Jesus had a family tree. Do you know yours? A reflection for the Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent. “Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, Eliud the father of Eleazar.

But what if Jesus’ family connections were as influential as ecclesiastic fervor in setting the course for a new religion? Joan Taylor, an emerita history professor at King’s College London ...

A Jesus whose family tree was distinguished and revered would have suggested that maybe they were right. A Jesus who showed up from nowhere, fully grown and without ancestry, might have too.

So on with the Three Kings, shepherds, Herod, choir of angels, Holy Family, donkey and the manger. After the Nativity play, many of the children asked the nuns, “So was Jesus a real person?” ...