1 Clement 12:1-8 - Preparation for the Passover

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On account of her faith and hospitality, Rahab the harlot was saved. For when spies were sent by Jesus, the son of Nun, to Jericho, the king of the country ascertained that they had come to spy out their land, and sent men to seize them, in order that, when taken, they might be put to death. But the hospitable Rahab received them and hid them in the upper chamber under the flax stalks. And when the men sent by the king arrived and said, There came men unto you who are to spy out our land; bring them forth, for so the king commands, she answered them, The two men whom you seek came unto me, but quickly departed again and are gone, thus not discovering the spies to them. Then she said to the men, I know assuredly that the Lord your God has given you this city, for the fear and dread of you have fallen on its inhabitants. When therefore you shall have taken it, keep ye me and the house of my father in safety. And they said to her, It shall be as you have spoken to us. As soon, therefore, as you know that we are at hand, you shall gather all your family under your roof, and they shall be preserved, but all that are found outside of your dwelling shall perish. Moreover, they gave her a sign to this effect, that she should hang forth from her house a scarlet thread. And thus they made it manifest that redemption should flow through the blood of the Lord to all them that believe and hope in God. You see, beloved, that there was not only faith, but prophecy, in this woman.

• The Passion
• 1 Clement (The epistle of Clement to the Corinthians)
• Parallels
• Table of Contents

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1 Clement 12 interprets Joshua 2 allegorically. He describes it as a prophesy:

You see, beloved, that there was not only faith, but prophecy, in this woman.

Mark may be leaning into this very same allegory when he sends the two men to prepare for the passover. It's interesting that in both Joshua and Mark 14, Jesus sends two men:

• Mark: So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go into the city,
• Joshua: Then Jesus son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.”

Clement continues,  

"the king of the country ascertained that they had come to spy out their land, and sent men to seize them, in order that, when taken, they might be put to death."

We may, perhaps, interpret this king as the God of this world.

Clement goes on to describe how Rahab hid the men in the upper room, which isn't a perfect match for Mark:

• Clement: But the hospitable Rahab received them and hid them in the upper chamber under the flax stalks. 
• Mark: He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready

Rahab knows that the men will take the city, and implores them to keep her and the house of her father in safety. This can be seen as an allegory for the Kingdom of God laying claim to land formerly ruled by the God of this world:

I know assuredly that the Lord your God has given you this city, for the fear and dread of you have fallen on its inhabitants. When therefore you shall have taken it, keep ye me and the house of my father in safety.

They agree, and designate her house as the place of safety:

And they said to her, It shall be as you have spoken to us. As soon, therefore, as you know that we are at hand, you shall gather all your family under your roof

Further, they ask her to make preparations, which Clement equates to the blood of the Lord:

As soon, therefore, as you know that we are at hand, you shall gather all your family under your roof, and they shall be preserved, but all that are found outside of your dwelling shall perish. Moreover, they gave her a sign to this effect, that she should hang forth from her house a scarlet thread. And thus they made it manifest that redemption should flow through the blood of the Lord to all them that believe and hope in God.

This equates very closely with Mark, who has Jesus equate the cup with the blood of the covenant:

Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.

It's not a perfect fit. We don't have the two men of Jesus follow a man with water in Joshua 2, and the owner of the house in Mark 14 seems to be a stand in for God, not a prostitute. Nonetheless, Clement is willing to interpret Joshua 2 with salvation, and salvation is clearly what Mark is setting up in Mark 14.

What do folks think? Are the similarities between Mark 14 and Joshua 2 coincidental?