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Evidence that Jesus had Wife Emerge

Skwim

Veteran Member
"The truth may be finally emerging about the "Gospel of Jesus's Wife," a controversial papyrus suggesting that some people believed Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene

New research on the papyrus' ink points to the possibility that it is authentic, researchers say, while newly obtained documents may shed light on the origins of the business-card-sized fragment.

gospel-1.jpg

Translation:

1) ... not [to] me, my mother gave to me li[fe] ...

2) The disciples said to Jesus, "...

3) ... deny. Mary is worthy of it ... (or, alternatively, Mary is not worth of it ...)

4) ..." Jesus said to them, "My wife ...

5) ... she will be able to be my disciple ...

6) Let wicked people swell up ...

7) As for me, I dwell with her in order to ...

8) ... an image ...​


Analysis of the papyrus, detailed last year in the Harvard Theological Review journal, suggested the papyrus dates back around 1,200 years - somewhere between the sixth and ninth centuries - while the ink is of a type that could have been created at that time.

These findings have led [Harvard University professor, Karen] King to support the text's authenticity."
source
Other than out and out pooh-poohing, anyone have a reasonable comment?
 

Mountain_Climber

Active Member
"The truth may be finally emerging about the "Gospel of Jesus's Wife," a controversial papyrus suggesting that some people believed Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene

New research on the papyrus' ink points to the possibility that it is authentic, researchers say, while newly obtained documents may shed light on the origins of the business-card-sized fragment.

gospel-1.jpg

Translation:

1) ... not [to] me, my mother gave to me li[fe] ...

2) The disciples said to Jesus, "...

3) ... deny. Mary is worthy of it ... (or, alternatively, Mary is not worth of it ...)

4) ..." Jesus said to them, "My wife ...

5) ... she will be able to be my disciple ...

6) Let wicked people swell up ...

7) As for me, I dwell with her in order to ...

8) ... an image ...​
Analysis of the papyrus, detailed last year in the Harvard Theological Review journal, suggested the papyrus dates back around 1,200 years - somewhere between the sixth and ninth centuries - while the ink is of a type that could have been created at that time.

These findings have led [Harvard University professor, Karen] King to support the text's authenticity."
source
Other than out and out pooh-poohing, anyone have a reasonable comment?
There are a couple of possibilities for a single fragment which dates 6 to 9 centuries after the time in which Jesus lived.

One is that there is no evidence to support it's validity and so easily could have been written by a hater of Christianity.

But what does it for me is that every last disciple could be said to be married to him because they as a part of the body of the church are each and everyone engaged to him. One who was engaged to be wed to a man in that day and time was considered as though already his wife, even requiring a divorce to end the engagement. So for all we know, if there is any validity to that fragment, Jesus could well have been speaking in that sense. After all, it does not specify much other detail about the matter.
 

outhouse

Atheistically
The existence of heretical texts is nothing controversial. Especially texts that cannot be traced earlier than centuries after the fact. Assuming this isn't an outright forgery that is.

This is correct.

It is not proven yet by any means and as many claim fraud as real.


If real it means nothing due to its late date, and how far removed from any actual event it is. It was quite common for people to invent different stories that had no historical basis what so ever.

Most people have no clue how wide and diverse the early movement was in Hellenism. This reflect the diversity scholars already know and is not controversial in anyway.
 

Akivah

Well-Known Member
So what's the big deal about your god having a wife anyways? He would be fulfilling his dad's commandment to be fruitful and multiply, wouldn't he?
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
So what's the big deal about your god having a wife anyways? He would be fulfilling his dad's commandment to be fruitful and multiply, wouldn't he?
It would mean that for two thousand years the story was writ wrong, or at least mistold.
 

leibowde84

Veteran Member
One is that there is no evidence to support it's validity and so easily could have been written by a hater of Christianity.
This is quite a stretch. First of all, there is nothing in the text that should lead anyone to believe that the author "hated Christianity". In fact, it seems that, like the other Gospels, this was written by an admirer of Jesus. Further, there is nothing destructive about the idea that Jesus was married to Mary M. Sure, it goes against a great deal of dogma adhered to by many Christians, but is there any real reason to think that Jesus being married is an impossibility?
 

dust1n

Zindīq
Written 4-9 centuries later: How could information possibly have existed this long?

Written 1-3 centuries later: Probably dead on description of actual events?
 

outhouse

Atheistically
And I'm sure that's why the article used the word "may."


However over the past year many scholars have come to the conclusion that the papyrus is a modern-day forgery, though King and a few other researchers say they are not ready to concede this:
 

outhouse

Atheistically
So what's the big deal about your god having a wife anyways? He would be fulfilling his dad's commandment to be fruitful and multiply, wouldn't he?

The original gods of Israel had a wife.


The problem here is the authors of all NT text were so far removed from any actual event, NO ONE could ever know if he had a wife or not.


A wife would not be something the authors would have ever added with artistic freedom. But IF there were EARLY traditions stating jesus had a wife, it is something that would have been defended against or explained to fit the theology emerging. We have nothing of the sort from anyone.
 

Theweirdtophat

Well-Known Member
This was said in "Holy Bloodline, Holy Grail" a good book that explains the more likely possibility that Jesus had a wife and children. I personally don't believe he was the Son of God or God himself, although I do believe he was a descendent of King David. I see him as a revolutionary, trying to change the status quo. I feel it's much more likely that he was an enlightened individual, and perhaps knew some "miracles" and "magic" and had a wife and kids, instead of being the avatar for the creator of the universe.
 

Skwim

Veteran Member
However over the past year many scholars have come to the conclusion that the papyrus is a modern-day forgery, though King and a few other researchers say they are not ready to concede this:
Does the number of these "many scholars" significantly outnumber those who have not concluded the papyrus is a modern-day forgery? If so, evidence of this would be appropriate. What ya got?
 
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