by Doug Ward
At the beginning of his Gospel, Matthew, the apostle, demonstrates that Jesus of Nazareth possessed the proper pedigree to be the promised Messiah. Specifically, Matthew presents evidence that Joseph, Jesus' father from a legal standpoint, came from the royal line of King David of Israel.
Matthew introduces his summary of Joseph's ancestry with these words: "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matt 1:1). This verse is reminiscent of some passages from the book of Genesis—in particular, verse 5:1, which says, "This is the book of the generations of Adam." The Greek phrase behind Matthew's "book of the genealogy", biblos geneseos, is also used in the Greek Septuagint translation "book of the generations" in Gen 5:1.1 Is Matthew making a link to Genesis 5:1? (1) If so, he's hinting that Jesus is a second Adam whose coming constitutes a major new chapter in the continuing story of redemption begun in the book of Genesis.
The Hebrew for generations in Gen 5:1 is toledot, a very significant word. It appears in 2:4; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, 27; 25:12, 19; 36:1, 9; 37:2 of the book of beginnings. These verses are seams in the narrative fabric of Genesis, signaling transitions from one part of the story to the next.
The toledot verses may provide some clues about the process by which the book of Genesis came to be written. According to one theory, these verses are titles for a series of written records composed and passed down by the patriarchs and later compiled and edited into a single narrative by Moses.
The most elaborate version of this theory was put forward by P.J. Wiseman (1888-1948) in his book New Discoveries in Babylonia about Genesis (Marshall, Morgan & Scott, Ltd., London, 1936). The discoveries to which Wiseman refers are archeological finds from the civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia, going all the way back to Sumeria over 5000 years ago. These finds include over a quarter of a million clay tablets containing correspondence, history, and records of commercial transactions. The tablets demonstrate that writing was prevalent in Mesopotamia centuries before the time of Abraham.
Since Genesis 5:1 speaks of a written record and writing was widely used in ancient Mesopotamia, Wiseman proposed that the information collected in Genesis was originally recorded on clay tablets. Wiseman observed that ancient documents often begin rather abruptly, without much of an introduction, but end with a title or a statement summarizing their contents. (The biblical books of Leviticus and Numbers have these characteristics, as does the Babylonian legal code of Hammurabi.) Moreover, a document written on a clay tablet would often end with a colophon, an inscription added to give information about the scribe or owner, contents, and date or purpose of the tablet.
Combining this information with the fact that the word toledot often denotes the history or origins of something, Wiseman theorized that the toledot verses in Genesis came at the end of the tablets on which they appeared. (2) And that they referred to the material immediately preceding them.2 For example verse 2:4 summarizes verses 1:1-2:3 as a tablet concerning the origins "of the heavens and the earth when they were created." Similarly, verse 6:9 gives a good description of verses 5:2-6:8 as a section on Noah's origins and the circumstances leading to his special calling. Likewise Genesis 11:10-26 relates the origins of Terah and by implication, Abram (11:27). Wiseman suggested that verse 37:2 ("These are the generations of Jacob") served as a colophon closing the series of tablets containing Genesis 25:19-37:1.
Wiseman postulated that the person named at the end of a tablet or series of tablets might have been the owner, writer, or both, of the content found therein. He then proposed that Jacob may have brought the collection of tablets for Genesis 1-36 to Egypt, with the material for chapters 37-50 added there later. Eventually, Moses served as an editor for the entire book.
Wiseman makes a solid case for his proposal, but the details have been the subject of much debate. Most notably, there is still no consensus on whether the toledot verses refer to the material preceding them or the material following them. Some of these verses—particularly Genesis 25:12 and 36:1—have a closer connection to subsequent rather than previous sections. In other cases, either possibility seems plausible. For instance, Genesis 2:4-4:26 and 5:2-6:8 both give historical information that begins with Adam, so verse 5:1 could presumably refer to either portion. Notwithstanding, there is general agreement that the toledot verses are important structural markers for the book of Genesis, dividing the book into twelve clear sections.
Can this fascinating discussion regarding the structure of Genesis shed any light on the way Matthew chose to open his Gospel account? His first sentence serves as an introduction to the genealogy that follows (1:2-17), as well as the door into his narrative. Further, as the canon developed it became the first verse in the entire New Testament, occupying a pivotal place in the Christian Scriptures. If God not only inspired the writing but the formation of that canon, as Christians believe, what lessons might the prominent position of Matthew 1:1 teach?
The toledot verses suggest some amazing possibilities to ponder. (3) Like Genesis 5:1, Matthew 1:1 connects with both preceding and subsequent material. We can think of Matthew's opening line as a colophon for the Old Testament, identifying Messiah Jesus as both the covenant continuation and the new covenant fulfillment of these Scriptures. We can also think of it as the beginning of the New Testament. As such it is a compilation focused on Jesus: his words, his works, and his legacy of disciples carrying forward the saving grace of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
From first to last the Bible bears witness to the character of the Holy One and His intentions towards the wayward work of His hands as summarized in Matthew 1:21, "you shall call his name Yeshua, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Endnotes:
(1) The Septuagint was the favorite translation of the Old Testament for Greek-speaking early Christians.
(2) New Discoveries, chapter 5.
(3) I am grateful to Rob Wilson for introducing to me the idea of viewing Matthew 1:1 as a toledot verse.
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Want to study this subject in-depth? We recommend Passing Faith from Gen to Gen.
Take me back to the library. Or if you prefer, back to the topic Jesus, Messiah & Lord.