what are biblical genealogies and what do they do? (guest series by Denis Lamoureux)

Today we begin a 6-part audio-slide series by Denis Lamoureux on the always gripping, never boring, live-changing topic of all those “begats” in the Bible, a.k.a., biblical genealogies.

Stop rolling your eyes.

Actually, in my experience, genealogies–what they are and how they function in the Bible–is about as commonly misunderstood as any biblical genre.

As Lamoureux puts it, “Most Christians assume that genealogies in the Bible are merely lists of related family members quite similar to genealogies today. However, in the ancient world the primary purpose of a genealogy was to offer an important message about the community or nation. In this series of episodes we will look at various genealogies in Scripture, and then come to a conclusion regarding why Adam appears in the biblical genealogies found in Genesis 5, 1 Chronicles, and Luke 3.”

The series is as follows. To view part 1, Introduction, click here. Subsequent segments will appear each Tuesday.

1. Introduction (9 mins)
2. Genealogies of Jesus in Matthew 1 & Luke 3 (10 mins)
3. Sumerian Kings List (9 mins)
4. Hebrew Patriarchs in Genesis 5 & 11  (11 mins)
5. Adam & Biblical Genealogies (22 mins)
6. Conclusion (9 mins)

Lamoureux holds three earned doctoral degrees (dentistry, theology, and biology) and is associate professor of science and religion at St. Joseph’s College in the University of Alberta (full bio here). He is the author of I Love Jesus & I Accept Evolution (see first of the audio slide series on this book here) which is a great introduction to his view of origins called “evolutionary creation.”