Offered in the spirit of the upcoming Christmas and Hanukkah Season: Herod's Burning of the Jewish Genealogies in GYDINGA SAGA and in the Second Old Norwegian Epiphany Homily, by Thomas N. Hall, [University of Illinois at Chicago], from Mediaeval Studies, Volume 61; copyright 1999, by the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, pages 173 -204. The saga "has been described as a 'typical example of the learned interest in biblical and extra- biblical matters in thirteenth-century Iceland and Norway . . .'". From page 178: "But the aforementioned men had especially committed that to record, that during that time all the genealogies of the Hebrews had been preserved in writing in the more secret archives of the temple, which also contained records of the origins of all foreigners, such as Achior from the Ammonites and Ruth from the Moabites, as well as others who had come from Egypt who were said to have mixed with the Israelites. . . ." The following quote provides historical understanding, as to why the genealogies "kept" in St. Matthew and St. Luke, would be found as written contemporaneously with the Time of the Messiah Jesus Christ. Catholic Church History Book I Chapter VII . . . "11 . . . Antipater, son of a certain temple slave named Herod. And since the priest was not able to pay the ransom for his son, Antipater was brought up in the customs of the Idumeans, and afterward was befriended by Hyrcanus, the high priest of the Jews. 12 And having, been sent by Hyrcanus on an embassy to Pompey, and having restored to him the kingdom which had been invaded by his brother Aristobulus, he had the good fortune to be named procurator of Palestine. But Antipater having been slain by those who were envious of his great good fortune was succeeded by his son Herod, who was afterward, by a decree of the senate, made King of the Jews under Antony and Augustus. His sons were Herod and the other tetrarchs. These accounts agree also with those of the Greeks. 13 But as there had been kept in the archives up to that time the genealogies of the Hebrews as well as of those who traced their lineage back to proselytes, such as Achior the Ammonite and Ruth the Moabitess, and to those who were mingled with the Israelites and came out of Egypt with them, Herod, inasmuch as the lineage of the Israelites contributed nothing to his advantage, and since he was goaded with the consciousness of his own ignoble extraction, burned all the genealogical records, thinking that he might appear of noble origin if no one else were able, from the public registers, to trace back his lineage to the patriarchs or proselytes and to those mingled with them, who were called Georae. 14 A few of the careful, however, having obtained private records of their own, either by remembering the names or by getting them in some other way from the registers, pride themselves on preserving the memory of their noble extraction. . . ." http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250101.htm In the writing of history at King Alfred's court, by Anton Scharer, "The 'West-Saxon Genealogical Regnal List'", as well as "The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle", are reviewed, with extensive documented notes, in Vol. 5, Number 2, 1996, of the periodical: Early Medieval Europe; beginning page 177-. Mention is made on page 192, that: "Among the usual cast of Old Testament kings held out as models to contemporary rulers, Solomon features most prominently in the reign of Charles the Bald, occupying the place in relation to the ruler that David had held in the days of Charlemagne. {94}" >From page 197, "Additional crucial evidence is provided by the Proverbia Grecorum, a set of maxims 'concerning such topics as wisdom, truth, and virtue' . . . These maxims were of Irish origin and in all likelihood date back to the seventh century. {124}" REFERENCES: ENCYCLOPÆDIA BRITANNICA Eusebius Of Caesarea http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/7/0,5716,33867+1+33282,00.html Eusebius Pamphili, Bishop of Cæsarea in Palestine [State of Israel], the "Father of [Catholic] Church History"; b. about 260; d. before 341; wrote "The 'Chronography'; an epitome of universal history. It is divided into five parts: (1) the history of the Chaldeans, and the Assyrians, followed by lists of the Assyrian, Median, Lydian, and Persian kings; (2) Old Testament history; (3) Egyptian history; (4) Grecian history; (5) Roman history." " It is . . . full of quotations from lost authors." http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05616a.htm Respectfully yours, Tom Tinney, Sr. http://www.dcn.davis.ca.us/~vctinney/ Genealogy and History Internet Web Directory Who's Who in America, Millennium Edition [54th] Who's Who In The West, 1998/1999 Who's Who In Genealogy and Heraldry, [both editions] Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.