Josephus, one of the greatest historians of all time and who is a recognized authority of Biblical days, including the time of Jesus, wrote the following: " Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works ---  a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to Him, both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles.  He was (the) Christ ; and when Pilate , at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned Him to the cross, those that loved Him at the first did not forsake Him, for He appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning Him; and the tribe of Christians , so named from Him, are not extinct at this day."

                                                                                                      Book Of Antiquities: 18,3   

    In Those Days There Was A Man Called Josephus

Flavious Josephus (A.D. 37-c.100 is the author of what may be the most significant historian of the Jews dated from approximately B.C. 175  to the fall of the Masada in A.D. 73.

According to his works he was the son of royalty and nobility, ascending from his mothers side. He was from the line of Asamoneus, and had both the office of the high priesthood and the "dignity of a king". His great grandfather was Simon and the son of Matthias. He also had a brother who was named matthias and who raised him from about the age of fourteen.

For instance: start with any figure in history and suppose they have a spouse and  have a normal number of children for that period of time. Many had ten children, but I am using five children for this demonstration and I am using Mary the mother of Jesus as it is believed she had at least five children by most Bible scholars. The surprising numbers leads one to realize that we may be more closely related than once thought.

Mary & Joseph:  Listing a generation of child bearing time as 25 years............................

                         Certainly there would be broader years but I am listing a more 

                         conservative number.

 

                                                       

  The first 25 years a couple would have 5 children

  Their children would have 5 each, totalling 25

  Their children would have 125 

  Their children would have 625

  Their children would have  3,125

  Their children would have  15,625

  Their children would have  78,125

  Their Children would have  390,625

  Their children would have   1,953, 125

  Their children would have   9,765, 625 

Of course this is not a scientic chart. nor does it take into account deaths by various means any more than it considers some families had 10 to 12 children. This simplistic chart is for thought only and to see how many offspring would have perhaps originated from one couple.  The chart above demonstrates how many children could have descended in less than 500 years. Now consider how many descended in a few thousand years. We may be more closely related than we thought.....................................          

***** Personal Note: Why in these latter days when it is not popular to be a Christian, has it been said by a few scholars that the above statement wasn't said by Josephus but added by the Catholic Church at some point to validate Christ's divinity?  No other religion has been so persecuted and one would not dare do this to Islam. Is it that Christians don't or won't defend their Christ? "THINK ABOUT IT"

Could you be related to Christ?

Perhaps one has never considered the thought, but if you descended from Europe or especially from a Hebrew line, then perhaps you can ponder on the following. Where did the relatives of Mary and Jesus go. Surely they didn't all stay in or around the Holy land. No, it is certain that many went to Europe and other areas of the globe. Of course this works for any notable person of the past that we may or may not be proud to descend from, but I have chosen Christ's parental lineage from Mary as a projection. When you begin your quest of genealogy, be prepared for the unexpected, and find a new world unfolding to your genetic's.

Once historians kept fairly accurate records which is evidenced by the historic books of the Bible, but it became a lost art in previous centuries. As people become more interested in their roots, genealogical search sites has become a lucrative business. The LDS Church is a treasure trove for people doing research, but I have also found many, many errors. All non documented files are simply tools for the seeker to investigate for fact. Never take any information on a site as gospel without doing your own exploration. I made this mistake over and over. Such sites do furnish clues for checking local records where the ancestors lived as well as census records. I try to explain on my site that I have done the best I could up to this time, but I am always finding something new.

I have been fascinated by the diverse cultures that has been a part of my ascendancy. I have found some wealthy ancesters to the point of opulency, while others have been very poor and had to continue their struggle until the end of their lives. One outstanding note: I have not found one direct ascendant that was not a christian and this is indeed rare. This probably explains my request to be baptized at age eight and continued His path throughout life.