From Unholy to Holy: The Four Female Ancestors of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew

Among the forty ancestors of Jesus Christ listed in the Gospel of Matthew (1-17), in addition to Mary, four women are mentioned: Tamar , Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, each with a questionable reputation. These four women do not appear in the other gospels or in other early Christian texts-with the exception of commentaries and exegeses attempting to explain why Matthew chose to include them. In the Jewish world of Matthew, genealogies rarely included women. What then was his intention? And why, if he wanted to include women, didn't he include those with irreproachable reputations, such as Sarah or Rachel?