Scholars spend entire careers debating texts, their origins, their impact, and the most valuable contributions they make to broader understanding.

At the Maxwell Institute, we participate in these debates, but recognize that a text's value cannot be narrowed down to observable fact.

The long-lasting test of scripture is how it shapes readers or hearers' faith, not how it fits into a footnote.

In today's episode of Abide, a Maxwell Institute podcast, we discussed the Book of Joshua,

exploring the meanings of the promised land, archaeological possibilities and limits, and how

early Christians read the book of Joshua.

My name is Joseph Stewart.

I'm the public communication specialist of the Neil A. Maxwell Institute for Religious

Collarship at Brigham Young University.

Christian Heel is a research fellow at the Maxwell Institute.

In each week, we discuss the week's block of reading from the Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter-day Saints, Come Follow Me Curriculum.

We aren't here to present a lesson, but rather to hit on a few key themes from the

scripture block so as to help fulfill the Maxwell Institute's mission to inspire and fortify Latter-day Saints in their testimonies of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and engage the world of religious

ideas. Today we are once again joined by Dory Cameron, one of our research assistants.

Dory is a junior at BYU from Great Falls, Montana studying art and creative writing.

She has a strong interest in literature, culture, media, and language.

Welcome back, Dory.

Glad to be back and haunting your audio devices.

Thank you, Dory. We're very excited to have you here.

Now, Christian, we're looking at the Book of Joshua today, specifically chapters 1 through 8 and 23 through 24.

Although, of course, we'll look at more of it.

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