dib:

What was the genesis of this project?

TB:

dib:

You are one of America’s premiere Black genealogists.  Why did the producers select you to carry out an investigation into antiquity?

TB:

They looked at fifteen genealogists in the U.K. and the U.S. They were leaning toward a genealogist with an American accent. They were intrigued with the fact that I am an African American genealogist, and were impressed with my reputation and track record. They also liked the idea of comparing the challenges of African American genealogy with the challenges of Biblical genealogy. They reviewed my appearances on the Ancestors series and liked what they saw. The assistant producer contacted me again and asked if I would be willing to interview religious exerts in the field, and travel to England and Israel.  I told her that was more to my liking, and I agreed to do the project.

dib:

What are common misperceptions about the family of Jesus?

TB:

The first misconception is that Jesus was an only child. That would have been highly unusual in the first century.  As the documentary illustrates, Jesus had a large extended family, and they were involved in his life.

The second misconception is that Mary had no other children.  This is the contention of the Catholic Church, developed long after Mary died.  It was not the viewpoint during Mary's lifetime.  I think the evidence, and the interpretations by the religious experts in the documentary, make a compelling case for Mary having other children.

I think the third misconception is that Jesus left his family, and was involved in his mission apart from them – that his family had nothing to do with him.

dib:

Why did the search for Jesus' real family span three continents?

TB:

We traveled to three continents because there are religious experts all over the world whose opinions we wanted to get.  I interviewed the founder of the Jewish Genealogical Society in New York.  He is an expert in Davidic lineages and was instrumental in providing evidence from original Jewish sources.

I was filmed in Chicago doing research and also at a family get together.

I interviewed a couple of experts at Oxford University and a cognitive scientist from Scotland. We did not have time to travel to Scotland, so the cognitive scientist met us in London.

Israel was a natural.  In addition to interviewing several experts there, we visited places where Jesus and his family lived, and interviewed a Jewish family in a small village in the Galilee region - a family that is supposed to have lived there for 2,000 years.

dib:

What resources were available to you?

TB:

We used a variety of sources for the documentary.  We looked at the New Testament, examining passages that are often overlooked in the Gospels.  We used the Protoevangelium, called the James Infancy Narrative.  It is a second century document discovered in 1902, in Egypt. We looked at the writings of Eusebuis, a 3rd and 4th century writer, and Epiphanius, a 4th century Christian writer.  We also consulted with historians and anthropologists at archeological sites in Israel.

dib:

How did this project differ from your typical research project, if there is such a thing?

TB:

None of the traditional genealogical sources existed, like living family members who could be interviewed, vital records of birth marriage and death, census records, and probate records.  But most importantly, there were no records that existed at the time the events occurred.

Genealogists, and lawyers who are involved with court cases, always search for the best available evidence, that is, documents created at the time events occur by someone who has or had direct knowledge of those events. That type of documentation is referred to as primary evidence. Secondary evidence are documents created after events occur, by someone who may or may not witness the events. There are often errors in secondary evidence.

Records pertaining to Jesus' family were created fifty to four hundred years after those events occurred.

dib:

What did you enjoy most about doing this project?

TB:

dib:

Were there any surprises for you, or new discoveries during the course of the production?

TB:

Everything involved with this production was a new discovery, and a surprise.  It was not my area of research, so it was a total learning process.

dib:

Did this project enhance your understanding of genealogy?

TB:

It reinforced something I already knew. That is, a genealogist is not successful if he or she only researches his or her direct ancestors, namely, parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents.  A successful genealogist must also research the brothers, and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins and the in-laws of his or her ancestors.

dib:

Why do extended family members matter?

TB:

There are several reasons to research extended family members. 

Let's say you want to learn about your grandparents and you already have some information from your parents, you still will want to look at your aunts and uncles, even though they had the same parents as your parents, given a traditional family structure.

Your parents' brothers or sisters might have left records that contain valuable clues about their parents. You never know which sibling has "magical" records, so you should research all of them.  Each sibling could have records that add a small piece to the genealogy puzzle.  For example, one brother's death certificate might list his mother's age, and maiden name.  His sister's birth certificate, however, might list the mother's and father's names and their places of birth - information that might not be available on the brother's records.

You will also want to investigate your cousins.  Obviously, the commonality you share with your cousins is your grandparents.  However, one of your cousins might have inherited a wealth of information and documents about your grandmother that was not passed down to your parents.  If you overlook that cousin, you miss out on a wealth of family history.

In addition, understanding each member of the family, and how they interacted with one another, gives a more complete and realistic view of the family.

For African Americans interested in researching ancestors during slavery, it is important to know that the vast majority of slaves are listed by their first name only.  One of the few ways of differentiating people with the same name is associating them with their siblings and parents.  When slaves are listed in family groups, and you know the family names and structure after emancipation, you can identify them during slavery with only first names.

dib:

I can see why the producers wanted you for this project, but what can viewers expect to learn from watching The Real Family of Jesus?

TB: