The Genealogy of Jesus - A Tale of Two Trees
Wednesday December 17, 2008
The family tree of Jesus Christ is one of those nagging difficulties in the Bible. 
Photo: Frank Lukasseck / Getty ImagesThere are two records of Christ's lineage. One is in the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 1, the other is in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 3. Matthew's account traces the line of descent from Abraham to Jesus, while Luke's account follows the ancestry from Adam to Jesus. Quite a few differences and discrepancy exist between the two records. Most startling is that from King David to Jesus the genealogies are entirely different.
Photo: Frank Lukasseck / Getty ImagesThroughout the ages, scholars have pondered and argued over the reasons for the conflicting genealogies of Matthew and Luke, particularly since Jewish scribes were known for their precise and detailed record keeping. Skeptics are usually quick to attribute these differences to biblical errors. This study establishes a comparison of the two genealogies and explores reasons for the differing accounts.
• Read: The Genealogy of Jesus
The variation in names presented
in the New Testament pedigree
of Joseph, the civil husband of
Mary, the mortal mother of Jesus
the Christ, follows a traditional
- historical pattern in Jewish
naming practices, especially
in occupied countries.
It is commonly noted in Jewish
genealogy sources that two or
more names were used by many
individual Jews to avoid gentile
persecution and prevent the
complete identification by all
groups outside the family or
the religious circle of friends.
In many instances, one or more
given name(s) was/were used for
secular or civil purposes and
one for internal synagogue or
religious use. Without recourse
to original documents in the era
described, it is not possible to
verify the actual identity of
persons, with differing names,
presented on the pedigree, in
the same time period in the
line of descent.
Royalty marriage practices over
time show limited exclusive
connections to similar dynastic
families. The presentation of
the Royal Davidic pedigree of
Joseph, within the framework of
the Jewish patriarchal society,
confirms the Davidic ancestry
for Mary; the temporal mother
of the Lord Jesus Christ; re:
patriarchal lineage of the civil
husband Joseph, the step-father
of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
The Works of Josephus, Complete
and Unabridged, New Updated
Edition published 1987, The
Antiquities of the Jews,
Book 18, Chapter 3, page 480,
verse 3. (63), states: “Now
there was about this time Jesus,
a wise man, if it be lawful to
call him a man, for he was a
doer of wonderful works – a
teacher of such men as receive
the truth with pleasure. He
drew over to him both many of
the Jews, and many of the
Gentiles. He was [the] Christ;
(64) and when Pilate, at the
suggestion of the principal men
amongst us, had condemned him
to the cross {b} A.D. 33.
April 3., those that loved him
at the first did not forsake him,
for he appeared to them alive
again the third day {c} April 5.,
as the divine prophets had
foretold these and ten thousand
other wonderful things concerning
him; and the tribe of Christians,
so named from him, are not extinct
at this day.”
REFERENCE:
http://www.academic-genealogy.com/ancientandmoderngenealogies.htm
This email concerns your statements about the two Jesus geneaology’s.Neither geneaology can connect Jesus to a David or Solomon blood line as the O.T.claims the true messiah would be.Below is proof that Jesus never qualified to be the messiah.
According to the O.T.the Messiah would be of the seed of David,not only that but it is promised he would come through Solomon,the geneaology in Matthew is worthless because Joseph was not Jesus father and it is silly to claim a bloodline through adoption.Beside that it is mere speculation because the N.T.does not claim Joseph adopted Jesus.
Matthews geneaology also traces Joseph through the cursed king Jeconiah (or Coniah)and Jer.22:30 says no man of his seed would sit on the throne of David so again Matthews geneaology of Joseph can not connect a Jesus bloodline to David and is worthless.Christianity seeing this glaring mistake in Matthew likes to claim Luke in Luke chap.3 gives the geneaology through Mary, of course this is bad speculation also since it says (quote as was supposed the son of Joseph)leading one to believe this was another geneaology through Joseph not Mary.Mary is not even mentioned.Even if Mary could trace herself back to King David it still wouldn’t help Jesus,according to the Torah the mother (matrilineal) determines if someone is Jewish(Deut.7:3-4)but tribal affiliation and family geneaology can only be traced through the persons father (the patrilineal in accordance with Ex.28:4,29:9-30,30:30 & 40:15(Priesthood lineage)Numbers 36,(Tribal lineage)Gen.49:10,1 Ki.11:4 &i Chron.17:11-19.
In Num.1:18 you are told the Jewish people declare their pedigrees according to their fathers house.When Queen Athaliah wanted to eliminate the Royal Line to David she only killed the males knowing full well that a female descendant of David couldn’t pass on the right to the throne(2 Ki.11 & 2 Chron.22).These things are the reason i say you don’t even know your own Jewish(Hebrew) O.T.Even if it could be maintained that the family line could be passed on through the mother(but it can not)Mary was not a legitimate messianic family because she was not from the Solomon line (see 2 Sam.7:12-13,1 Chron.17:11-14,22:10,28:4-7.
Sincerely,
Jay Osborne
Jesus was a step son of Joseph, yes. But when God set the whole thing up he made sure Jesus was in the line from Joseph and Mary in case anybody questioned his lineage.