Heli (biblical figure)

Heli (Greek: Ἠλί, romanized: Ēlí; Eli in the New American Standard Bible) is an individual mentioned in the Gospel of Luke as the grandfather of Jesus. In Luke's genealogy of Jesus, Heli is listed as the father of Joseph, and the son of Matthat (Greek: Μαθθάτ).

Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work. He was the son (as was thought) of Joseph son of Heli, son of Matthat, son of Levi (...)

Heli is not mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew, the only other canonical gospel to include a genealogy; that genealogy instead identifies "Jacob" as Joseph's father.

Some early Church traditions and scholars—such as St. Jerome and Cornelius a Lapide—link the name Heli (Greek: Ἠλί, rendered Eli) with Joachim (Joiakim), suggesting that Joachim is a variant of Eliakim, and that Eli/Heli is an abbreviated form. In this view, the genealogical discrepancy between Luke (which names Heli) and Matthew (which names Jacob) may be explained if Heli is understood as Mary’s father (Joseph’s father-in-law), and these names refer to the same individual.