Of the "Christmas" genealogies--the genealogies of Christ recorded in Matthew & Luke, we have a hint from Eusebius about where they came from.He tells us that Herod had the collections burned for fear that no one would be able to trace his lineage back to the patriarchs. Apparently the Jews had kept an archive of family history back to before they were enslaved in Egypt.
It is said that a few Jews managed to have personal copies of some & others had theirs put to memory. The Desposyni, who were said in multiple historical references at the time, to be descendants of Jesus blood relatives, kept their pedigree memorized. The Desposyni disappeared from the historical record during the 4th century, as the last of them are thought to have been wiped out during persecutions of the Christians.
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary,
the brother of James,
and Joses,
and of Juda,
and Simon?
and are not his sisters here with us?
Mark 6:3
