Why does Matthew append 'and his brothers' to Judah and Jechoniah (1:2, 11)? Secondly, why does Matthew include the following four annotations: 'and Zerah by Tamar', 'by Rahab', 'by Ruth', and 'by the [wife] of Uriah' (1:3-6)? The title offers a look at the function of biblical genealogies, and the relationship between "Matthew" 1 and 28.
The book is useful for its extensive summaries of previous research, and its suggestion to shift the focus of interpretation from Bathsheba to Uriah is a welcome reminder of previous studies...The early emphasis on genealogies as having narrative functions akin to those of summaries of Israel's history is intriguing...there is some valuable material in this dissertation.