Editorial guide
Reading Biblical Genealogies
This visualization preserves the two Gospel genealogies as distinct textual witnesses. “Father” and “son” in biblical genealogies can describe direct parentage or broader descent, and lists may intentionally omit intermediate generations.
Matthew follows a royal sequence through Solomon and arranges the names in three groups of fourteen. Luke proceeds through Nathan and extends the line back to Adam. The default view follows the common Orthodox interpretation that Luke preserves Mary’s ancestry; the alternate view follows St. John of Damascus in reading Luke as Joseph’s legal line.
Orthodox tradition identifies both the Theotokos and St. Joseph as descendants of David. Joachim’s dotted connection to David represents traditional descent rather than immediate fatherhood, because a complete list of the intervening generations is not preserved.