Bible/Condemnation of genealogy

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Criticism

Critics charge that the Bible condemns genealogy, and therefore the Latter-day Saint practice of compiling family histories is anti-Biblical, often citing 1 Timothy 1:4 or Titus 3:9.

See also: Source(s) of the criticism

Response

The Bible clearly does not reject all uses of genealogy. This can be seen through its many genealogical lists, including two such lists for Jesus Christ Himself. (See Matthew 1:1–24 and Luke 3:23–38.)

The condemnation of "genealogies" in Timothy and Titus likely came because:

• the Christians perceived a Jewish tendency to be pre-occupied by "pure descent" as a qualification for holding the priesthood. Since only pure descendents of Levi could hold the priesthood, there was endless wrangling about one's pedigree—since Paul considers the Aaronic Priesthood to have been superceded by Christ, the great High Priest like Melchizedek (see Hebrews 5), this probably strikes him as pointless.
• some Jewish scribes and other teachers claimed that their "traditions" were directly descended from Moses, Joshua, or some other prominent leader, and thus superior to the Christian gospel.^[1]
• some gnostic sects had involved accounts of the descent of the Aeons (up to 365 "generations" in one scheme) and other mystic or pagan variations thereon.^[2]

Since all these genealogies were either speculative or fabricated, they could cause endless, pointless debate.^[3] Rather Paul wants the faith (in Christ) which builds up ("edifying") testimonies and lives.

Conclusion

The Bible does not condemn all genealogy per se. Rather, it rejects the use of genealogy to "prove" one's righteousness, or the truth of one's teachings. It also rejects the apostate uses to which some Christians put genealogy in some varieties of gnosticism.

Latter-day Saints engage in genealogy work so that they can continue the Biblical practice—also endorsed by Paul—of providing vicarious ordinances for the dead, such as baptism (See 1 Corinthians 15:29) so that the atonement of Christ may be available to all who would choose it, living or dead. See: Baptism for the dead

Endnotes

1. [note] George H. Fudge, "I Have a Question: How do we interpret scriptures in the New Testament that seem to condemn genealogy?," Ensign (March 1986), 49. off-site
2. [note] John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible, 1811-1817, New Testament, "1 Timothy 1:4" off-site & "Titus 3:9" off-site
3. [note] Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds., The Jerome Biblical Commentary (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968), 353.

Further reading

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• Baptism for the dead

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• "Adding to" or "taking away" from the Bible
• Basics
• Archaeology and the Bible
• Being "born again"—what does the Bible mean?
• Christianity is a mystery
• Completeness and sufficiency
• Cosmology of the Bible
• Bible says the Christian gospel is "a mystery" not to be known before Christ?
• "Eternal" biblical commands altered by later prophets
• Flood, global or local
• Genealogy, condemnation of
• Hebrews 7 and the Aaronic Priesthood
• Inerrancy and the Bible
• Insufficient?
• Joseph Smith Translation
• Isaiah, multiple authors of
• Lost scripture
• On-going divine revelation not necessary
• Open canon vs. closed canon
• Textual criticism
• Three degrees of glory not biblical
• Translations
• Transmission versus translation
• Trustworthy?

FAIR web site

• FAIR Topical Guide: Genealogy FAIR link
  

External links

• George H. Fudge, "I Have a Question: How do we interpret scriptures in the New Testament that seem to condemn genealogy?," Ensign (March 1986), 49. off-site
• Stephen R. Gibson, Why Don't Latter-day Saints Avoid "Endless Genealogy"? off-site

Printed material

• Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds., The Jerome Biblical Commentary (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968), 353.

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