Jesus Had a Wife?..Ancient Papyrus Opens Discussion about Sexuality & Role of Women in the Church [View all]

[KoKo]

A Harvard scholar who unveilled an ancient Coptic papyrus in which Jesus refers to "my wife" has said the discovery provides no definitive answer but it was "the first unequivocal statement" to claim that he was married.

Published on Sep 20, 2012


Full Story:[/b

In what seems to be ripped from a Dan Brown novel, a Harvard professor has said that an ancient piece of papyrus makes "the first unequivocal statement" that claims that Jesus was married.

[Karen King, Hollis Chair of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School]:
"I think the fragment itself is discussing issues about discipleship and family. But certainly the fact that this is the first unequivocal statement we have that claims Jesus had a wife, is of great interest."

Karen King is a well-respected historian of Christianity, and the Hollis Chair of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School. She says that, on the ancient Coptic papyrus from the fourth century, while Jesus is speaking to his disciples, a scribe writes "Jesus said to them, my wife ...". The sentence cuts off there on the 8 cm by 4 cm fragment.

[Karen King, Hollis Chair of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School]:

"I want to be very clear that this fragment doesn't actually give us any evidence that Jesus was married, or not married. It is too late. In fact all of the earlier and most reliable historical information is completely silent and this does not change that situation. But we can ask the question when did Christians first start talking about whether Jesus was married or not? Who was the first person, for example to say that Jesus was not married? "

The origins of the papyrus, named "the Gospel of Jesus' Wife," is a bit of a mystery. However, AnneMarie Luijendijk, an associate professor of religion at Princeton University, believes it is real.

[AnneMarie Luijendijk, Associate Professor of Religion, Princeton University]:

"To the best of my knowledge I have come to the conclusion that this was indeed an authentic, ancient text, written by a scribe in antiquity. We can see that by the way the ink is preserved on the papyrus and also the way the papyrus has faded and also the way the papyrus has become very fragmentary, which is actually in line with alot of other papyri's we have also from the new testament. "

While the fragment of thirty-three words and incomplete sentences may not answer many, it does raise important questions about both sexuality and the role of women in the Christian church, debates that are still had today.

In addition to Jesus' status of marriage, the papyrus suggests a debate of whether women could be priests.

In the Catholic Church, the largest Christian church, only men can be become priests, as they believe only men were chosen as Jesus' disciples.

However, another fragment of the papyrus reads "and she will be my disciple."
The fragment is owned by a private collector. The Vatican has yet to comment on the discovery.

In 2003, Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" angered the Catholic church, as it suggested Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and had children.