GENEALOGY

A genealogy is a registry of names of the ancestors or descendants of a particular people. A number of genealogical lists are recorded in the Bible -- for example in Genesis, Chronicles, Matthew, and Luke. These are not mere meaningless, boring lists of names. Rather they served important functions. (a) These catalogs show the history of mankind -- back to Adam, providing some information about the development of the major nations of the world. (b) Genealogies trace the history of the nation of Israel, and establish, therefore, the lineage of the Messiah. They have an evidential value. (c) They were important in establishing property rights, especially in the post-captivity period. (d) Genealogies provided the information for tribal heritage, so vital in establishing the lineages of the priesthood and the royal line. (e) The genealogies, together with some accompanying chronologies (Gen. 5, 11), demonstrate that mankind has been upon the earth only a few thousand of years (not several million, as evolutionary dogma asserts). The "gaps" in some genealogies are minor, and apparently are mostly filled-in by parallel records. Since humanity came into existence during the same week as the Universe (Gen. 1; Ex. 20:11; Mk. 10:6; Rom. 1:20), this provides evidence of the "youth" of our Universe. There is no solid proof in science that contradicts the "young earth" view.