Short answer
No. Matthew says Joseph's father was Jacob, and Luke says it was Heli. Matthew traces the line from King David through his son Solomon, and Luke through another son, Nathan. Between David and Joseph, the two lists share only two names. Christians offer ways to join them, such as saying Luke gives Mary's line. But Luke names Joseph, not Mary. Most of all, both lists end with Joseph. Yet Matthew, Luke and the Qur'an all tell of a birth with no human father. So neither list gives the descent of Jesus himself. Islam's answer is simple: Jesus was born to Mary alone, by the command of God (3:47).
Full explanation
Two fathers for Joseph
Matthew ends his list with Jacob as the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Luke begins his with Joseph as the son of Heli. Luke names Joseph, not Mary.
“And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”
“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,”
Two sons of David, two different lines
Matthew runs the line from David through his son Solomon. Luke runs it through his son Nathan. From there to Joseph, Matthew has 26 names and Luke has 41. The two lists meet at only two names, Salathiel (Shealtiel) and Zorobabel (Zerubbabel). Even there they disagree. Matthew makes Salathiel the son of Jechonias, and Luke makes him the son of Neri.
“And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;”
“Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,”
“And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;”
“Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri,”
| Question | Matthew 1 | Luke 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Who was Joseph's father? | Jacob (Matthew 1:16) | Heli (Luke 3:23) |
| Which son of David does the line run through? | Solomon (Matthew 1:6) | Nathan (Luke 3:31) |
| How many names from David's son down to Joseph? | 26 | 41 |
| Who was the father of Salathiel (Shealtiel)? | Jechonias (Matthew 1:12) | Neri (Luke 3:27) |
| Which son of Zorobabel (Zerubbabel) comes next? | Abiud (Matthew 1:13) | Rhesa (Luke 3:27) |
Both lists end in Joseph. Yet Matthew says Mary was with child before she and Joseph came together, and Luke says Jesus was only “supposed” to be Joseph's son. The Qur'an agrees that Jesus had no human father.
How Christians join the two lists
Many Christians say Matthew gives Joseph's legal line through Solomon, and Luke gives Mary's line through Nathan, with Heli as Mary's father. The earliest known attempt to join the lists was made by Julius Africanus, a Christian writer of the third century. He did not say Luke gives Mary's line. He took both lists as Joseph's. He explained them by a levirate marriage, where a man marries his dead brother's widow to raise a son in the dead man's name. He admitted he could offer no testimony to support it.
“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,”
Eusebius preserves a letter of Julius Africanus (early third century) that tries to reconcile the two genealogies. Africanus treats both as Joseph's lines: he says Jacob and Heli were half-brothers, and that one fathered Joseph for the other under the law of levirate marriage. He says the explanation came from relatives of Jesus, and admits he can offer no testimony to support it.
Matthew's three sets of fourteen
Matthew says the generations were fourteen from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile in Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to Christ. For the middle set, he says Joram fathered Ozias (Uzziah). Chronicles shows three kings between them: Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah. He also says Josias fathered Jechonias, but Chronicles makes Jechonias the son of Jehoiakim, so Josias was his grandfather. Christians say "begat" can mean "was an ancestor of", and that Matthew left names out on purpose. If so, his fourteens are a pattern he built, not a count of fathers and sons.
“And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;”
“Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son,”
“And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:”
“And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum. And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son.”
“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.”
The throne of David
Christians say Joseph's line gives Jesus the legal right to David's throne, and Mary's gives the blood. They add that Jeremiah 22:30, against the seed of Jechonias, touches only blood descendants. They say Jesus is not Joseph's son by blood. Islam agrees that Jesus was not Joseph's son by blood. So Joseph's line passes no blood to him, and Luke's list names Joseph, not Mary. The Qur'an calls Jesus the Messiah by God's (﷾) own word (3:45), not by any family tree.
“And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:”
“Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.”
“Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,”
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”
“Behold! the angels said: "O Mary! Allah giveth thee glad tidings of a Word from Him: his name will be Christ Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and the Hereafter and of (the company of) those nearest to Allah;”
Jesus had no human father
Matthew says Mary was found with child before she and Joseph came together, and Luke says Jesus was only supposed to be Joseph's son. The Qur'an agrees. Mary asked how she could have a son when no man had touched her, and God (﷾) answered that He creates what He wills. Both family trees end in Joseph, so neither traces the descent of Jesus himself.
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”
“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,”
“She said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man hath touched me?" He said: "Even so: Allah createth what He willeth: When He hath decreed a plan, He but saith to it, 'Be,' and it is!”
“She said: "How shall I have a son, seeing that no man has touched me, and I am not unchaste?"”
The usual answers
Luke 3:23 — Gospel of Luke, chapter 3, verse 23
“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,”
Cited for
Luke gives Mary's line. Heli was Mary's father, and Joseph is called his son because he married Mary.
The response
Luke names Joseph as the son of Heli, and he names Mary nowhere in the list. The earliest known attempt to reconcile the lists took both as Joseph's lines, not Mary's.
Where it lands — The text says Joseph, son of Heli. Luke names Joseph, son of Heli, and names Mary nowhere in the list.
Eusebius, Church History 1.7
Eusebius preserves a letter of Julius Africanus (early third century) that tries to reconcile the two genealogies. Africanus treats both as Joseph's lines: he says Jacob and Heli were half-brothers, and that one fathered Joseph for the other under the law of levirate marriage. He says the explanation came from relatives of Jesus, and admits he can offer no testimony to support it.
Cited for
Jacob and Heli were half-brothers. Heli died without a son, so Jacob married his widow, and Joseph was counted as Heli's son.
The response
Julius Africanus, who told this story in the third century, said it came from relatives of Jesus. He admitted he could offer no testimony to support it.
Where it lands — The explanation rests on a story its own teller could not support.
Jeremiah 22:30 — Nevi'im, Yirmeyahu, chapter 22, verse 30
“Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.”
Cited for
Joseph's line gives Jesus the legal right to David's throne, and Mary's gives the blood. What God said against Jechonias touches only his blood descendants, and Jesus is not Joseph's son by blood.
The response
Islam agrees that Jesus was not Joseph's son by blood (19:20). But then Joseph's list passes no blood to him. And the Qur'an calls Jesus the Messiah by God's (﷾) own word (3:45), not by any family tree, legal or by blood. Luke's list names Joseph, not Mary.
Where it lands — A list through Joseph cannot be the descent of Jesus by blood, and Luke's list does not name Mary.
Matthew 1:17 — Gospel of Matthew, chapter 1, verse 17
“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.”
Cited for
Matthew shortened the list on purpose to make three sets of fourteen, a common way to aid memory.
The response
Then Matthew's fourteens are a pattern he chose. Yet he says "all the generations" were fourteen, so his count is not a count of the generations.
Where it lands — Dropping kings to reach a number means the number is not a true count.
Perspectives
Christian harmonisation
Many Christians hold that Matthew gives Joseph's legal line through Solomon, and Luke gives Mary's natural line through Nathan, with Heli as Mary's father. They say Matthew shortened his list on purpose into three sets of fourteen.
Luke's list is Mary's family line, and Heli was Mary's father, so Joseph is called his son by marriage.
Rebuttal
Islam agrees that Jesus came from Mary alone (19:20). But Luke names Joseph as the son of Heli, and he names Mary nowhere in the list. The earliest known attempt to join the lists took both as Joseph's.
Matthew skipped generations on purpose, to arrange the list in three sets of fourteen. And "begat" can mean "was an ancestor of".
Rebuttal
Grant that "begat" can mean "was an ancestor of". Yet Matthew says "all the generations" were fourteen. With names left out, his fourteens are a pattern he chose, not a count.
The Islamic perspective
The two lists disagree on Joseph's father, on David's son, and on almost every name between them. Both run through Joseph, yet Matthew, Luke and the Qur'an all tell of a birth with no human father.
Matthew makes Jacob the father of Joseph; Luke makes it Heli.
Matthew traces the line through Solomon and Luke through Nathan, and they disagree on who fathered Salathiel.
Matthew's list lacks Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah, and counts fourteen generations from David to the exile.
Jesus was born without a human father, so a family tree through Joseph is not his descent.