The
Book of Joshua
, also called the
Samaritan Chronicle
, is a Samaritan chronicle so called because the greater part of it is devoted to the history of Joshua. It is extant in two divergent recensions, one in Samaritan Hebrew and the other in Arabic. Though based on the Hebrew canonical
, it differs greatly from the latter in both form and content and the Samaritans ascribe no canonical authority to it. The book was redacted between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, and it contains traditions that are believed to have developed in the Byzantine and the early Islamic period. The book is divided into fifty chapters, and contains, after the account of Joshua, a brief description of the period following Joshua, agreeing to that extent with the Book of Judges, and covering early Israelite history until Eli leaves Shechem and the sanctuary in Shiloh is established. The last six chapters discuss the Babylonian exile and Samaritan history up to Baba Rabba, including Alexander the Great, and the revolt against Hadrian.