earth, and he excludes nobody from it. Therefore, what can be considered in a modern society so sacred as to unite people beyond their diversity?