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TRADITION VS SCHOLARSHIP

Matthew and Luke both trace Jesus' family tree through Joseph. According to the text, who was Joseph's father?

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The answer

Matthew 1:16 calls Joseph the son of Jacob; Luke 3:23 calls him the son of Heli. After King David, the two genealogies run through largely different names down to Joseph.

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Why it’s interesting

Interpreters have long proposed explanations — that Luke traces Mary's line, or that an ancient custom of levirate marriage is at work — and scholars still weigh them. The text simply gives you two family trees and lets you look.

Genuinely debated
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