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Jesus Genealogy

We have two completely different genealogies of Jesus. The genealogy in Matthew contradicts the genealogy in Luke. Christians have tried to come up with every excuse imaginable to reconcile Matthew and Luke, but the honest person will simply admit contradictions when they see them. Anyone who cares about truth will not fight tooth and nail to justify lies and contradictions. There is no way to reconcile or justify the two different genealogies of Jesus. Let me show you the facts, then it is up to you to accept the contradiction or to defend lies. 

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I will list the genealogies side by side for your convenience. I will also number the generations for both Matthew and Luke, because there is a point to be made from it. Matthew's genealogy will be listed first, and I will try to match up Luke's genealogy as much as possible next to Matthew's. 

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Matthew 1:1-16 - Luke 3:23-38

 

(not listed) --- Adam [1]

(not listed) --- Seth [2]

(not listed) --- Enosh [3]

(not listed) --- Kenan [4]

(not listed) --- Mahalalel [5]

(not listed) --- Jared [6]

(not listed) --- Enoch [7]

(not listed) --- Methuselah [8]

(not listed) --- Lamech [9]

(not listed) --- Noah [10]

(not listed) --- Shem [11]

(not listed) --- Arphaxad [12]

(not listed) --- Cainan [13]

(not listed) --- Shelah [14]

(not listed)  --- Eber [15]

(not listed)  --- Peleg [16]

(not listed)  --- Reu [17]

(not listed)  --- Serug [18]

(not listed)  --- Nahor [19]

(not listed) --- Terah [20]

1) Abraham  --- Abraham [21] (same)

2) Isaac  --- Isaac [22] (same)

3) Jacob  --- Jacob [23] (same)

4) Judah  --- Judah [24] (same)

5) Perez  --- Perez [25] (same)

6) Hezron  --- Hezron [26] (same)

7) Ram  --- Ram [27] (same)

8) Amminidab  --- Amminidab [28] (same)

9) Nahshon  --- Nahshon [29] (same)

10) Salmon  --- Salmon [30] (same)

11) Boaz --- Boaz [31] (same)

12) Obed --- Obed [32] (same)

13) Jesse --- Jesse [33] (same)

14) David --- David [34] (same)

15) Solomon --- Nathan [35] (POINT OF DIVERGENCE)

16) Rehoboam --- Mattatha [36] (DIFFERENT)

17) Abihah --- Menna [37] (DIFFERENT)

18) Asa --- Melea [38] (DIFFERENT)

19) Jehoshaphat --- Eliakim [39] (DIFFERENT)

20) Jehoram --- Jonam [40] (DIFFERENT)

21) Uzziah --- Joseph [41] (DIFFERENT)

22) Jotham --- Judah [42] (DIFFERENT)

23) Ahaz --- Simeon [43] (DIFFERENT)

24) Hezekiah --- Levi [44] (DIFFERENT)

25) Manassah --- Matthat [45] (DIFFERENT)

26) Amon --- Joram [46] (DIFFERENT)

27) Josiah --- Eliezer [47] (DIFFERENT)

28) Jeconiah --- Joshua [48] (DIFFERENT)

(not listed) --- Er [49] (DIFFERENT)

(not listed) --- Elmadam [50] (DIFFERENT)

(not listed) --- Cosam [51] (DIFFERENT)

(not listed) --- Addi [52] (DIFFERENT)

(not listed) --- Melki [53] (DIFFERENT)

(not listed) --- Neri [54] (DIFFERENT)

29) Shealtiel --- Shealteal [55] (same name but most likely a different person)

30) Zerubbabel --- Zerubbabel [56] (same name but most likely a different person)

31) Abihud --- Rhesa [57] (DIFFERENT)

32) Eliakim --- Joanan [58] (DIFFERENT)

33) Azor --- Joda [59] (DIFFERENT)

34) Zadok --- Josek [60] (DIFFERENT)

35) Akim --- Semein [61] (DIFFERENT)

36) Elihud --- Mattathias [62] (DIFFERENT)

37) Eleazar --- Maath [63] (DIFFERENT)

(not listed) --- Naggai [64] (inconsistent)

(not listed) --- Esli [65](inconsistent)

(not listed) --- Nahum [66] (inconsistent)

(not listed) --- Amos [67] (inconsistent)

(not listed) --- Mattathias [68] (inconsistent)

(not listed) --- Joseph [69] (inconsistent)

(not listed) --- Jannai [70] (inconsistent)

(not listed) --- Melki [71] (inconsistent)

(not listed) --- Levi [72] (inconsistent)

38) Matthan --- Matthat [73] (DIFFERENT)

39) Jacob --- Heli [74] (DIFFERENT)

40) Joseph --- Joseph [75] (same)

41) Jesus ---- Jesus [76] (same)

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The only names that are the same between David and Joseph are Shealtiel and Zerubbabel. You would have to conclude that even though these names are the same, they would most likely be different people with the same names because their lineage is different. I matched them up side-by-side above, just so you can recognize it. 

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One important point to make is that a lineage does not have to list every single name to still be accurate. You can call Jesus the son of David, even if he was the great-great-great grandson of David. That would not be considered a contradiction, but if you specifically tell the number of generations between two people, like Matthew does, then that eliminates skipping generations. Matthew 1:17 says, Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah. Since Matthew specifically identifies the number of generations, even if Luke gave fifteen or thirteen generations where Matthew said there were exactly fourteen, that would be an irreconcilable contradiction. Matthew and Luke agree to the fourteen generations between Abraham and David, but it goes off the rails at this point. Matthew lists fourteen generations between Solomon and Jeconiah, but Luke doesn't even identify when the Babylonian captivity occurred in his lineage. Then, Matthew only lists thirteen generations between Shealtiel [29] and Jesus [41], which is a contradiction within Matthew's text. Luke includes fourty-two generations between Nathan [35] and Jesus [76], but Matthew said there should only be around twenty-eight. 

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For the record, Jewish genealogies were always tracked through the father and never through the mother, and genealogies are always associated with the biological connection between father and son. The only reason to even track lineage, was to show the bloodline connection to a particular patriarch. It is completely ridiculous to suggest that any genealogy is provided for an adopted son that was not the biological son of the listed father, yet this is one of the ridiculous arguments Christians make for this obvious contradiction between Matthew and Luke. 

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Another ridiculous excuse Christians give to justify the contradiction between Matthew and Luke is that one of the genealogies was for Joseph and the other was for Mary. Even though Mary and Joseph would have two different genealogies (unless they were full siblings), there is no evidence whatsoever from either Matthew or Luke that either genealogy is associated with Mary.

 

Matthew 1:16 says, and Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

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Luke 3:23 says, Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli.

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So Matthew says Joseph was the son of Jacob, but Luke says Joseph was the son of Heli. Matthew says Joseph was the husband of Mary, but the genealogy is associated with Joseph, not Mary. Luke says several times that Joseph was of the house of David, and Luke also tells us that Mary was the cousin of Elizabeth who was of the daughters of Aaron. If Luke goes through the trouble to tell us that Mary was related to Elizabeth and that Elizabeth was a Levite, it is irrational to conclude that Mary was a descendant of David who was from the tribe of Judah, rather than Levi. 

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Luke 1:5,  In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. (this means both Zechariah and Elizabeth were Levites, which makes it impossible for either of them to have descended from Judah or David).

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Luke 1:36, Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month (this verse points out the close blood relationship between Elizabeth and Mary, the only logical conclusion is that Mary was also a Levite, which would preclude Mary from descending from Judah or David).

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Luke 1:27,  to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary (this verse expressly says Joseph was descended from David, not that Mary was descended from David. To suggest Luke's genealogy is associated with Mary is a sad excuse for justifying lies). 

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Luke 2:4, So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David (who belonged to the house of David? Mary or Joseph?).

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The bottom line is, that Christians are just being dishonest in their attempt to justify lies. Honest people don't need to lie to justify their religion. You can either be honest or be a Christian, but you cannot be both. You gotta lie to be a Christian. 

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