Joshua

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Joshua is the biblical figure who led the Hebrews in the conquest of the Holy Land: the notes to canto IX of the Paradiso recall that his first glorious exploit was the taking of Jericho, the first city stormed in Palestine, whose walls fell at the sound of the priests' trumpets. His name is cited by Dante in two places in the Paradiso: at verse 125 of canto IX, where his action "in su la Terra Santa" (upon the Holy Land) is recalled, and at verse 38 of canto XVIII, where the poet indicates the ancient leader as one of the characters whom the sacred muses celebrate for their deeds. The note to verse 116 of canto IX also shows that Joshua is closely linked to the figure of Rahab, the woman who at Jericho welcomed and protected the two spies sent by him before the assault on the city, and whose house was spared in the destruction.