Quote:
Originally Posted by Aquila
You're obviously not familiar with the custom in the ancient East going as far back as ancient Egypt (that's another issue that young earth creationists have to face...Egypt alone goes back further than their young earth models). In ancient Egypt, for example, the Kings and royalty would have their lineage traced back for exaggerated generations, often connecting them to Mythological figures and gods. This was intended to forever link a people, or group of decedents, to their religion or cultural tradition. It's just a cultural thing. A more recent example would be found in Europe; many British people believed and taught Anglo-Israelism because it would nationally connect them with their Christian religious heritage, though an Anglo connection with Israel is debatable.
Also the biblical genealogies contain acknowledged gaps. A few of them immediately in the Bible don't agree. It is customary to say that "someone begat someone else"...though they are truly grandfather or even perhaps great grandfather.
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In doing my own genealogy I find that the daughter of James the Just is alleged to have married into the families of Brythonic and Welsh nobility. So one branch of my tree on ancestry.com actually purpots to pick up with James the brother of Jesus and traces my lineage along Luke's account to Adam.
And the interesting thing is: according to some mathetical computer models 85 - 90% of people in North America with any European ancestry at all have the same connection.
I can't really stake my whole life and well being on the veracity of this "factoid." But whenever I'm down it does kind of get me to lift my head up a bit when I think that I may be descended from Kings, Psalmists, prophets and saints and that I should try and act like it.
I think one use for the biblical genealogies was to provoke just this kind of thinking.
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