In his
essay on “The Jericho and Ai of the Book of Joshua,” Richard Hess has a section
on Rahab, which he connects with his argument that Jericho was a fort. Cf.
Critical Issues in Early Israelite History, 38-39.
I wonder
if Rahab’s status as a prostitute doesn’t, itself, furnish a bit of supporting
evidence for classifying Jericho as a fort. By that I mean, where we find
military institutions, we generally find prostitutes nearby. When men are
stationed far from home, they typically resort to prostitutes. Traditionally,
armies on the march might have a traveling harem to service the troops.
The only
moral restraint on that behavior is Judeo-Christian ethics. And, of course, the
pagans of Jericho and Ai didn’t have those scruples.
So,
within the general framework of his argument, isn’t her identity as an
“innkeeper” a euphemism for a brothel? Might she not be more like a Madame?
No comments:
Post a Comment