Heli (Greek:Ἠλί,romanized: Ēlí;Eli in theNew American Standard Bible) is an individual mentioned in theGospel of Luke as the grandfather ofJesus. In Luke'sgenealogy of Jesus, Heli is listed as the father ofMary (the wife of Joseph), and the son ofMatthat (Greek:Μαθθάτ).
Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work. He was the son (as was thought) of Joseph son of Heli, son of Matthat, son of Levi (...)[1]
Heli is not mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in theGospel of Matthew, the only other canonical gospel to include a genealogy; that genealogy instead identifies "Jacob" as Joseph's father.[2]
Some early Church traditions and scholars—such as St. Jerome and Cornelius a Lapide—link the name Heli (Greek: Ἠλί, rendered Eli) with Joachim (Joiakim), suggesting that Joachim is a variant of Eliakim, and that Eli/Heli is an abbreviated form.a Lapide, Cornelius (1616).Commentaria in Sacram Scripturam (in Latin). Vol. III. Antwerp.Heli idem est ac Eliacim, et idem ac Joachim; significat Deus erigit.
Jerome, Saint (398). "Book I".Commentary on Matthew (in Latin). Rome.Heli, hoc est Eliacim, in Hebraeo idem quod Joachim.
In this view, the genealogical discrepancy between Luke (which names Heli) and Matthew (which names Jacob) may be explained if Heli is understood as Mary’s father (Joseph’s father-in-law), and these names refer to the same individual."Genealogy of Jesus Christ".The Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company. 1910. Retrieved15 August 2025.
TheNew Testament provides two accounts of the genealogy of Jesus, one in theGospel of Matthew and another in theGospel of Luke.[3] Matthew starts withAbraham, while Luke begins withAdam. The lists are identical between Abraham andDavid, but differ radically from that point. Matthew has twenty-seven generations from David toJoseph, whereas Luke has forty-two, with almost no overlap between the names on the two lists. Notably, the two accounts also disagree on who Joseph's father was: Matthew says he was Jacob, while Luke says he was Heli.[4]
Traditional Christian scholars (starting withAfricanus andEusebius[5]) have put forward various theories that seek to explain why the lineages are so different,[6] such as that Matthew's account follows the lineage of Joseph, while Luke's follows the lineage of Mary. Some modern critical scholars likeMarcus Borg andJohn Dominic Crossan state that both genealogies are inventions, intended to bring the Messianic claims into conformity with Jewish criteria.[7]
Another possibility is that since both Heli and Jacob have a similar name listed as their father (Matthan in Matthew, Matthat in Luke), a discrepancy that can easily be accounted for by error, that the names Heli and Jacob refer to the same person. Matthew relied heavily on fitting existing prophecy to the narrative; in theOld Testament,Jacob (the last of thebiblical patriarchs) also had a son namedJoseph.[8] This explanation fits for Heli/Jacob himself, but not for the earlier genealogies.
This is what the LORD says: 'Record this man as if childless, a man who will not prosper in his lifetime, for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.
If Matthew's genealogy is that of Mary, and Luke's of Joseph, then there is a problem with the curse on the Solomonic line, dating from the time ofJeconiah whereJeremiah pronounced that no descendant of Jeconiah would again sit on the throne of David in Judah.[9] In contrast, if Luke's genealogy is that of Mary, and Matthew's of Joseph,[10][11][12][13] then this creates no problem with the curse on the Solomonic line. However, Jeconiah's grandsonZerubbabel is later chosen by God,[14] and was a governor of theAchaemenid Empire'sYehud Medinta (Province of Judah),[15][16] as appointed byDarius the Great.[17]
The apocryphalProtoevangelium of James gives the story ofSaint Joachim andSaint Anne as the parents of Mary. This is largely followed in Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican tradition.
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