Who was Poti-phera?

Question

Gen 41:45 says:

And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On. [...]

Rashi, citing Sotah 13b, says that Poti-phera is Potiphar. But this verse tells us that Poti-phera was a priest, while in 39:1 Potiphar was the captain of the guard.

If Potiphar and Poti-phera were the same person, then either (a) the same man was both captain of the guard for Paro and a priest, or (b) he was one and then became the other later. Was either of these plausible in Egypt at that time? Or are these two different, similarly-named people, despite Rashi's comment?

I noticed that the Chabad site that has Rashi online says Poti-phera was governor of On, not priest. I don't understand how they get that when the word is כֹּהֵן, but perhaps whatever they base that on is relevant to answering this question.

Answer 1

See Onkelos who translates the word kohen as rabba. Thus, governor, as you write.

וִיהַב לֵיהּ יָת אָסְנַת בַּת פּוֹטִי פֶרַע רַבָּא דְּאוֹן

Jastrow gives the meaning of kohen as officer, especially priest.

See also II Shmuel 20:23: וְגַם, עִירָא הַיָּאִרִי, הָיָה כֹהֵן, לְדָוִד. and Ira also the Jairite was chief minister unto David.

Even so, the equation of Potiphar and Poti-fera is midrashic, and an instance of the midrashic closed-canon approach, also known as the Law of Conservation of Biblical Personalities.