GENEALOGICAL REGISTERS AT PUBLIC ARCHIVES

MATTHEW 1:1–17

In first-century Judaism, genealogical registers were physical records that provided essential cultural information.2 In order to know how to function in Israelite society—especially regarding issues pertaining to priestly heritage, marriage considerations, social status, religious assignments, and political authority—people had to know family heritage.3

Thus, in the period of the Gospels written records listing the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were collected and secured in buildings designated for public records.4 In the case of priestly heritage, each member of Israel’s priesthood was required to trace his genealogy to the tribe of Levi. He could become a legitimate high priest only if he was also a descendant of the family of Aaron (Num. 3:1–13). The Israelite priesthood also kept an official genealogical register at the Temple.5 That way a background check on those who aspired to the priesthood could be done easily by inspecting this public record.

Marriage considerations were of particular concern to all Israelites of pure blood. If a priest wanted his son to be eligible for the priesthood, the son had to marry a woman of priestly descent, tracing her family from a verifiably accurate genealogical register back through several generations of mothers on both sides of the family.6 Israelites not of the priestly line were also concerned about knowing their heritage because only certain groups could intermarry.7 Moreover, to marry outside of the extended-family system could put the assets of the family at risk.

Palmyra tomb sculpture providing a genealogy of the deceased.
© Dr. James C. Martin. Musée du Louvre; Autorisation de photographer et de filmer—LOUVRE.

Illustration of scribes working with genealogical records.
© Dr. James C. Martin. Illustration by Tim Ladwig.

Social status was also verified through genealogical registers. The famous Jewish historian Josephus bragged that his genealogical register revealed his high social status.8 Others, however, had to bear humiliation when occurrences of disgrace were denoted in their genealogical register. The Jewish oral law known as the Mishnah records that Rabbi Simeon Ben Azzai said, “I found a family register in Jerusalem and in it was written, ‘Such-a-one is a bastard through [a transgression of the law of] thy neighbor’s wife.’”9

Model depicting a first-century Jerusalem archive building used to hold legal documents, including genealogical registers.
© Dr. James C. Martin. Reproduction of the City of Jerusalem at the time of the Second Temple. (See full credit on page 4.)

Israelites also had various Temple assignments associated with family heritage (Neh. 10:34). Those from the tribe of Judah and house of David, including Joseph (Mary’s husband), were to bring the wood offering to the Temple on the twenty-fifth day of Tammuz.10

Political authority was also closely related to family lineage. Only someone of Israelite heritage could legitimately claim the title of king (Deut. 17:14–15). When Herod the Great came to the throne, his illegitimate rule was obvious to all. According to the ancient historian Eusebius, Herod had “no drop of Israelitish blood in his veins and was stung by the consciousness of his base origin, [so] he burnt the registers of [the Israelites’] families.”11

In that context Matthew begins his Gospel with a trip to the public archives. Questions related to a person’s lineage within Jewish society were resolved through examination of genealogical registers found in public archives. Therefore, opponents of Jesus used the public records to challenge the fact that he could be the Messiah (John 8:41). Others, like Luke, use the genealogical records to verify Jesus’s legitimacy as Messiah (Luke 3:23–38).

Jerusalem Temple

Jerusalem at the Time of Jesus