In scholarship prior to the early 20th century academic scholarship, the historicity of the early Israelite campaigns was taken for granted (e.g., Paton). However, by the 1930s Martin Noth issued what William F. Albright termed "a sweeping criticism of the legitimacy of using biblical data in Joshua as material for history."[25] Noth was a student of Albrecht Alt, who emphasized form criticism and the importance of etiology.[25][26] Alt and Noth posited a peaceful movement of the Israelites into various areas of Canaan, contra the Biblical account.[27]