Apologists often argue that Jesus’ disciples were willing to suffer for their beliefs and Paul even changed from persecuting Christians to preaching Christianity. They argue that this is evidence that they really experienced something divine.

Could Jesus’ disciples have believed he was the Messiah and struggled to accept his death, leading them to believe he had risen from the dead?

And what about Paul? Since he wasn't originally a follower of Jesus, what made him convert and dedicate his life to preaching Christianity?

How do secular historians explain these events and the growth of Christianity when it was still a small movement?

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Hello Everyone,

I would like to clarify the common academic opinion or main hypotheses by scholars as to the reason for divergences in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew (1:1–17) and in Luke (3:23–38).

Concretely, I am most interested in the following points:

Do scholars generally agree on the major historical and textually based explanations for the two lists being so different from David through to Joseph?

From a literary and theological perspective, how do contemporary scholars understand the reason each author has presented a different genealogical structure (Matthew's 3x14 vs. Luke's from Adam on)?3) What are the key scholarly writings or commentaries that address this problem?

I am solely asking for historical-critical and text-focused analysis which is aligned with the rules of this subreddit.

Thank you!

A Christian YouTuber pulled up a document on archive.org claiming this