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1 Clement

First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians

About this book
Chapter 12

1 For her faith and hospitality, Rahab the prostitute was saved.⁠ 2 For when the spies were sent out to Jericho by Joshua, the son of Nun, the king of the land realized that they had come to spy out his country and sent men to seize them, so that, once captured, they might be put to death. 3 So the hospitable Rahab received them and hid them in the upper room under the flax stalks. 4 And when the messengers of the king came near and said, ‘The spies of our land came in to you; bring them out, for the king orders it,’ she answered, ‘The men you are looking for did come in to me, but they left at once and are on their way,’ and she pointed them toward the opposite road. 5 And she said to the men, ‘I know for certain that the Lord your God will hand this city over to you, for the fear and dread of you has fallen upon its inhabitants. So when you take it, save me and the house of my father.’ 6 And they said to her, ‘It will be just as you have said to us. When you see that we are coming, you shall gather all your household under your roof, and they will be saved; for everyone found outside the house will perish.’ 7 And they also gave her a sign: she was to hang a scarlet thread from her house, showing beforehand in this way that through the blood of the Lord there will be redemption for all who believe and hope in God.⁠ 8 You see, dear friends, not only faith, but prophecy, is found in this woman.

Texts in conversation

Compare Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 and Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 12:1

New Testament · Early Christian

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Summary

In 1 Clement, the author says Rahab was saved for her faith and hospitality, joining what Hebrews and James say about her separately, since Hebrews credits her faith and James credits what she did when she took in the Israelite spies.

Passages

Hebrews 11:31

New Testament
28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them. 29 By faith they crossed the Red Sea as if on dry ground, but when the Egyptians tried it, they were swallowed up. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after the people marched around them for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of the disobedient because she welcomed the spies in peace. 32 And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets.
80–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Hebrews

James 2:25

New Testament
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Now Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
80–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in James

Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 12:1

Early Christian · First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
1 For her faith and hospitality, Rahab the prostitute was saved. 2 For when the spies were sent out to Jericho by Joshua, the son of Nun, the king of the land realized that they had come to spy out his country and sent men to seize them, so that, once captured, they might be put to death. 3 So the hospitable Rahab received them and hid them in the upper room under the flax stalks. 4 And when the messengers of the king came near and said, ‘The spies of our land came in to you; bring them out, for the king orders it,’ she answered, ‘The men you are looking for did come in to me, but they left at once and are on their way,’ and she pointed them toward the opposite road.
90–100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Clement of Rome, 1 Clement

References

“... Explicitly, Rahab's 'faith' is displayed in her having 'received the spies in peace' (11:31); 1 Clement 12:1 likewise commends her for her 'faith and hospitality', and James says that by her action of 'receiving' the Israelites she was 'justified by works' (2:25). Hospitality (φιλοξενία) is an important virtue, especially for those who 'sojourn' and 'wander in faith', and our author associates it particularly with the hospitality of Abraham who (in Gen. 18) 'entertained angels unawares' (13:2); so does Clement who, in a passage (chs. 9-12) which apparently draws on Hebrews 11 or a parallel tradition, in praise of Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Lot and Rahab, commends Lot and Rahab in particular for their hospitality ...”
John Dunnill, Covenant and Sacrifice in the Letter to the Hebrews, SNTSMS 75 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992), 153–154.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 and Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 12:1

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