Serious regilious question I am reading the Bible now... Jesus is a decendant of David through Joseph, yet was conceived through immaculate conception. Why did the lineage not follow Mary?

Jesus' lineage IS reckoned through Mary - in Luke's Gospel. Jesus' line through Joseph is that of Matthew.

In Judaisim, a child's nationality decends through their father, but their faith through their mother. Matthew Levi wrote the most Jewish of the Gospels addressed primarily to Jewish converts to Messiah and emphasised Jesus' Jewishness, which explains why his genealogy stretches back to Abraham. John Mark was a frind of Peter and wrote his Gospel emphasising Jesus' servanthood. As such he includes no genealogy. Dr Luke was a colleague of Paul whose Gospel emphasised Jesus' humanity which is why his genealogy goes back to .Adam, on of God'. The Apostle John focused on Jesus' divinity and so also omits any geanalogy, because God is eternal and without beginning or end.

Maybe I'll write a hub in more detail.

Both lineages are provided - the "true" birth lineage of Mary and the step-father's lineage. It was important to establish the Holy Family's link to David, that's the first thing. Second, it was important to establish Jesus blood ties to David, through Mary. Third, I've heard this come up before - because modern Jews sometimes go by matrilineal descent, it's often assumed ancient Jews did the same - they did not. At the time Jesus lived the Jews went by Patrilineal descent. That is why a Jewish man could marry a non-Jewish woman and still have Jewish children. Now it all depends on your mother - if you have a Jewish mother you are a Jew; your father's side is relatively meaningless.

Joseph was considered his earthy father, that is why he was also called the son of a carpenter. This is the same thing that happens through adoption now. The legally adopted child is placed in the genealogy of the father who adopted him or her.

Raphael's Madonna and ChildThe most confusing thing about the accounts in the New Testament is that they were principally written many years after the fact, and we do not have the primary documents from which... keep reading →