As modern-day Christians, we must remember Rahabs example a woman who risked everything because of her unwavering trust in God. What are the cylinder head torque settings of a Toyota 3S engine? As an antidote to this problem of cultural literacy, Jewish communities enacted strict measures against intermarriage. Grace: Rahab: What's a Woman Like You Doing in a Place Like This Wright --University of Arizona, Center for Judaic Studies For the issue of unclean land and altar, see the discussion of Josh. Joshua 2:9-13 tells us that she and all the people of Jericho had heard stories about how God had delivered his people through the Red Sea and how he had given them victory over the Amorite kings. While he shadows the biblical, Josephus rendering of Rahabs eloquent utterance about Israels god is especially telling. Instead, the world around her changed thanks in part to her savvy and bravery and these changes meant she was no longer stuck in her social role (Rahab the Faithful Harlot,TheTorah.comwebsite,https://thetorah.com/rahab-the-faithful-harlot/[2019]). For example, he highlights the formal-legal qualities of the pact and itsquid pro quorationale. Certainly she took a great risk when she sheltered the spies and sent them out another way and when she refused to tell her own people where the two spies were and sent the soldiers on a wild goose chase on the road that leads down to the Jordan River. What is the word that goes with a public officer of a town or township responsible for keeping the peace? Yet the rabbis gave pride of place to Rahab instead of Naaman, and their reason for doing so was that this foreign general, while revering their god, was not interested in becoming a member of their people. Call girl But God had other ideas. (harlot meaning prostitute). Obed the father of Jesse, 22 inChapter 5 of my book. 7:9) and 2) has the capacity to do whats required. This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions. 5. Rahab has the distinction of being one of the few Biblical figures who was the object of an attempted moral make-overor, more bluntly, of a well-intentioned white-wash. Writing for non-Jewish audiences, the historian eliminated Rahabs declaration about Yhwhs superior power and, in so doing, made it more palatable for his Roman readers. ),Patriarchs, Prophets and Other Villians(London:Equinox,2007),128140;SuzanneScholz,Convert Prostitute or Traitor? One section treats the subject of faith, and it uses the example of Rahab to establish the importance of works against those who were apparently claiming that faith is all one needs: You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. By including a woman like this the writer wants us to know that the ground is level at the foot of the cross, and that even in that degraded age a woman could be included on an equal basis with men in the household of faith. Rahab heard the promise and did something about it. Over the centuries Jericho had been destroyed and rebuilt many times. [5]On the concept of faith in the early church and the shift from trust and faithfulness to belief in doctrines, seeTeresaMorgan,Roman Faith and Christian Faith: Pistis and Fides in the Early Roman Empire and Early Churches(Oxford:Oxford University Press,2015). What gets obfuscated in these debates is the extent to which the account in Joshua relates to membership of the political community of Israel.[9]. No woman can cheapen herself through sexual sin and escape the deep sense of guilt and shame. This unique residence would serve a vital purpose in the Israelites quest to conquer the Promised Land (Joshua 2:15). Matrilineal descent is not biblical (but see Ezra 10); it appears to have emerged among the Tannaim, through the influence of Roman law, and at a time of social upheaval. Nehemiah was a cupbearer. Instead of tossing aside details that bothered them, theyfound a way to connect Rahabs occupation as a prostitute to the unequivocal words she speaks and the commendable deeds she performs.[32]. [29]InChapter 8 of my book, I flesh out this approach, which is also widely adopted in rabbinic interpretation. Come to my house and you will be safe. Rahab became an evangelist to her own family. 6 People You Forgot Were Related to Jesus Christ had quite the impressive family tree. To begin this discussion, I examine several of the earliest Christian texts, showing how they interpret Jewish scriptures in line with a new theological program. Nothing left of the city because they burned it to the ground. She married a Jewish man named Salmon and together they had a son named Boaz whose name pops up in the book of Ruth. One needed to make a resolute and unswerving commitment to throw his or her lot in with the people of Israel. Some Hellenistic Jewish writings (e.g., Jubilees) deny the option of conversion; seeChristine E.Hayes,Gentile Impurities and Jewish Identities: Intermarriage and Conversion from the Bible to the Talmud(Oxford:Oxford University Press,2002);MatthewThiessen,Contesting Conversion: Genealogy, Circumcision, and Identity in Ancient Judaism and Christianity(New York:Oxford University Press,2011); and Jill Hicks-Keeton, Arguing with Aseneth: Gentile Access to Israels Living God in Jewish Antiquity (New York: Oxford University Press, 2018). Could a 50-year-old woman, a harlot of 40 years, have found a different role in Canaanite society if the social order had not been overturned with the destruction of Jericho? It also became customary by the first century CE to require male converts to undergo circumcision. Which country agreed to give up its claims to the Oregon territory in the Adams-onis treaty? God redefines those with a past. You might be wondering what possible connection could exist between Jesus Christ, the savior of mankind, and a Canaanite prostitute named Rahab. Later Christian tradition, beginning with the book of Acts, embellished accounts of this persecution; the aim was, not least, to demonstrate that even an archenemy of the church, with blood on his hands, could not only be forgiven but also rise to the highest ranks of leadership. 2:11). You and I must do the same thing. Terms of Service apply. Although Rahabs occupation as a harlot likely wouldnt have been a cause for consternation among the earliest biblical readers, it began to elicit opprobrium in a culture that had been shaped by the spread of Hellenism. In the process, they discovered, with the help of their midrashic method, thatshe is the ancestress of Israelite priests and prophets (including Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Huldah), and that she even became Joshuas wife. You may believe that the blood of Christ can forgive your sins, you may even be a member of some church somewhere, but until by faith you come to Christ personally, you cannot be saved. If ancient Israel had a Mount Rushmore, her face would be on it. Some have claimed that the symbol of the red cord is related to the practice of the red-light district. Matthew calls her Rahab, mother of Boaz. Recently, a number of biblical scholars have ended this longstanding veneration of Rahab. . We know that she lived in Jericho near the city wall. Associate Professor of Hebrew Bible Heres the P.S. Rahab - Week 1: Written into God's Script, Rahab - Week 2: The Mystery of God at Work, Rahab - Week 3: The Lovingkindness of God. According to this option, the story lampoons the spies by presenting them as less honorable than Rahab: upon arriving in Jericho, the men head immediately to a house of pleasure, yet its proprietress turns out to have only one thing on her mind the power of Israels god and the impending invasion of Canaan. On Rahab in early Jewish literature, see, The Rabbinic Transformations of Rahab the Harlot,, https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/rahab-midrash-and-aggadah, The biblical authors satirize [lampoon] Naaman. Something is thus not only lost but also gained in their adaptation: as these thinkers engaged in their own project of peoplehood, a paradigmatic case of war commemoration from the Jewish scriptures proved to be a powerful theological framework for articulating fundamental doctrines and addressing concerns that faced the church as an emergingtransnationalcommunity of faith. She owed her enduring career to her extraordinary beauty. Beyond Mortal Bounds: Unraveling the Mystery of Methuselah, the Oldest Living Figure in the Bible, Who is Agur in the Bible: A Brief Overview. J.E. . God used Rahab, a Canaanite harlot, to weave his plan for His peoples entry into the Promised Land. . Within the sacred script of the Bible,, Introduction The Bible, with its rich tapestry of characters and stories, serves as a source of inspiration and guidance for Christians around the world. At that time, they surmise, she must have been at least ten years of age, and now at fifty, she was still working as a prostitute. What would have happened if Rahab had forgotten about it and never gotten around to tying that scarlet cord outside her window? Viewing her now as a. Rahabs recent ill repute represents, to be sure, a drastic departure from the high honor that she has enjoyed since the emergence of Christianity. Rahab - Week 4: The Scarlet Cord - Revive Our Hearts The biblical record does not give us very many details about Rahab. So let every sinner take heart and come running to Jesus. Herod was a king. That the author appeals to the story of Rahab may be because it had already served as an important prooftext in theological debates. The declaration that the Jewish convert makes is much more akin to the oaths of loyalty pronounced by citizens of nation-states than to the creeds cited by members of transnational communities of faith, whether it be the Christian church or the Muslim, For these reasons, Ruths statement, not Rahabs, came to be recognized as the quintessential expression of the Jewish convert. He can turn shame into glory in one shining moment of redemption. Instead of tossing aside details that bothered them, theyfound a way to connect Rahabs occupation as a prostitute to the unequivocal words she speaks and the commendable deeds she performs. [3]SeeA. T.Hanson,Rahab the Harlot in Early Christian Tradition,Journal for the Study of the New Testament,1(1978),5360. As a reward for her deeds, she was welcomed among the people of Israel and went on to become, as noted, the ancestress of many of the most important figures in the nations history. We all know that part of the story. The second verse goes like this: Oh perfect redemption, the purchase of blood. According to this option, the story lampoons the spies by presenting them as less honorable than Rahab: upon arriving in Jericho, the men head immediately to a house of pleasure, yet its proprietress turns out to have only one thing on her mind the power of Israels god and the impending invasion of Canaan.[30]. What happened to Rahab after the fall of Jericho? On Joshua in the early Christian imagination, see, Images of Joshua in the Bible and Their Reception, Joshua andthe Rhetoric of Violence: A New Historicist Analysis, Fr Gerechtigkeit streiten: Theologie im Alltag einer bedrohten Welt, Ringen mit und um Rahab: Bibelarbeit zu Rahab (Jos 2,124; 6,17.2225), Postcolonial Feminist Interpretation of the Bible, Rahab Says Hello to Judith: A Decolonizing Feminist Reading, Toward a New Heaven and a New Earth: Essays in Honor of Elisabeth Schssler Fiorenza, Out a Red Ribbon: One African Womans Perspective on the Future ofFeminist New Testament Scholarship, Feminist New Testament Studies: Global and Future Perspectives, Reframing Her: Biblical Women inPostcolonial Focus, Postcolonial Perspectives on Premonarchic Women, To Break Every Yoke: Essays in Honor of Marvin L. Chaney, Searching for a Queer Sophia-Wisdom: The Post-Colonial Rahab, Convert Prostitute or Traitor? However, this rupture pales in comparison with the radical departure from the Hebrew Bible represented by the worship of Christ. David. And that simple scarlet cord saved her life. ),To Break Every Yoke: Essays in Honor of Marvin L. Chaney(Sheffield:Sheffield Phoenix,2007),188199;Marcella M.Althaus-Reid,Searching for a Queer Sophia-Wisdom: The Post-Colonial RahabinLisaIsherwood(ed. [7]Theeleventh chapterof the Letter to the Hebrews includes Rahab in a monumental tribute to prominent figures from the Jewish scriptures who, by faith (pistei), demonstrated that God had provided something better for us (11:40). 6 People You Forgot Were Related to Jesus - Beliefnet Translation by William Whiston, 1737. [22]Of course, the biblical accounts do not depict these figures converting to a religion such as Yahwism.[23]When the ancient sages spoke of conversion, they did not mean an assent of faith or confession of belief followed by baptism, as in Christianity. Whensoever therefore thou perceivest that we are coming, thou shalt gather all thy folk beneath thy roof and they shall be saved; for as many as shall be found without the house shall perish. . For a classic comparison of these three works, seeBenjamin W.Bacon,The Doctrine of Faith in Hebrews, James, and Clement of Rome,Journal of Biblical Literature,19(1900),1221. [19]p. Ber. In the miraculous battle of Jericho, the invincible city did fall. While Clements rendering hews closely to the original story, it departs from it in several telling ways. English Standard Version By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. [26]Seeb. Zeb. Although this criterion may seem chauvinistic, what gave rise to it was not racial prejudice but rather the perception that intermarriage severely undermined the effort to create a form of peoplehood that could survive the loss of statehood. In exchange for her protection and faithfulness, the Israelite spies promised to spare Rahab and her family when they returned to conquer Jericho. Rahab the harlot made the list. Why a scarlet cord? Married men and women have affairs. Jennie Ebeling --Department of Archaeology and Art History, University of Evansville, Copyright 2000-2023 The Bible and Interpretation| All Rights Reserved |The University of Arizona | Developed bySBS Tech Jael and Sisera: The Unlikely Heroine and the Downfall of a Brutal Oppressor, Unpacking 1 Samuel 3: Insights and Analysis, Insights into 1 Samuel 2: Stories and Lessons, Unpacking 1 Samuel 1: An Analytical Review, Ruths Bold Move: An Analysis of Chapter 3, Uncovering Boaz and Ruths Fate: Ruth Chapter 2 Analysis. 6:25) to mean that she converted and became a righteous proselyte (, WhereasRahabs identity as a Gentile gave her an advantage in Christian sources, it was naturally a problem for Jewish interpreters. See Also: War, Memory, and National Identity in the Hebrew Bible (Cambridge University Press, 2020). Take heart. The contemporary study of hospitality takes its point of departure from the research of the anthropologist and hispanicist Julian Pitt-Rivers in the mid-twentieth century. On a similar move tofides quain medieval Judaism (from believe in to believe that), seeMenachemKellner,Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought: From Maimonides to Abravanel(New York:Oxford,1986);Kellner,Must a Jew BelieveAnything?, 2nd ed. And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the LORD . There is no pit so deep that the love of God is not deeper still. Rahab the prostitute (James 2:25). What does it mean to call a minor party a spoiled? For example, Lori Rowlett compares the biblical account to DisneysPocahontasand subjects it to a penetrating postcolonial critique. As Christians, let us follow Rahabs courageous example of faith, remembering that we are called to live boldly for Christ, redeemed and sanctified through His grace the ultimate scarlet thread of salvation. 78;Sipre Zutaon Num. One final word and I am done. DepartmentBldg Tucson, AZ 85721 TEL 520-621-6897 FAX 520-626-9014. Biblical Women: Rahab. Joshua gave orders to rescue Rahab and all in her house. 1:1314). Hebrews 11:31 - By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.
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