lpetrich

Has anyone specuated on what purpose they might serve? I can think of three:

* Demonstrations of legitimacy. This seems likely for the two genealogies of Jesus Christ, or at least for his (step)father Joseph, in the Gospels. They are intended to demonstrate that JC had Davidic ancestry, and was thus worthy of the title of Messiah.

* Connectors of various other stories. This seems likely for the genealogy in Genesis 5 between the creation stories and the story of Noah and his Flood, to name one example.

* A way of revealing that biological evolution happens, since it produces genealogies. (I'm not sure how seriously one can take this one, however)

Evangelion

I accept to the first two of these three suggestions.

I reject the third as insupportably anachronistic.



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