> >
> > > What's the point of tracing the line through Joseph?
> > >
> >
> > Because that would have been Jesus' legal lineage, and that was also important to the authors at tha time. I'll check up on the exact reasons in my book when I get back home.
>
> Those are the exact reasons.
>
> > Sosi"posessor of bits of knowledge"qui
>
> gab"Yes, indeed."by

Actually, it was for a very precise reason.

"The virgin birth of Christ allowed Him to avoid the curse of Jeconiah. In Jeremiah 22:24-30 we have an interesting account of a man by the name of Jeconiah or Coniah (1 Chor. 3:16-19 shows that "Coniah" was simply a contracted form.) Jeconiah is important because he is found in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus Christ...But Jeremiah 22:24-30 indicates that Jeconiah was so wicked that God finally placed a curse on him.
'Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless {from this day forth}, a man that shall not prosper in his days, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.'
Normally this would not seem to be a problem except for the fact that Matthew 1 reveals Jesus Christ came throught the line of Jeconiah and Jesus WILL sit upon the throne of His father David...the stress of the curse is that none of Jeconiah's SEED could ever sit upon David's throne. In order to inherit the throne, Jesus Christ had to be legally related to Jeociniah, but because of the curse He could not be physically related..."

from Bible Doctrines for Today

La"has a BOOK and knows how to QUOTE from it!"Zorra