BIBLE GENEALOGIES WITH NOTES ON BIBLE KINSHIP AND FAMILY SYSTEMS and other related issues such as GENDER RELATIONS AND SEX Jim Belote 2000-2002, 2008
Comments, suggestions, corrections are welcome. e-mail: jdbelote@mtu.edu
In addition to extensive genealogies, the Bible, particularly the Old Testament (Tanakh), contains an abundance of other material on family and kinship systems of the time and on other related matters. As a cultural anthropologist who taught courses on family and kinship systems (I am not a theologian or any other kind of authority on the Bible, nor am I a specialist on the part of the world in which it was set), I find this material to be extremely interesting and worthwile. For example, it provides us with ways of viewing and understanding the origins of some elements of the western/Judeo-Christian "tradition." It also provides us with evidence on how much things can change within a "tradition." This site is, then, an attempt to bring much of this material together in a way that is clearly presented, consistent and faithful to the sources, and that will facilitate further investigation. At most, a few tentative interpretations and conclusions (and/or further questions) may be suggested. And unlike the way in which anthropology is supposed to proceed, I will not often attempt to provide much of a contextual, holistic view in which material from outside the biblical record is brought in as an aid to fuller analysis and understanding.
To these ends: [1] the primary sources are the Authorized King James Version of the Bible (although other translations are consulted as well) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance;** [2] the sources used for the kinship diagrams are used as literally as possible (with the degree of interpretation necessary only for the presentation of relatively coherent diagrams); [3] extensive genealogical diagrams (presented in a more or less standard anthropological mode) serve as a framework for presenting the much of the material, as well as to clearly show the importance of genealogical reckoning for some people of the time; [4] an index of all the persons shown on the genealogical diagrams is given and provides brief comments on their kinship relationships and where these may be found in the Bible; [5] an alphabetical listing of kinship and family topics accompanied by Bible references and/or Bible quotations on those materials and accompanied by some discussion and interpretation of what the Bible says; and [6] a frameset page which will permit concurrent use of two pages alongside each other (e.g. the genealogies of Jesus alongside Old Testament genealogies, or the index of persons alongside the Old Testament genealogies where they are found).
** NOTE: A number of additional resources have been used
as important aids in tracking down kinship and family information
in the Bible. These are:
Achtemeier, Paul J. (general editor) HARPER COLLINS
BIBLE DICTIONARY. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco.
1996.
Anon. WHO WAS WHO IN THE BIBLE. Nashville: Thomas
Nelson Publishers. 1999.
Davis, John D. A DICTIONARY OF THE BIBLE (4th revised
ed.). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House. 1960.
Wayne A. Meeks (general editor) THE HARPER COLLINS
STUDY BIBLE: NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION.
New York: HarperCollins Publishers. 1993.
Genealogies of Jesus Diagram
Old Testament (Tanakh) Genealogies Diagram
Frameset containing both Bible Genealogies
Index to People on Old Testament
(Tanakh) Genealogies
Family and Kinship Topics from the
Bible Alphabetically Arranged
Diagram of Prohibited sex or
Marriage Partners: Leviticus
GENERAL
The
Bible Gateway: on the Gospel Communications Network (access
to bible passages from many versions and languages).
Family
and Society in ancient Israel: University of Manitoba (an
anthropological approach).
Biblical
Theology Bulletin--Readers Guide: Kinship (lots of information
and an extensive bibliography of print material).
My
Father, My Mother, My Gods: Aspects of Family Religion in Israel
and the Ancient Near East.
Catholic
Encyclopedia: "Genealogy (in the Bible)."
Gender
Studies and the New Testament (an extensive bibliography).
Human
Sexuality in the Bible: An Index Extracts from a Recent Draft
By Norman E. Anderson (has an index of biblical references
with discussion of marriage forms).
The Genealogy
of the Brethren A Catholic view on the words "brother,"...
"brethren" in the Bible.
GENEALOGIES OF JESUS
Teaching Course
- Subject One: The Genealogy of the Messiah (a lengthy and
detailed examination of the entire genealogical record of Jesus).
Response
to..."The Fabulous Prophecies of the Messiah" (Explains
difficulties in genealogies of Jesus)
This
is the s.r.c.b-s genealogy FAQ. The Genealogies in Matthew and
Luke ... (detailed attempt at harmonization of the Biblical
genealogies of Jesus).
The Problem
of the Genealogy of Jesus (attempts to resolve difficulties).
Lesson
2: A Star is Born:Christmas Magic -- The Cradle of the Wizards
/ Holy Paternity Suit / The Abominable Branch / Making a Virgin
(an ex-evangelical claims contradictions in genealogies are
not resolvable).
ABORTION
Abortion:
All sides of the issue (presents a lot of material).
POLYGAMY
...Is polygamy
allowed by the New Testament? (claims the Bible does not support
polygamy).
"Multiple
Marriage: A Study of Polygamy in Light of the Bible" by Dr.
Robert J. Hitchens an extended review and rebuttal (claims
the Bible does support polygamy).
The
Relevance Of The Study Of Polygamy For The Western Church
(a detailed examination of the issue).
Truth Bearer ("Teaching
and Revealing Christian Polygamy")
Background design from humback whale flipper underwater, Bay de Verde, Newfoundland