Descent from Adam and Eve
Descent from Adam and Eve is the project of establishing a well-researched, generation-by-generation descent of living persons (preferably one’s self) from Adam and Eve. According to The Bible, Adam and Eve were the first people on Earth, thus implying that every human being on Earth is a descendant of them, and hence implying that anybody could theoretically trace a family tree back to them. For believers in Adam and Eve’s existence, it is an ultimate challenge in prosopography and genealogy.
Claims of accomplishing this feat exist,[1][2][3][4][5] though the authenticity of these claims is in question.[6][7]
The claims
Those claiming to have achieved reaching back to Adam and Eve have supposedly done so through royal family lines, which recorded their descent and kinship, thus serving as "highways" to earlier people. This was possible because they descend from monarchs.
Some claims[5], supported, for instance, by the Orange Street Congregational Church and the The British Israel World Federation,[3][4] go that the British Royal Family originates from the kings of Scotland, which come from the kings of Argyleshire, which trace back to the kings of Ireland. Ultimately, as British Israelism and Irish tradition goes, a portion of the monarchy of Ireland which is linked with those of Britain starts with Tea Tephi, a daughter of Zedekiah, last king of Judah. Legend has it that Tea Tephi was supposedly taken from Jerusalem to Ireland by the prophet Jeremiah. Once there, she married Érimón and by him had a child named Íriel Fáid, who became the next High King of Ireland, and was succeeded by his son Ethriel, and so on until the British Royal Family is reached.
Tea Tephi, being daughter of Zedekiah, has a genealogy that traces back to the genealogies of Genesis, thus back to Adam and Eve.
Hence, at an overall, a genealogy starting with the current British Royal Family and going all the way back to Adam and Eve is accomplished.
Another claim consists of descent from the Viking founder of the Norman dynasty, king Rollo, who married into certain European royalty which had lines tracing back to Joseph of Arimathea and, ultimately, to Adam and Eve.[1][2]
Authenticity
Much of such genealogies are filled with gaps that are only covered by mere legend, speculation, guesswork, tradition, and dubious interpretations of The Bible.
When asked if it is possible for contemporary people to extended ancestral lines back to Adam and Eve, Robert C. Gunderson, of the Genealogical Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sustains:
Every pedigree I have seen which attempts to bridge the gap between that time and the biblical pedigree appears to be based on questionable tradition, or at worst, plain fabrication. Generally these pedigrees offer no evidence as to the origin of the information, or they cite a vague source.[6]
— Robert C. Gunderson, Senior Royalty Research Specialist, LDS Church Genealogical Department
Additionally, the existence of the legendary Tea Tephi is also in question.[7]
See also
References
- ^ a b Baxter, David; Hart, Norma (01/12/2008). For All Our Grandfathers. Ancient Family Roots Ltd. p. 538. ISBN 9780955798009.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Rees, Adam (8 October 2008). "Related to Adam: A Norfolk brother and sister have published a family tree that may span back 6,000 years". Retrieved 23 February 2009.
- ^ a b "Beliefs of Orange Street Congregational Church". Orange Street Congregational Church. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ a b "Our Beliefs". The British Israel World Federation. Retrieved 2009-02-23.
- ^ a b Allen, J.H. (June 1946). Judah's Sceptre and Joseph's Birthright. Destiny Pub. p. 377.
- ^ a b Gunderson, Robert C. (31 February 1984). "I Have a Question". Ensign. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Retrieved 2009-02-13.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b "Tea-Tephi Never Existed?". Christian Assemblies International. Retrieved 23 February 2009.