King Josiah is the famous boy-king of the kingdom of Judah. In 641 BC, Josiah became king at the age of eight. Around 622 BC, the boy-king, now a man of twenty-seven, toured his kingdom to personally observe what was happening there. He observed instances of idol worship, but this was a common practice, so he didn't give it much thought. As he continued the tour, he saw there were women that would perform sex acts with worshippers as part of the religious proceedings. Then, King Josiah observed that there were men who would also engage in sex acts with worshippers as part of a religious service. Then, King Josiah told his entourage, "I think I have seen enough," and retreated back to his palace in Jerusalem.
Josiah greatly admired Hezekiah, his great-grandfather, who was one of Judah's most famous kings; it was a time when monotheism was much stronger. Josiah asked his advisors what he could do to return to these simpler times. It was then that a scribe working in the marketing department said to Josiah: Let's discover a lost book of Moses that has all the rules we want the people to live by! This led to the creation of the book of Deuteronomy, which includes a prohibition against temple prostitutes in Deuteronomy 23:18.
(יח) לֹא־תִהְיֶ֥ה קְדֵשָׁ֖ה מִבְּנ֣וֹת יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֥ה קָדֵ֖שׁ מִבְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
(18) No Israelite woman shall be a prostitute,*prostitute Meaning of Heb. qedeshah uncertain. Perhaps a type of female functionary at a religious site. NJPS “sacred prostitute,” but the notion that ancient Near Eastern religions included prostitution as a religious act has since been discredited. nor shall any Israelite man be a prostitute.*prostitute Meaning of Heb. qadesh uncertain. Although it is simply the masculine counterpart of qedeshah (see previous note), it is mentioned as if it refers to a distinct category.
The translation of Deuteronomy 23:18 sounds like the Torah has something against sex workers. However, it's common for translations to obscure essential nuances.
Deuteronomy 23:18 forbids temple-based prostitution, employing a distinct term, kadesha, קְדֵשָׁ֖ה, to distinguish it from mainstream prostitution, zonah, זוֹנָה.
In democracies, the separation of church and state is a chief concern, but in the kingdom of Judah, where the state, for lack of a better term, merges with the church, sex and state remaining separate is the chief concern. In fact, one of the legends told about the Roman-Jewish wars in Tractate Gittin 56b:9, is that Titus, after conquering Judea, purposefully defiled the Temple in Jerusalem, by having sex with a prostitute on the premises. But, fair reader, as is common with men in today's age, I have strayed into talking about the Roman Empire. Let's go back to the late Bronze Age.
It's time to reacquaint ourselves with Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, and Rahab, a sex worker heroine. Jethro and Rahab have something in common: they weren't Hebrews, yet having seen the wonders of the Hebrew God, they ended up allying themselves with the nascent nation of Israel. Jethro advised Moses to create a judicial system, and he was his father-in-law. Rahab assisted Joshua in conquering Jericho, and legend has it that she later married Joshua and gave birth to a lineage of female prophetesses.
Jethro and Rahab are opposite sides of the same proverbial coin. But if you held this coin in your hand, instead of seeing Jethro's face on one side and Rahab's face on the other, the coin would look like a token for services at a brothel. Combining Jethro and Rahab before their theophanies is tantamount to a temple prostitute.
If you were a humble desert dweller in Canaan and you needed a favor from a higher power, you would go to Jethro, who would ask what deity you were interested in and would administer the various rituals. If you lived in Jericho and wanted to get your physical needs met, you would visit Rahab the prostitute. Temple prostitutes combined these two functions; you get to worship a deity while getting your animalistic needs met. If the inclusion of Jethro and Rahab in Israel makes sense to you, then Josiah's ban on temple prostitution also makes sense.
Deuteronomy 23:18 forbids temple-based prostitution, employing a distinct term, kadesha, קְדֵשָׁ֖ה, to distinguish it from mainstream prostitution, zonah, זוֹנָה.
In democracies, the separation of church and state is a chief concern, but in the kingdom of Judah, where the state, for lack of a better term, merges with the church, sex and state remaining separate is the chief concern. In fact, one of the legends told about the Roman-Jewish wars in Tractate Gittin 56b:9, is that Titus, after conquering Judea, purposefully defiled the Temple in Jerusalem, by having sex with a prostitute on the premises. But, fair reader, as is common with men in today's age, I have strayed into talking about the Roman Empire. Let's go back to the late Bronze Age.
It's time to reacquaint ourselves with Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, and Rahab, a sex worker heroine. Jethro and Rahab have something in common: they weren't Hebrews, yet having seen the wonders of the Hebrew God, they ended up allying themselves with the nascent nation of Israel. Jethro advised Moses to create a judicial system, and he was his father-in-law. Rahab assisted Joshua in conquering Jericho, and legend has it that she later married Joshua and gave birth to a lineage of female prophetesses.
Jethro and Rahab are opposite sides of the same proverbial coin. But if you held this coin in your hand, instead of seeing Jethro's face on one side and Rahab's face on the other, the coin would look like a token for services at a brothel. Combining Jethro and Rahab before their theophanies is tantamount to a temple prostitute.
If you were a humble desert dweller in Canaan and you needed a favor from a higher power, you would go to Jethro, who would ask what deity you were interested in and would administer the various rituals. If you lived in Jericho and wanted to get your physical needs met, you would visit Rahab the prostitute. Temple prostitutes combined these two functions; you get to worship a deity while getting your animalistic needs met. If the inclusion of Jethro and Rahab in Israel makes sense to you, then Josiah's ban on temple prostitution also makes sense.
(יא) עַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּֽי־גָד֥וֹל יְהֹוָ֖ה מִכׇּל־הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים כִּ֣י בַדָּבָ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר זָד֖וּ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃
(11) Now I know that יהוה is greater than all gods, yes, by the result of their very schemes against [the people].”*yes, by the result of their very schemes against [the people] Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
It is worthwhile to pause and contemplate the distinct theophanies of Jethro and Rahab. Jethro is very hierarchical in his analysis. He knows all the deities and believe the God of Moses is the highest. Rahab transcends a hierarchical concept: understanding that God is the God of Heaven and Earth. Rahab's trade is very animalistic, and animals have a deeper connection to Earth and the Heavens than humans do.
Source:
But Rahab the harlot surpassed both of them, for she said, “For the Lord your God is God in heavens above, and upon earth below!” (Mekhilta on Ex. 18:11)
Hattin, Michael. Joshua: The Challenge of the Promised Land (Maggid Studies in Tanakh) (p. 66). The Toby Press. Kindle Edition.
Source:
But Rahab the harlot surpassed both of them, for she said, “For the Lord your God is God in heavens above, and upon earth below!” (Mekhilta on Ex. 18:11)
Hattin, Michael. Joshua: The Challenge of the Promised Land (Maggid Studies in Tanakh) (p. 66). The Toby Press. Kindle Edition.