Expert: Brenda Martin - 11/5/2007

Question
QUESTION: Who was Joseph's father?
Matthew 1:16 "And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus."
vs.

Luke 3:23 "And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli."

also numbers play a big part in much of the bible,and its hard to read anything into a specific number,other than the number itself....so is How old was Ahaziah?
II Kings 8:26 "Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign."
vs.

II Chronicles 22:2 "Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign."
thnx for your time,Sincerley, Chris

ANSWER: HI Chris you asked--"WHO WAS JOSEPH'S FATHER? MATTHEW 1:16--LUKE 3:23"

The difference in nearly all the names in Luke’s genealogy of Jesus as compared with Matthew’s is quickly resolved in the fact that Luke traced the line through David’s son Nathan, instead of Solomon as did Matthew. (Lu 3:31; Mt 1:6, 7)

Luke evidently follows the ancestry of Mary, thus showing Jesus’ natural descent from David.While Matthew shows Jesus’ legal right to the throne of David by descent from Solomon through Joseph, who was legally Jesus’ father.

Both Matthew and Luke signify that Joseph was not Jesus’ actual father but only his adoptive father, giving him legal right.

Heli was evidently the father of Mary and maternal grandfather of Jesus Christ. (Lu 3:23) Joseph being called the “son of Heli” is understood to mean that he was the son-in-law of Heli.

Joseph--Son of a certain Jacob; adoptive father of Christ Jesus, husband of Mary, and later, the natural father of at least four sons, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, besides daughters. (Mt 1:16; 13:55, 56; Lu 4:22; John 1:45; 6:42)

So no contradiction; Jacob was Joseph’s father & Heli was his father in law.

HOW OLD WAS AHAZIAH? II KINGS 8:26 --II CHRONICLES 22:2

The name of two kings, one of Israel, the other of Judah.
   
1. Son of Ahab and Jezebel, and king of Israel for two years beginning in about 919 B.C.E. He followed his idolatrous parents in Baal worship. (1Ki 22:51-53) Ahaziah gradually died and, being sonless, was succeeded by his brother Jehoram.—2Ki 1:2-17.

2. Son of Jehoram and Athaliah and listed as king of Judah for one year (c. 906 B.C.E.). During his father’s reign the Philistines and Arabs invaded Judah and took captive all of Jehoram’s sons except Jehoahaz (Ahaziah), the youngest. (2Ch 21:16, 17; 22:1) He was a young man of 22 years when ascending the throne, and his domineering mother Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, influenced him to wickedness. (2Ki 8:25-27; 2Ch 22:2-4)

Ahaziah is also referred to as “Azariah” at 2 Chronicles 22:6 (though here 15 Hebrew manuscripts read “Ahaziah”), and as “Jehoahaz” at 2 Chronicles 21:17; 25:23 (a case of transposing the divine name to serve as a prefix instead of as a suffix).

all the best
Brenda


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I think its really stretching the bounds of ASSUMPTION,to say that Heli is Marys' father???ESpecially when her name isnt even mentioned in Luke,plus the fact that geneologies of women in ancient ISRAEL are non-existent!
Why would God inspire a writer to include genealogies which are totally useless in connecting Jesus to king David?  not mention the fact that, that the 14 generations listed in the FIRST SERIES of the Matthew genealogy (from Abraham through David) match identicaly  the 14 generations listed in the THIRD SERIES of the Luke genealogy (from David through Abraham)....As much as Id like to buy this 1,my common sense wont let me

Answer
While not listing her, Luke traces the natural descent of Jesus’ mother Mary from David.

Why, then, does Luke omit Mary and list Joseph as “the son of Heli”? Says the Cyclopædia above, page 773, column 2: “In constructing their genealogical tables, it is well known that the Jews reckoned wholly by males, rejecting where the blood of the grandfather passed to the grandson through a daughter, the name of the daughter herself, and counting that daughter’s husband for the son of the maternal grandfather (Numbers 26:33; 27:4-7).” In keeping with this rule, Joseph’s name would replace Mary’s in Luke’s account, even though the genealogy there was traced through Mary’s lineage.

The Cyclopaedia sees in the very wording of Luke’s account a confirmation of this thought, saying, page 774, column 1: “The evangelist Luke has critically distinguished the REAL from the LEGAL genealogy by a parenthetical remark: ‘Jesus being (as was reputed) the son of Joseph (but in reality) the son of Heli,’ or his grandson by his mother’s side.”—Luke 3:23.

Luke also called Shealtiel the “son of Neri.” (Luke 3:27) Neri apparently gave his daughter to Shealtiel as a wife. Since the Hebrews commonly referred to a son-in-law as a son, especially in genealogical listings, Luke could properly call Shealtiel the son of Neri. Similarly, Luke referred to Joseph as the son of Heli, who was actually the father of Joseph’s wife, Mary. (Luke 3:23)

Regarding the genealogies of Jesus given by Matthew and by Luke, Frederic Louis Godet wrote: “This study of the text in detail leads us in this way to admit—1. That the genealogical register of Luke is that of Heli, the grandfather of Jesus; 2. That, this affiliation of Jesus by Heli being expressly opposed to His affiliation by Joseph, the document which he has preserved for us can be nothing else in his view than the genealogy of Jesus through Mary. But why does not Luke name Mary, and why pass immediately from Jesus to His grandfather? Ancient sentiment did not comport with the mention of the mother as the genealogical link. Among the Greeks a man was the son of his father, not of his mother; and among the Jews the adage was: ‘Genus matris non vocatur genus [“The descendant of the mother is not called (her) descendant”]’ (‘Baba bathra,’ 110, a).”—Commentary on Luke, 1981, p. 129.

the two lists of Matthew and Luke fuse together the two truths, namely, (1) that Jesus was actually the Son of God and the natural heir to the Kingdom by miraculous birth through the virgin girl Mary, of David’s line, and (2) that Jesus was also the legal heir in the male line of descent from David and Solomon through his adoptive father Joseph. (Lu 1:32, 35; Ro 1:1-4) If there was any accusation made by hostile Jews that Jesus’ birth was illegitimate, the fact that Joseph, aware of the circumstances, married Mary and gave her the protection of his good name and royal lineage refutes such slander.

Some Bible writers had to engage in considerable research to document their material. Luke, for example, wrote regarding his Gospel account: “I have traced all things from the start with accuracy, to write them in logical order.” Of course, God’s spirit blessed Luke’s efforts, no doubt moving him to locate trustworthy historical documents and to interview reliable eyewitnesses, such as the surviving disciples and possibly Jesus’ mother, Mary. God’s spirit would then guide Luke to record the information accurately.—Luke 1:1-4.

It takes time to build knowledge of the scriptures, then in turn that knowledge builds faith, don’t give up at the first hurdle :¬)

There are over 300 prophecies written about Jesus in the Hebrew Scriptures & every one of them found fulfillment in his life, death & resurrection. Jesus was the “Son of God” of that there is no doubt.

All the best
Brenda