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VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 4• MAR-APR 2018: GENEALOGY OF CHRIST, PART I The Good Word PUBLISHED BY ST. SERAPHIM OF SAROV AND ST. JOHN OF KRONSTADT ORTHODOX CHURCH, LA MESA, CA WITH THE BLESSING OF BISHOP AUXENTIOS OF ETNA AND PORTLAND LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 5 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is THE GENEALOGY OF CHRIST, PART I¹ his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. by Dr. Seraphim Steger Nevertheless, these two recorded genealogies of Jesus Christ in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke IMPORTANCE OF BIBLICAL GENEALOGIES: LINE OF have at times aroused great attention among heterodox, DESCENT OF CHRIST FROM ABRAHAM THROUGH KING heretics, and the faithful because of their marked DAVID PROPHESIED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES differences. Both trace the same line of descent from St. Paul, circa AD 62-64, warned us not to heed the Patriarch Abraham through Judah down to King fables and endless genealogies in his 1st Letter to David, albeit in opposite orders. Then they markedly Timothy (1 Tim. 1:4) and to avoid foolish questions, and diverge from one another. The genealogy in the Gospel genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the According to St. Matthew proceeds through David’s son Law in his Letter to Titus (Tit. 3:9). Nevertheless, both King Solomon and through the Royal line of the known St. Matthew and St. Luke have each included a detailed subsequent Kings of Judah down to Jacob who begat the genealogy in their Gospels. Neither of these Joseph the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus, genealogies are fables, foolish, nor endless but affirm who is called Christ: that Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel and the Son of THE GENEALOGY OF CHRIST ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW: God -- fulfilling many Old Testament prophesies that He would be of the seed of Abraham, Judah, and David, Gospel of St. Matthew 1:1, 1 The book of the generation e.g.: of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 3 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob Genesis 12:3, And I will bless them that bless thee begat Judas and his brethren; 3 And Judas begat Phares and [Abram], and curse them that curseth thee: and in thee Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat shall all families of the earth be blessed. Aram; 4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Genesis 49:10, The sceptre shall not depart from Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; 5 And Salmon begat Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the Shiloh² come; and unto him shall the gathering of the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; 7 people be. And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Psalm 2:7, I will declare the decree, the LORD hath Abia begat Asa; 8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; 9 And Ozias begat thee. Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; 10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Psalm 132:11, The LORD hath sworn in truth unto Amon; and Amon begat Josias; 11 And Josias begat David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried will I set upon thy throne away to Babylon: 12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeremiah 23:4-5, Behold, the days come, saith the Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel³; 13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and 1. Scripture passages are from the King James Version unless Eliakim begat Azor; 14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc otherwise stated. begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; 15 And Eliud begat 2. Shiloh. The Septuagint Lxx Brenton translation renders this:A ruler Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat shall not fail from Juda, nor a prince from his loins, until there come Jacob; 16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of nations. Rabbinic (Rashi on Gen 49:10)): “This refers to the King Messiah, to 3. This follows the order of 1 Chronicles/1 Paraleipomenon (Lxx ) Shiloh], and so did Onkelos [AD 3:19 in the Greek Septuagint (Lxx). The Jewish Masoretic Hebrew] ( ֶש ול ) whom the kingdom belongs 30-120, the translator of the Hebrew Old Testament] render it [into text from which most English translations are made, reverses the order Aramaic]: until the Messiah comes, to whom the kingdom belongs.” making Zorobabel the father of Salathiel. 1 whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 17 So all the 33 Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are Phares, which was the son of Juda, 34 Which was the son of fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.4 18 Now the Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Nachor, 35 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19 Then Joseph her Heber, which was the son of Sala, 36 Which was the son of husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the 37 Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 38 Which was the son that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Adam, which was the son of God. JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now These two genealogies reunite in St. Joseph the all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall Betrothed of the Virgin Mary, who neither fathered be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call Jesus Christ nor had any relations with the Ever-Virgin his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with Mary. Thus, both genealogies are presented as being the us. 24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of genealogy of St. Joseph the Bethrothed, but fathered by the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25 And two different fathers: Jacob and Heli respectively! How knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and could that possibly be? That is a good question! he called his name JESUS. From the early centuries various Church Fathers and In contrast the genealogy in the Gospel According to other writers have tried to reconcile these two St. Luke proceeds through a different son of King genealogies either through biblically condoned levitical David, Nathan, and then through a much longer and marriages between the two lines5 or by proposing that different list of ancestors. It beginning with Jesus the genealogy in St. Luke, or rarely in St. Matthew, is himself … being as was supposed the son of Joseph really that of the Holy Virgin Mary. Both of these which was the son of Heli and culminating in Adam, proposals ignore what our Holy Orthodox Tradition tells which was the son of God: us elsewhere, that the parents of St. Mary were Saints THE GENEALOGY OF CHRIST ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE: Joachim and Anna, commemorated on September 9th Gospel of St. Luke 3:23- 38, 23 And Jesus himself began and celebrated in the Menaion Services of the Orthodox to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the Church as the Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God! son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 24 Which was the How do we reconcile this 3rd genealogy with that of son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son either St. Matthew or St. Luke? This is another of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of interesting question.