The Case For Rachel

By Tracey Thorp

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I think we owe Rachel a massive apology.

Because I’m not convinced she did the things we’ve spent the last 3,000 years accusing her of.

Somehow, over centuries of retelling her story, assumptions have become facts:

The Bible tells us Rachel was beautiful, so we decided she was vain.
The Bible tells us Rachel was infertile, forced to endure the pain of watching her own husband and sister have children together. Then one day she got angry with him, so we decided she was bitter and discontent.
The Bible tells us Rachel took her father’s household idols, so we decided she worshipped them.
The Bible tells us Rachel couldn’t stand up during the search for the idols because she had her period, so we decided she was lying.

But where’s the evidence?