Who was Joseph's Father? (by Eric Lyons)

From: Subject: Who was Joseph's Father? (by Eric Lyons) Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 08:26:00 -0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_001E_01C3F9E6.AB13C620"; type="text/html" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2800.1165 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_001E_01C3F9E6.AB13C620 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://www.apologeticspress.org/abdiscr/abdiscr109.html Who was Joseph's Father? (by Eric Lyons)

WHO WAS JOSEPH=92S FATHER?

Eric Lyons, M.Min.

In his book, The Encyclopedia = of=20 Biblical Errancy, skeptic Dennis McKinsey = confidently=20 asserted that the =93contradictory=94 genealogies = found in Matthew=20 1 and Luke 3 open up =93a Pandora=92s box that = apologists would=20 just as soon remained closed forever=94 (1995, p. 46). = One=20 =93contradiction=94 he cited (p. 80) revolves around = the father of=20 Joseph. Whereas Matthew 1:16 states that =93Jacob = begot=20 Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus = who is=20 called Christ=94 (emp. added), Luke 3:23 says, = =93Jesus Himself=20 began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being = (as was=20 supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli=94 = (emp.=20 added). How is it that Joseph could be the son of both = Jacob=20 and Heli? Is Mr. McKinsey correct? Do Christian = apologists=20 really shudder at the sound of Matthew 1 and Luke 3? = Do we=20 cower at the thought of having to explain their = differences?=20 Not at all.

The answer to this supposed contradiction is = relatively=20 simple: the first seventeen verses in the first = chapter of=20 Matthew give the genealogy of Jesus through Joseph, = while Luke=20 3 presents the genealogy of Jesus through Mary. Hence, = Jacob=20 is the father of Joseph (Matthew 1:16), while Heli is = the=20 father of Mary (Luke 3:23). If this is true, the = logical=20 question that both critics and serious Bible students = ask is=20 why Mary is not mentioned in Luke=92s genealogy? The = answer is=20 again quite simple: Luke follows the strict Hebrew = tradition=20 of mentioning only the names of males. Therefore, in = this=20 case, Mary is designated by her husband=92s name.

Lest you think it is unreasonable to conclude that = a=20 son-in-law could be called a son, remember that it is = recorded=20 in 1 Samuel 24:16 that King Saul (David=92s = father-in-law=971=20 Samuel 18:27) called David =93son.=94 The term = =93son=94 actually has=20 a variety of meanings in the Bible. It can signify: = (1) son by=20 actual birth; (2) grandson; (3) descendent; (4) = son-in-law; or=20 (5) son by creation, as in the case of Adam (Luke = 3:38). All=20 indications are that in Luke 3:23, the phrase =93son = of Heli=94=20 (literally =93of Heli=94) refers to Heli=92s = son-in-law, Joseph. The=20 following evidence clearly supports this = rationale.

The two narrations of the virgin birth are from = two=20 different perspectives. Matthew 1:18-25 tells the = story only=20 from Joseph=92s perspective, while Luke 1:26-56 is = told wholly=20 from Mary=92s point of view. It makes sense, then, = that=20 Matthew focused on Joseph=92s lineage in his = genealogy,=20 whereas Luke paid careful attention to Mary=92s = ancestors.=20
Because the phrase =93as was supposed=94 (Luke = 3:23) is used=20 to describe Jesus=92 relationship with his earthly = father, one=20 automatically should see that something is different = about=20 this genealogy from the one recorded in Matthew = chapter one.=20 The phrase =93Jesus=85being (as was supposed) = the son of=20 Joseph=94 (emp. added) is indicating that He was not = really=20 one of Joseph=92s biological sons, even though the = public=20 commonly assumed such.=20
Every name in the Greek text of Luke=92s = genealogy,=20 with the exception of Joseph, is preceded by = the=20 definite article =93the=94 (e.g. the Heli, the = Matthat).=20 Although not obvious in our English translations, = this=20 stands out to anyone reading the Greek. As=20 nineteenth-century biblical scholar Frederic Godet = stated:=20 =93The omission of the article puts the name = (Joseph)=20 outside of the genealogical series=94 (1890, = 1:198,=20 emp. added). In fact, the parentheses in our = versions=20 containing the words =93(as was supposed),=94 most = likely should=20 be extended to include the name =93Joseph=94 = (Lenski, 1961, p.=20 220). [Remember that parentheses have been added in = our=20 English Bibles by translators for the sake of = =93clarity.=94 In=20 this situation, however, it seems translators should = have=20 extended the parentheses so that the text reads: = =93And Jesus=20 Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of = age,=20 being (as was supposed of Joseph) the son of = Heli,=20 the son of Matthat=85.=94] When one=92s studies take = him beyond=20 our English translations into the original language = of=20 Scripture (in this case, Greek), he begins to = realize all=20 the more that Luke=92s genealogy is tracing the line = of=20 Joseph=92s wife, even though Joseph=92s name is = used.

These two separate genealogies of Jesus Christ = were, in=20 fact, absolutely necessary in the establishment of = Christ as=20 the Messiah. The Messianic title, =93Son of David,=94 = that so=20 frequently was applied to Christ, required dual proof = that:=20 (1) He was entitled to the throne, as Matthew=92s = genealogy=20 indicates; and (2) He literally had descended from = David, as=20 Luke=92s genealogy demonstrates. The verses in Matthew = clearly=20 establish Christ as the legal heir to the throne by = tracing=20 His ancestry down through the royal line of the kings = of=20 Israel, with Luke=92s account demonstrating that He = was an=20 actual descendant of David (through Nathan, the = brother of=20 Solomon=971 Chronicles 3:5). Jesus literally was born = from one=20 of David=92s virgin =93daughters.=94

REFERENCES

Godet, Frederic (1890), Gospel of Luke = (Edinburgh:=20 T&T Clark).

Lenski, R.C.H. (1961), The Interpretation of the = St.=20 Luke=92s Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg).

McKinsey, C. Dennis (1995), The Encyclopedia of = Biblical=20 Errancy (Amherst, NY: Prometheus).

We are happy to grant permission for items in the = =93Alleged=20 Bible Discrepancies=94 section to be reproduced in = their=20 entirety, as long as the following stipulations are = observed:=20 (1) Apologetics Press must be designated as the = original=20 publisher; (2) the specific Apologetics Press Web site = URL must be noted; (3) the author=92s = name must=20 remain attached to the materials; (4) any references,=20 footnotes, or endnotes that accompany the article must = be=20 included with any written reproduction of the article; = (5)=20 alterations of any kind are strictly forbidden (e.g.,=20 photographs, charts, graphics, quotations, etc. must = be=20 reproduced exactly as they appear in the original); = (6)=20 serialization of written material (e.g., running an = article in=20 several parts) is permitted, as long as the whole of = the=20 material is made available, without editing, in a = reasonable=20 length of time; (7) articles, in whole or in part, may = not be=20 offered for sale or included in items offered for = sale; and=20 (8) articles may not be reproduced in electronic form = for=20 posting on Web sites (although links to articles on = the=20 Apologetics Press Web site are permitted).

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