>Thanks, Karl, though I wonder whether Matthew 1:5 really reflects a
>contemporary (late 1st c. C.E.?) Jewish tradition, or if the evangelist
>"grafted" Rahab onto Jesus' genealogy to get a message across.
Ray Brown pointed out a long while back now that the 5 women (including
Mary) of Jesus' family line were all of questionable moral character.
Including Ruth who uncovered Boaz "feet"- i.e., while the poor guy was drunk
she lay next to him, and when he woke up he assumed the worst and she didn't
set the record straight. In short, all 5 were "unclean" in the mode of
harlot. (one wonders if the old stories circulating about Jesus' dad being
a Roman soldier didn't have something to do with this).
Jim
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Jim West
Quartz Hill School of Theology
Adjunct Professor of Biblical Studies