The Messianic Lineage
The Direct Paternal Line from Adam to Jesus Christ
This visualization traces the direct paternal line from Adam, the first man, through the patriarchs, kings, and prophets, culminating in Jesus Christ. The genealogy is calculated using the Kekulé numbering system (also known as Ahnentafel), where each person's father has a number that is double their own.
This represents the genealogical record preserved in Scripture (Genesis 5, Genesis 11, Ruth 4:18-22, 1 Chronicles 1-3, Matthew 1, Luke 3), showing God's redemptive plan working through specific family lines across the generations.
About the Kekulé Numbering System
The Kekulé number (Ahnentafel number) is a genealogical numbering system where:
- 1 = The subject (Jesus Christ)
- 2 = Father (Joseph, legal father)
- 4 = Paternal grandfather (Jacob)
- 8 = Paternal great-grandfather
- And so on, with each father having a number that is double their child's
The direct paternal line consists of all ancestors with Kekulé numbers that are powers of 2: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, etc. This visualization shows only these direct ancestors, creating a clear line from Adam to Christ.