Midrash – Fact, Fiction or Projection?

Midrash are rabbinical fables which are legends based around stories, events or people in the TNK.  However, these are often very tall stories, which are designed to give a new slant or justify rabbinical lore and law, rather than reflecting historical or factual truth. For the fundamentalist Rabbanites, however, these are all part and parcel of the oral law and are all true in some sense or other. The problem is that there is no supporting evidence for most midrashim,  and they often go against logic and even Torah.

A particular example is the midrashic  story of Rahab, who was saved by the 2 spies sent by Joshua to Jericho.

The rabbis make an outrageous claim, that the prostitute Rahab became Jewish and married Joshua. 

“After having engaged in prostitution for forty years, Rahab converted at the age of fifty. She said: “Master of the Universe! I have sinned with three things [with my eye, my thigh, and my stomach]. By the merit of three things pardon me: the rope, the window, and the wall [pardon me for engaging in harlotry because I endangered myself when I lowered the rope for the spies from the window in the wall]” (Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, Masekhta de-Amalek, Yitro 1). Another tradition has her saying: “Pardon me by merit of the rope, the window, and the flaxen [the stalks of flax under which she concealed the spies]” (BT Zevahim loc. cit.).
Many Rabbis viewed conversion favorably, an attitude that is reflected in exegeses about Rahab. The midrash attests that Rahab married Joshua following her conversion (BT Megillah 14b). Eight kohanim who were also prophets were descended from her: Jeremiah, Hilkiah, Seraiah, Mahseiah, Baruch, Neriah, Hanamel and Shalom. According to one opinion, the prophet Huldah was also among her offspring (Sifrei on Numbers, chap. 78). Other traditions also include Ezekiel son of Buzi (Sifrei Zuta loc. cit.). In another exegesis, God showed Moses before his death, through the spirit of divine inspiration, the line of prophets that would issue from Rahab (Sifrei on Deuteronomy, Chap.338).”

 - source: http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/rahab-midrash-and-aggadah

The midrashim are making a number of claims – that Rahab married Joshua; that her descendants included many prophets, and also Kohanim. There is not any evidence or suggestion in the TNK that supports these wild claims. There are, however, some subtle hints that suggest their falsity.

In Joshua 6, we see:

22 And Joshua said unto the two men that had spied out the land: 'Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye swore unto her.'

Joshua refers to her not by name, but by profession.  This means that he was most likely of the view that “once a harlot, always a harlot”.   Furthermore, if he was really in love and awe of this repentant harlot, he would have used some kind words in describing her.

Next:  23 And the young men the spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had, all her kindred also they brought out; and they set them without the camp of Israel.

It is important to note that the entire family were kept outside the camp of Israel. This is a very important indicator of their non-Israelite identity.  Had Joshua wished to convert her and marry her, she would have moved into the camp of Israel, which is not the case.  We see, however, that eventually they were accepted into Israel:

25 But Rahab the harlot, and her father's household, and all that she had, did Joshua save alive; and she dwelt in the midst of Israel, unto this day; because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Even after this, she is still known as the harlot. Would it be appropriate for the leader of Israel to marry someone he himself calls a harlot, even when later generations are accepted into Israel?

There are further issues that are problematic for such a claim. Not only do the rabbis claim here descendants were Prophets, they were also allegedly Kohanim. 

In Leviticus 21 we see the rules regarding  Kohanim:

7 They shall not take a woman that is a harlot, or profaned; neither shall they take a woman put away from her husband; for he is holy unto his God.

Whilst it is true that the rabbis are claiming later generations were Kohanim, this is still problematic, since  matrilineal lines of Kohanim are meant also to be pure.  It could be argued that only after several generations did her descendants marry into the priesthood, but it could similarly be argued that although Joshua may not have been a Kohen, he would also have worries about marrying a defiled woman.

A more rational explanation would look at the psychological and historical context of these midrashim.   It is more likely that this story was dreamed up by a rabbi, who himself had married a prostitute. Thus, by projecting this acceptance onto a man as great as Joshua, he was justifying his own act, and lessening the social stigma of his own marital affairs.

Furthermore, we must remember that the Pharisees did everything they could to defile the Priesthood and the Temple (e.g. ref heifer, spices, anointing oil etc.). Their attempts may have also included installation of their own priests to replace the line of Zadok. It is possible some lapsed priests who had married harlots etc were recruited by the Pharisees in the process, and hence this midrash was created for political reason.

There is a third reason why this midrash is of doubtful veracity. The story is not recorded in the TNK.  If such an important part of Israelite ancestry took place, it would certainly have appeared in the Book of Chronicles or Joshua.