Babel

• Genealogy Overview:
• Reasons for genealogies:
  • To authenticate succession & rights.
    • IE: The land promised to Abraham had to fall to the right group of people.
    • IE: The individual family inheritance had to be authenticated.
  • To verify descent
    • IE: The Aaronic priesthood – had to be of the tribe of Levi and of Aaron in particular; Kingship
    • IE: The ruling seat of authority in Jewish nation – had to be through the Davidic line, including Messiah’s rule.
  • To clarify geographical or ethnological
  • This guarded the problem of keeping the land rid of foreign elements – at times this was particularly difficult.
    • IE: After exile, Nehemiah made this an active practice [Nehemiah 13:23-28; Ezra 2:59-63])
  • Particular facts on genealogies
  • The difference between and :
  • Genealogies were normally traced through the of the family.
  • Sometimes were mentioned – mostly when inheritance was in question.

2Genealogies in the Western world vs. the ANE (Ancient Near East)

• Genealogies in the Western world are – seeking to leave out no person
• Genealogies in the ANE were – include groups of people rather than individuals
• The aim of ANE genealogies was to establish a general line of .
• Certain names were added to highlight their
• Certain names were without prejudice to either accuracy or intent to the family.

3Importance of genealogies in the Bible

• Shows the faithfulness of God to His
• Emphasizes the of God over the affairs of men

4Review: Revisiting Genealogies of the Messiah

• Simple Reasons for Matthew and Luke’s Genealogies: (Matthew 1:1-17 / 3 & Luke 3:23-38)
• 1. Show God’s Son was a and
• The “then & now” syndrome:
  • “Then”: 1st Century Believers struggled with believing Jesus’ .
  • “Now”: Modern Believers struggle with believing Jesus’ .
  • 2. Show Jesus was Jewish, indeed, even the promised
  • had to be included: his seed brought blessing to all nations as promised
  • had to be included: his seed would never leave the ruling place of authority – it would last forever
  • 3. Matthew (in particular) shows Jesus as the Savior of the .
  • Matthew shows great significance in
  • Matthew intentionally includes the blood that intersected this line time and time again
  • 2 Traditional views of Matthew and Luke’s Genealogies: (Matthew 1:1-17 – 3 / Luke 3:23-38)
  • 1. Writers emphasize different
  • ’s lineage is in Matthew
  • ’s lineage is in Luke
  • 2. Writers emphasize different
  • line in Matthew
  • line is in Luke
  • Major Differences in Matthew and Luke’s Genealogies: (Matthew 1:1-17 – 3 / Luke 3:23-38)
  • 1. Jesus’ stressed differently (Who he is)
  • Matthew: establishes an immediate connection with and the .
  • Luke completes the ministry of John the Baptist; then Jesus stands as the of .
  • 2. Jesus’ stressed differently (Where he came from)
  • Matthew begins with Abraham to stress Jesus’
  • Luke goes in reverse order back to Adam to identify Jesus with the entire .
  • 3. Writer’s personal are unique
  • Matthew groups names symmetrically ( in three sections: highlights the importance of the sacred ‘7’s’)
  • Luke simply lists
  • Both trace the lineage back through ancestral lines that diverge for a number of generations from Luke’s, though both meet at the generation of .
  • Matthew includes several uniquely.