is the book of nathan the same as the book of shemaiah

#Is the book of nathan the same as the book of shemaiah series#

There is no mention of this connection in the other Gospels, and the scholar Raymond E. Thomas Acquinas believed that the relationship was on the maternal side. Gregory Nazianzen argued from this that Mary herself was also a Levite descended from Aaron, and thus kingly and priestly lineages were united in Jesus. Įlsewhere Luke states that Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, was a cousin (or relative) of Mary and was descended from Aaron, of the tribe of Levi. Lastly, many see “as was supposed of Joseph” as a parenthetical note, with Luke actually calling Jesus a son of Eli-meaning, it is then suggested, that Eli ( Ηλι, Heli) is the maternal grandfather of Jesus, and Luke is actually tracing the ancestry of Jesus according to the flesh through Mary. Still others suggest that Luke is repeating an untrustworthy record without affirming its accuracy.

Others see the lineage as a legal ancestry, rather than an ancestry according to blood-Joseph is thus a legal son of Eli, perhaps a son-in-law or adopted son. Some see the remainder as the true genealogy of Joseph, despite the different genealogy given in Matthew. There are, however, several interpretations of how this qualification relates to the rest of the genealogy. Luke’s qualification “as was supposed” ( ενομιζετο) avoids stating that Jesus was actually a son of Joseph, since his virgin birth is affirmed in the same gospel. This choice, however, has been widely criticized. Although the reading “son of Aminadab, son of Aram,” in agreement with the Old Testament, is well attested, the Nestle-Aland critical edition, considered the best authority by most modern scholars, accepts the variant “son of Aminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni,” counting the 77 generations from Adam rather than God. The most controversial section, oddly, is in the ancestry of David, which is well established in the Old Testament. Since the nature of Luke’s genealogy has made it particularly susceptible to scribal corruption, determining the original text from the manuscript evidence has been especially problematic. However, Irenaeus, one of the earliest witnesses, counts only 72 generations from Adam. Though Luke never counts the generations as Matthew does, it appears that he too follows the hebdomadic principle of working in sevens. This count also agrees with the seventy generations from Enoch set forth in the Book of Enoch, which Luke probably knew.

In continuing the genealogy all the way to Adam, the progenitor of all mankind, the gospel is seen as emphasizing Christ’s universal mission.Īugustine notes that the count of generations in Luke is 77, a remarkable number symbolizing the forgiveness of all sins. Cainan is included between Shelah and Arphaxad, following the Septuagint text (though omitted in the Masoretic text followed by most modern Bibles). In the ancestry of David, Luke agrees completely with the Old Testament.

#Is the book of nathan the same as the book of shemaiah series#

The intervening generations are a series of otherwise unknown names, but the number of generations is chronologically quite plausible. This genealogy descends from the Davidic line through Nathan, who is an otherwise little-known son of King David, mentioned briefly in the Old Testament. Luke emphasizes Jesus’ title son of God, recognized as an essential title of the Messiah in prophecy, as the genealogy immediately follows a heavenly voice at Jesus’ baptism, saying “You are my son,” and concludes with “son of Adam, son of God.” Thus, like all mankind he is a son of God through Adam, who was made by God, but uniquely he is also begotten by God. Luke 3:23–38, after telling of the baptism of Jesus and the commencement of his ministry, states, “He was the son, as was supposed, of Joseph, the son of Eli…” and continues on until “…the son of Adam, the son of God.”