Endless Genealogies

January 11, 2017January 18, 2017 thebibleword.org

1 Timothy 1:3-4
“As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.”

This is among the few passages most will associate with Genealogies. Unfortunately, this is in a negative atmosphere. It is my purpose in this study to uphold the proper use of genealogies and to come to an understanding of the warning Paul gives. There are three things that will drive our interpretation of this passage. The first two are the definitions of “endless” and “genealogies.” The third is the context of the warning. The importance of these considerations are crucial in order to properly understand the passage.

First, we should understand the definition of Genealogies. Though it seems strange that this subject be tackled so late in this series of articles, it now makes a doctrinal difference, where previously it may simply have been an interesting fact. By the roots of the word we can come to a basic definition. The root “gen” implies a beginning process. This root is found in the Greek words for “birthed” or “begat.” It is also present in the related words to this study like: generation, generate, or genesis. The parameters of a genealogy ought to be limited to how the text of the Bible uses them. We cannot take Paul’s warning and apply it to something he himself may not apply it to. The term genealogy is used in these places: 1 Chron 4:33; 5:7; 7:5,7,9,40; 9:22; Neh 7:5; Matt 1:1; Heb 7:3,6. In the plural : Gen 10:32; 1 Cron 1:29; 5:17; 9:1; 26:31; 1 Tim 1:5; Tit 3:9. The form “genealogical:” 12 times in Num 1; 2 Chron 12:15; 31:16, 18; Ezra 8:1, 3.

Most of these uses are concentrated and uniform. Common phrases are: “enrolled by genealogy,” “according to their genealogies,” and “the book of the genealogy.” From most usages we can see that proper genealogies are documented records of family line. Not every list of names is a genealogy. There must be an understood relationship extending multiple generations for a list to be considered a genealogy. “The book of the genealogy” can be understood as: “the account of the family line.” The genealogies in which families were enrolled Old Testament were official records. Undocumented Levites and priests were excluded from service. If one could not produce an official genealogy to which one was from, then how did one fit in the social circles of the Jews? This is not what skeptics want to hear. They want to show that all biblical genealogies are oral family traditions that conflict with each other and carry unreliable information. From what we read, proper genealogies are always spoken of in an official, documented, manner. Paul’s criticisms are not of official record, but of unverifiable conjecture.

Second, we must define Paul’s use of “endless.” By the definition of genealogy above, we see they are not truly endless because they all have a limit of names. On the other hand they could appear endless if the generations continue to grow and be written down. Neither of these deal with the problem Paul is addressing. Endless is the word “finish” or “complete” with a negative prefix. Paul is warning against unfinished and uncompleted genealogies. The official genealogies are finished because they are historically sound with no open ends. They have long been approved. The genealogies in the scripture are closed, with little to no room for additions. They are treated as a part of the unchanging scripture and history. The Greek translation of scripture often plays with names. Variants in the Septuagint are just as common as variants on other data. The historicity of the Septuagint records are not in question (perhaps their philosophy of translation). The genealogies that are represented in Matthew and Luke, which are in part based on Greek manuscripts, were publicly kept and trusted, even if not labeled with the same authority as scripture. It is important to realize that the culture accepted some documents as historically sound, yet not on the same table as scripture. Most public records are as reliable as any other source of history. But Paul warns against uncompleted genealogies. These have not been verified nor counted worthy by any authority. I suggest that the implication is that he is not referencing the study of lengthy scriptural data, but unreliable human speculation.

We now turn to the third area of this discussion: context. The genealogies are grouped with: strange doctrine, myths, and speculation. In the mirror passage in Titus 3, Paul adds foolishness, disputes, and worthlessness. Clearly, concrete historical data is not the subject matter Paul is warning against. What, then, would be the use of genealogies in false doctrine? Ironically, answering this question takes speculation. What is sure is that Paul’s doctrine was established on fact. He preached the risen Lord by his own witness and by the testimony of many others. We can be sure that poor uses of genealogies shake the foundation of proper doctrine. They may question Jesus’ authority by attacking his own lineage. Providing false information on who Jesus is and where he came from may undermine faith. They may establish a false authority for the speaker. The speaker may claim authority based on blood relation, which can misguide some. Or the doctrine they teach is in part built on confusing chains of blood relations which give credence in some way to the teaching. We must guard against all of these.

What, then, is the proper use of this passage and of genealogies today? We must continue to study the foundation of scripture. All scripture is profitable for instruction and reproof. Genealogies strengthen our faith in God’s promises and the historical nature of the Bible. Jesus’ genealogy provides insight into His identity and role. Above all, we must not become quarrelsome about matters of which we are ignorant. Paul’s warning has less to do with genealogies and more on brotherly love and proper edification. True teaching does not come from speculation, but from love and truth. We ought not promote as doctrine our own ideas or the ideas of men. We should investigate the validity of doctrinal teaching. Let us teach what is sound and reject what uselessly divides.

Literary Purpose of Genealogies

January 10, 2017January 16, 2017 thebibleword.org

If the purpose of genealogies was solely religious or social, then why do we find them recorded for us? There are other sources that include this kind of historical data that likely have a more specific focus on every generation.[1] Why, then, did God include the known genealogies into the scriptures, and leave others out? This brings in the second major function of genealogies: literature.

By ‘literary purpose’ I mean that there are a series of questions to be answered regarding its writing: Why was this written by this author, why did the author include this information here, does this information impact or change the surrounding material, and are there any patterns which may effect interpretation. We will begin this review by consulting the last question first.

Some of the more obvious patterns of Biblical genealogies include the use of phrases such as: “and he died”, “and he begat”, “the son of”, and “[his] sons were…”[2] These phrases are usually consistent throughout each genealogy. These repeating phrases are often critical in identifying them as genealogy as opposed to a list of names. They help establish a series of successive generations that might otherwise be seen as a roster or registry.[3] Interruptions to the flow of pattern do occur, but lengthy interruptions lead the style away from a true genealogy.[4] These patterns (and the purposeful interruptions) provide a basis for reading the genealogies in a different manner than normal prose or even poetry. It is commonly agreed that oral cultures who use genealogies format them in ways that aid in memory. Some cases of this exist within the OT text,[5] but the formal genealogies were likely in written, rather than oral, format for scriptural and national purposes. Formal vs informal genealogies are the difference between the Jewish mindset and the mindset of other oral cultures. Jewish families may have relied on oral tradition and informal genealogies, but the formal genealogies (likely informal before written down) claim the stamp of divine authority when placed in scripture.[6] This allows for the literary format of genealogies to express themselves within the text, while still having the historicity required for scripture.

The first literary question is: why did the author write this? This question by itself can easily damage the answer due to speculation. The specific case for each genealogy is easier to study under the second question: “Why here?” The most obvious answer has to do with the inspiration from the holy Spirit: it’s here because God said so. However, this has often been used as a cop-out answer because it begs the question: why did the holy Spirit have it written? Certainly where other answers fail, we can put confidence in God’s plan, but there are almost always further answers to tough questions. From a larger viewpoint of scripture we can see the usefulness of Genealogies as they establish the fulfillment of the promises of God with his people and the Messiah. A great example of this is the record of Judah’s sons. The firstborn Er was slain by God and required a son to pass on the family name. The second son Onan refused this responsibility, and the third son Shelah was too young to marry Er’s widow Tamar. The story of Judah’s children through Tamar was scandalous. Most families would have wanted this story buried and forgotten. We find that Shelah’s oldest is, in fact, Er’s rightful heir. We should expect for Shelah’s son Er to be the primary family of the tribe of Judah, but we know nothing about them. Instead Perez, the illegitimate son of Judah and Tamar becomes the line which brings the kings of Israel. Unless the Holy Spirit guide these stories in Genesis, Moses would have had no reason to write about them. But when the Chronicler writes he pulls from the line of Perez because he sees the greater context of history. Each genealogy has similar lessons and uses. The specific use of each individual genealogy has to be studied with its own context. To know why the author formatted the genealogy the way he did might be answered by going to the source from which he got his information.[7]

From the author’s viewpoint, the Genealogies pertain to the characters, audiences, or situations the author is currently writing about. No genealogy is abstract or without proper context. I will give three examples of three uses of Genealogies from a literary standpoint. One is for time reference: Genesis 5, and 12. The time reference doesn’t have to be in years, but rather emphasis on passing generations. The key term in these genealogies is “and he died.” This phrase notes a passing of time in which every successive generation is dealing with the problem of sin. The purpose is to get the reader from the beginning of time to Abram, who will be instrumental in solving this problem. Another use for genealogies is to establish relational context: 1 Chronicles 1-9, Ruth 4:16-22, 1 Chronicles 23, Matthew 1:1-17. These Genealogies are intended to establish the validity or association of the current characters. 1 Chronicles 1-9 ends with Benjamin’s line, which culminates in Saul’s family (who begins the narrative). Ruth is a foremother of David, making her story valuable to the story of Israel. The author of 1 Chronicles uses his abbreviated family list to show the Levite’s responsibilities for their duties. Matthew shows Jesus as the heir and rightful King after David. A third use for genealogies is to propel a story foreword: Exodus 6:14-27, Luke 3:23-38. These lists are brought in the middle of a narrative, and are used to show the background of the character, or a significant quality about them. Exodus had been talking about Moses for several chapters, so there is no need to introduce him or his background. The same goes for Luke’s account of Jesus. Instead, the focus with Moses is on his new leadership role and his next challenge. To prove that Moses had a right to be heard, the author uses the genealogy to establish his identity as an Israelite and later as a Levite (which is important for the Hebrews to remember while he leads and intercedes for them). Luke traces Jesus’ genealogy to show that his ultimate heritage went back to God himself, and that he fulfills all of mankind’s intent. This is important for the reader to understand as Jesus is tempted in the wilderness and then begins his ministry.

The third question: ‘does the genealogy impact the surrounding information?’ has been touched on already. The Genesis 5 and 12 genealogies do impact the surrounding narrative by adding a sense of urgency and natural deprivation for the human race. Without it the problem of sin doesn’t seem as universal or urgent for Abram. The genealogy at the end of Ruth is actually the climax of the book. The whole book uses otherwise unknown characters to the point that it may read like a fiction story. The genealogy roots it in history and compels the readers to study the book once more to see the foreshadowing of David. Luke 3 also drives home the fact that Jesus is not from men but from God, and therefore has divine qualities. Most if not all genealogies impact the surrounding material. It is a mistake to overlook them completely.

The literary purpose of genealogies is to accompany the text with information that makes the characters credible, or makes the situation applicable. They are neither pointless nor uncredible. God used important religious and social documentation to help the reader further understand the stories they read. For those of us outside that culture, it is very beneficial to use these details to help us understand the minds and identity of the OT and NT characters.

[1] 1 Kings 11:41; 14:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29; 12:15; Esther 10:2; Additionally Matthew 1:5, 13-16 and Luke 3:23-31, 33, 36 mention names that are either not connected or found in the OT.
[2] Examples: Genesis 5; Matthew 1; Luke 3; 1 Chronicles 2
[3] Name lists that are not genealogies include: 1 Chronicles 27; Nehemiah 12:1-26
[4] Example of interruptions: Matthew 1 – “by Rahab,” “by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah,” “at the time of the deporting to Babylon.”
[5] Genesis 4-5- names and generations parallel each other 46:8-27- the phrase “all” seems accommodative.
[6] 2 Timothy 3:16- All scripture is inspired.
[7] Compare: 1 Chron 1 to Genesis 5, 12, 36, and Luke 3:32-38 to the LXX.

Religious Purpose of Genealogies

January 10, 2017January 14, 2017 thebibleword.org

The purpose of Genealogies in the Bible may not be (and I argue that they are not) the same as either modern genealogies or many other ancient genealogies. Today, genealogies or brief heritage records serve the function of proving nationality, cultural minority, or family pride. Ancient genealogies also placed emphasis on nationality and family titles. The nationality may entitle an individual to certain rights (Like Paul, as he used his Roman citizenship to resolve conflicts [1]), or may work against them if their nation was subservient to another.[2] The Family rights may give certain levels of authority in society from kings to politicians to household heads.[3] I suggest that the Biblical genealogies occasionally served these functions, but primarily focused on other objectives. There are two major functions that play a role in this study. This article will focus on the first: the religious function.

The OT does not present a history of the world. It focuses on a single relatively tiny nation called Israel. Even within Israel’s history, the text picks and chooses certain points and leaves the rest for other record keepers.[4] With this in mind, we recognize that OT genealogies do not intend to replicate the entire history of every Israelite.[5] What the text does portray, however, is vital and important to the Jewish religion and way of life. To the Jew, there was no separation of secular government from religion.[6] Their genealogies impacted the way they perceived their religious duties as well as their political responsibilities.

The connection between family line and religion for the Jew dates back to Abram and God’s promise to him. God promised that Abram would have a blood son through Sarah, and that his descendents would number like sand on the sea shore and would inhabit ‘the land.’[7] As a marker of this covenant God required that every male born to this family of promise be circumcised.[8] Circumcision becomes the linking action and symbol between nationality and religion.[9] The primary goal for their geneialogies was to show family links from the current generation back to this forefather, so that their identity as people of God could be confirmed. Second to that, Genealogies served as agents to distinguish households and tribes into their duties and responsibilities.

This primary goal (the family links) is easiest to see in Matthew and Luke’s genealogies of Jesus.[10] They both trace from one end to the other in a straight line to show Jesus’ relationship to Abram and David. The subject of skipping generations could easily be discussed here, but will wait for another article. The emphasis of that discussion is to establish generic family ties without having to name every person in the line. This appears to be a common feature found most prominently in the period of Egyptian captivity. The family connection was also important when establishing legitimacy as true Israelites. This would have been very important upon entering the promised land and coming back from Babylonian captivity. The first period (effected by Numbers)[11] needs the least detail since their objective was to completely remove all previous inhabitants.[12] The pollution of the Israelite line was a constant problem throughout their history. By the time of the exile the Jewish line was in danger of being lost completely.[13]This brought about the necessity for the largest genealogy in the Bible, found in 1 Chronicles 1-9.[14] Ezra (potential author for the Chronicles) lists many family heads of those who returned.[15] He also implimented purity requirements for the priests before they could reenter their duties.[16] Those that could not produce sufficient genealogies were turned away.

This brings us the second religious goal: family duties. The most important family to keep track of was Levi. This tribe was set aside by God for the purpose of serving within the Temple.[17] The priesthood was the specific responsibility of Aaron’s family, and no other. The other Levite familes had spelled out duties in Numbers 4. Further responsibilities are mentioned in Chronicles upon establishing and reestablishing the Temple.[18] The other families are less important from a religious standpoint. The line of Judah stands out because of the leadership duties culminating in David.[19] The royal family is important for tracing the Messiah. Before the kings, the nation relied on tribal leadership.

We see represented in 1 Chronicles 1-9 a focus on patriarchal heads and leaders within the tribes. (Remember that the Chronicles were written upon the return from exile for the returning Jews to remind them the errors of their fathers.) These families and chiefs were supposed to guide the people politically and spiritually. As we read in Judges, they failed to uphold this responsibility. After this failure God allowed the introduction of a king. Once the king line failed as well, the leadership was given back to the family heads, which is why 1 Chronicles 1-9 is so important to those returning Jews.

The majority of genealogy information is provided for the spiritual integrity of the people in order to trace the line of the Messiah, and for the designation of leadership duties within the tribes. This information can seem dull and pointless to the modern reader, but looking at it through the eyes of the primary audience may change your interest. Also, being able to see things from a post-messianic perspective can reveal the foreknowledge and providence of God. The technical and tedious accuracy (as well as the seemingly generic and vague approaches) can show historical confidence and reliability.

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[1] Acts 22:25
[2] Esther 8:11
[3] 1 Kings 11:35-38
[4] 1 Kings 11:41; 14:29; 2 Chronicles 9:29; 12:15; Esther 10:2
[5] Matthew 1:1 – The summary is typical of genealogy mindset.
[6] Deuteronomy 6:6-9
[7] Genesis 17:8, 15-19; 22:17
[8] Genesis 17:9-10
[9] Galatians 5:3
[10] Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38
[11] Exodus 6:14-25; Numbers 1-4 – These were the generations leaving Egypt, but specially noted in Numbers are the tribal leaders and families.
[12] Deuteronomy 7:2-3
[13] Ezra 9:14
[14] Note especially 1 Chronicles 9
[15] Ezra 2; 8:1-20
[16] Nehimiah 7:6-65 – noting verses 61-65
[17] Exodus 27:21; Numbers 3:5-10
[18] 1 Chronicles 9; 23-26
[19] 1 Chronicles 2-4