The genealogy of Jesus is a subject of significant discussion and debate, both within Christian tradition and among modern scholars. The New Testament provides two genealogical accounts: one in the Gospel of Matthew and another in the Gospel of Luke. These accounts share some similarities but also diverge in notable ways.
Biblical Accounts
- Matthew’s Genealogy (Matthew 1:1–17):
- Begins with Abraham and traces the lineage forward to Jesus.
- Emphasizes Jesus’ royal descent from King David through Solomon, highlighting his Messianic credentials as “son of David” and “son of Abraham.”
- Lists 27 generations from David to Joseph, with a structure of three sets of fourteen generations, likely for symbolic or mnemonic purposes.
- Ends with “Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ”.
- Luke’s Genealogy (Luke 3:23–38):
- Begins with Jesus and traces the lineage backward to Adam, emphasizing Jesus’ connection to all humanity.
- Follows the Davidic line through Nathan (another son of David, not Solomon).
- Lists 42 generations from David to Joseph, with almost no overlap with Matthew’s list after David.
- States Jesus was “the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli”.
Key Differences and Explanations
- The two genealogies agree from Abraham to David but differ significantly from David to Joseph, including who Joseph’s father was (Jacob in Matthew, Heli in Luke).
- Early Christian writers offered various explanations:
- Both genealogies are true, with one representing Joseph’s lineage and the other possibly Mary’s (though both texts explicitly trace through Joseph).
- Some suggest one is the legal (adoptive) lineage and the other the biological lineage, or that levirate marriage (where a man raises offspring for a deceased brother) could explain the dual lines.
- Others posit that Luke’s genealogy is actually Mary’s, making Eli her father and Joseph his son-in-law, but the texts themselves do not state this directly.
Modern Scholarly Consensus
- Most contemporary scholars view both genealogies as theological constructs rather than literal, historical records.
- The genealogies serve to establish Jesus’ Messianic legitimacy by connecting him to David and Abraham, fulfilling Jewish expectations for the Messiah.
- The differences and contradictions between the lists, and the fact that both trace through Joseph while asserting the virgin birth, suggest they were not based on verifiable family records but were crafted to meet theological aims.
- Genealogies in ancient Jewish tradition were typically traced through the father, which explains why both accounts use Joseph, even though he is not presented as Jesus’ biological father.
Virgin Birth and Legal Descent
- Both Gospels maintain that Jesus was born of a virgin, with Joseph as his legal (adoptive) father. This allows for the claim that Jesus is the legal heir to David’s throne, even if not biologically descended from Joseph.
- Some early Christian thinkers, such as Tertullian, argued that Jesus must also have been descended from David through Mary, but this is not explicitly stated in the Gospels1.
In summary:
The consensus is that the genealogies in Matthew and Luke are primarily theological devices designed to establish Jesus’ credentials as the Messiah by linking him to David and Abraham. They differ significantly in content and structure, and most modern scholars do not consider them to be accurate historical records of Jesus’ biological ancestry.
