According to the book of Judges, after Joshua died, the people of Israel “buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash” (Judges 2:9).

According to Arutz Sheva, a group of Jewish worshipers who were visiting the traditional site of the tombs of Joshua and Caleb, discovered that the tomb had been desecrated. According to the news report, “the tombs were covered with garbage and feces – both human and animal, and anti-Semitic and Nazi slogans and symbols had been painted in the area.”

It is sad that the political situation in Israel is fueling the vandalism of holy sites. The recent vandalism of Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem, the desecration of Joshua’s tomb, and the illegal excavations on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem are destroying important historical sites and defacing the rich traditions of the past.

Claude Mariottini
Professor of Old Testament
Northern Baptist Seminary