Addi
Addi was an ancestor of Jesus Christ, mentioned in the genealogy in the Gospel of Luke (Luk.3.28).
Biography
Addi appears in the genealogy of Jesus Christ recorded in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 3:28), listed in the post-exilic segment of the lineage connecting Jesus back through Joseph to Adam. He is identified as the son of Cosam and the father of Melchi, placing him in a generation that would correspond roughly to the period following the Babylonian exile, likely in the fifth or fourth century BC. Unlike figures in the Matthean genealogy, Luke's list emphasizes the biological or legal descent that traces Jesus' humanity back to the very origins of the human race. Addi himself is otherwise unknown in Scripture and history, one of many unnamed-in-detail ancestors who form the historical bridge of Christ's human lineage.
Significance
Addi's single appearance in Luke 3:28 carries weight far exceeding his sparse biographical record. His inclusion in the Lukan genealogy affirms the genuine, fully human descent of Jesus of Nazareth from real people who lived in real historical moments. Luke's genealogy, running from Jesus backward to Adam (Luke 3:23–38), makes a profound theological claim: the Son of God entered humanity at its deepest roots, inheriting the full lineage of the human family He came to redeem. Addi, like each name in that list, represents one generation in the long chain of God's providential governance of human history, ensuring that the Word would become flesh (John 1:14) at the appointed time.
Verse Appearances (1)
Luke
References
- Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]