The Religion section various news outlets have all covered the story of a new fragment written in Sahidic Coptic which implies (kind of, but not really) that Jesus had a wife, presumably Mary Magdelene. Remarkably the DaVinci Code still gets name-checked in these articles. I think that it is quite silly that a legitimate news outlet could state “The text is being dubbed ‘The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife,” citing a PDF copy of a paperwritten by Karen L. King of Harvard. This is a draft of a paper which will appear in the Harvard Theological Review in January.
If you are interested in the fragment, read the paper – it is well written, includes a transcription of the fragment and has judicious conclusions. The paper states quite clearly that the fragment does not prove Historical Jesus had a wife. It is a fragment, “measuring c. 4 cm in height by 8 cm in width,” with 8 complete lines on one side, 6 on the other. All lines are fragmentary so reconstruction is necessary. Since the fragment is small and does not say that much, King’s article is a good introduction to Gnostic literature in general and how Gnostic Literature uses marriage imagery. The bottom line is that this fragment is interesting, but adds little to what was already known about Gnostic thinking the second and third century.
Does this fragment tell us anything about historical Jesus? No, and I do not think that the document, if we had the whole thing, would claim to be making historical statements about Jesus. This is not a lost or suppressed tradition about the way Jesus really lived, it is a bit of theology from the fringes of early Christianity. That alone makes it interesting, but it cannot be trotted out as evidence for the Real Jesus. As King herself concludes, “our papyrus is much too fragmentary to sustain these readings with certainty” and that the late date “argues against its value as evidence for the life of the historical Jesus.”
The NBC News story interviews Ben Witherington and links to Jim West and James McGrath. Two observations are in order here. First, Witherington is a generally conservative voice, yet his scholarship has drawn the attention of a “big news” organization. I like this trend and would like to see more voices from conservative scholars int he media – perhaps even an evangelical or two. I cannot imagine Darrell Bock has nothing to say about the fragment. Second, that two scholar-bloggers are cited is an indication that the biblio-blog community should be taken seriously as an outlet for real scholarship. Given the format of a blog / website, scholarly response to these sorts of media frenzies are much more swift than a journal article, which may be published months later, long after the media has moved on to something else.
bock actually showed up this morn on npr
Thanks, Jim. I saw you were mentioned on the BBC story, as a “Baptist pastor in Tennessee.” I’ll bet that has some different connotations around the world. My favorite line from the BBC article is from Wolf-Peter Funk, who said there were “thousands of scraps of papyrus where you find crazy things.”
yup- good stuff
Wow, who cares if it has some so-called historical aspect, it’s Gnostic! GOD help so-called scholarship!
‘For God’s sake, do not put yourself at odds with the Word of God. For truly it will persist as surely as the Rhine follows its course. One can perhaps dam it up for awhile, but it is impossible to stop it.’
– Ulrich Zwingli –
What is so bad with Jesus having a wife? You guys are so pious in your personal relationship with Jesus you fail to remember that nothing is impossible with God.
I am not sure I said anything about whether he had a wife or not, only that the fragment in question does not say he has a wife. Nor is there any evidence that he had a wife from any credible source. If you need to believe Jesus had a wife, go for it. That is not what really matters.
And I am not particularly pious either .
I am not so pious either, and I have a wife myself! 😉 But if we read and hear the Gospel of Matthew 19: 10-11-12, “The disciples said to Him, “If the relationship of the man with his wife is like this (looking back to verses 7-9), it is better not to marry.” But He said to them, “Not all men can accept this statement, but only those to whom it has been given. For there are eunuchs who were born that way from their mothers womb; and there are eunuchs who were made eunuchs by men: and also eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to accept this, let him accept it.”
It always nice to read and know your Bible! 🙂 And Jesus Christ had no “wife”! Here of course Jesus speaks metaphorically, those who have made themselves “eunuchs” are those who voluntarily take celibacy in imitation of their Lord and for the service to His church and kingdom!
Of course too, St. Paul was himself “celibate” for both the Kingdom of God and his Lord! (1 Cor. 9: 5;12;15 (noting 1 Cor. 7: 8, and really much of this chapter).
If this has no historical aspect, and is not backed by the Word of God, then there is no need to assume that Jesus had a wife. The fact is, that the assumption is needless to say, pointless. Unless it affects your own walk with God, then it shouldn’t matter. If it was important for us to know, then God would have made it known. So then, if we should know and if it were important to know, God would have made it known, but apparently it’s not important for us to know, or not true, because we obviously don’t know if He had a wife or not, because God has not made it known.
I would write a scripture reference that supports the claim that Jesus had a wife, but sadly there is none. For me caring about if Jesus had a wife or not for me is like caring about what Jesus’s favorite color was; compared to raising questions about other things in Jesus’s life, that scripture concretely states. If I placed this issue in a separate pile I might not even notice if the wind blew it away. Case and point
That is completely true, that there is no scripture to support the pointless claim of Jesus having a wife. There is no significance in Him having a wife. The most basic and biggest point that it comes down to is that Jesus did NOT need a wife, so there was no point in having one. All this comes down to is the fact that it does not affect or change the Gospel of whether or not He had a wife so why talk about it? It doesn’t affect the Gospel and doesn’t affect His ministry so no need to assume or care.
I think that whether Jesus had a wife or not was more important than what his favorite color was, but i do believe that it does not matter if he did or not. I do not believe he had one because there is no biblical evidence anywhere stating anything close to this. I believe that if he was married it would have been somewhere in the gospels, but it is not. This would have been a very important thing just as important as his birth, childhood, and ministry. Being married would have held him back from his ministry.
I found both articles very interesting and I think it stands as a good example as why we need to examine evidence careful. As we study Jesus I think it is very important to look closely at our sources. Things like this article, or as said in class the gospel of Thomas are out there and in some cases are used to prove a certain group or person’s point of view. I find it key to be as sure as possible that our sources are credible from a historical stand point.
My recommended reading: Anne Rice’s, “Christ the Lord” series. It was recommended to me by Dr. Matthew Loverin. And they are a great works of FICTION. But, despite being fictitious accounts of the life of Christ pre-‘ministry,’ they have a very interesting take on Jesus on relationships. Anne Rice carefully depicts a young Jewish torn between the expectations of his large, familial community (to be married and start a family) and of the Jewish community at large (to fight the Romans for freedom and to cleanse the temple). But no matter how much we (or Rice) try and speculate what Christ’s life was like as he developed his ministry, we see from the infallible writings of the gospels that Jesus not only chose a different course, but that he accomplished both those expectations (assuming the family really did pressure him to be a ‘normal’ man and start a family) in a very radical and unexpected way. Praise the Lord!
(The cleansing of the temple and establishment of his kingdom are a conversation for another time (or blog post)).
[Insert relevant bible reference here]. That would be all well and good… if there was one. But, simply put, Scripture doesn’t talk about this. Wait, what!?!? How could Scripture not mention whether or not Jesus was wed? And that is most likely because he was not. If he were, there would be no reason not to record it; even if it is just to simply mention her in passing. And one could argue that women were not recorded in such records for cultural reasons. But I would probably just slap them across the face with every mention of a woman in scripture; especially, the ones that refer to Jesus’ female followers and companions. And of course, those would be glued to the large passage describing the resurrection, in which the first to be trusted with the news were… men. Oh, wait! They were women. Silly me!
No, Christ did not have a wife (not that it would be bad had he). Instead, Christ took on a different bride. The bride of Christ. For it will be like a wedding banquet and a victory banquet when Christ and his bride are finally united through the victory over death and resurrection!
I am going to have to re-educate you after that last paragraph. I know a dissertation you might like to read….!
Looking in the Bible I cannot find scripture that backs up Jesus having a wife the only thing that could see would be that Jesus’s wife was the Church. I really don’t think that it would have been wrong if Jesus had a wife there is just no evidence that states he had one. I would have to say that if Jesus did have a wife there would have been something more than this paper that would have stated otherwise.
Jesus came to Earth as a baby, and lived his life as human flesh. In that, he faced many worldly desires and temptations. Matthew 4 shows the Devil tempting Jesus, but throughout his life Jesus lived his life without sin – and that’s not to say that he wasn’t given the option. It wasn’t to say that he was shielded from the opportunity to sin his whole entire life. In the Bible, Jesus also says that those who lust in their hearts commit sexual immorality (Matthew 5:27–28). In that, he may have avoided the aspects of this type of relationship entirely and stayed married to the church rather than invest in a marriage. There may be rumors about Jesus and Mary, however, there are no verses explicitly in the Bible to tell us. Jonathan and David had an intimate, deep relationship with each other without it being sexual – they were intimate friends (1 Samuel 18:3). It’s assumed that Jesus had the same type of connections in his life – deep, pure friendships filled with love and intimacy. He may have had one with Mary! Through all of this, however, it’s fun to play around with the what ifs and the connections that Jesus had in his life, as we don’t have an account for every single thing that happened in his entire life. Not only that, but the culture and understanding of relationships were different in his times as well. If it was important for us to know it would be specifically said within the Bible, but I find it fascinating to wonder about.
I think that after reading it does not come up about Jesus ever having a wife. I would say his relationships with the people and the church were more meaningful than having a significant other because Jesus had and has a purpose and fulfillment through and with God though his spirit, death, and resurrection. I also think that it would not be a bad thing if he did, we were put here for each other in a way
I think it is an interesting question to ask, whether Jesus had a wife or not. You don’t hear of it in the Church and I don’t remember even remotely reading about it in the Bible. I also do not see an issue with whether he had one or not, seeing as God created man and woman to be there for one another, but I also see that the aspect of having a wife was not a part of Jesus’s mission or calling. His purpose was to aid and teach, which he did. He set out to share the gospel and glory of God, bringing no-believers to Christ and helping believers along their journey through Christ.
The only reason that I chose this blog post was because I pretty much knew the inevitable answer which I know P.Long agrees with, hence the title of this blog post is “does Jesus have a wife (NO)”. I chose this blog post because it was off the wall and nowhere in scripture does it say that Jesus had a wife, and intimate relationship, nor a prostitute, thus I would have to stand on my original thought and believe that Jesus Christ indeed did not have a wife! I skimmed over the article P.Long mentions in the beginning of the blog post and there were some good believable points due to the fact the Mary often is mentioned throughout Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John; there is no title of Him and her having a married relationship. The article was filled with good fictional points and hopes, however all said and done the article was complete fiction. Its characteristics like this take away the credibility of the Bible as well as the Gospels of Jesus, because it is literally a joke and fiction. If one was to show this to an unbeliever, then everything would turn to wack and the authenticity of Christianity would be irrelevant. The clear answer to this blog post in a definite no not only because nowhere in the Bible does it say He had a wife, but in the Bible, it does say that Jesus was shielded from temptation and sexual desires which would make His heart impure. Not saying having a wife elicits these attributes, but when we look at the life of Jesus there is literally no evidence.
This blog post does not have much similarity to the Strauss readings, other than the fact this bit of papyrus may have been useful on one of the three quests. That does not mean that this piece is historically accurate or claiming to be, but the scholars who were trying to identify the historical Jesus would have found this bit interesting. The paper written about this fragment does not explicitly say or imply that the historical Jesus had a wife. It would be cool to think about the “what if” though. If Jesus had a wife, would people be upset? The fact that Paul remained unmarried with the goal of devoting his life to the Lord might suggest that Jesus had different intentions. Anything is possible for God, and having a wife would not necessarily contradict any teachings that Jesus gives. Obviously we believe scripture to be the true word of God, and since the Gospel does not mention this detail that would have been pretty big and important, Jesus did not have a wife.
“The paper states quite clearly that the fragment does not prove the historical Jesus had a wife” (Long, 2012). Jesus’s interactions with women, particularly Mary Magdalene, have sparked the debate of whether He engaged in marital relations with anyone. What is more striking is the marital influences within Gnostic literature, which is most likely what the full papyrus artifact would highlight – some incidental bit of early-church theology that contributes an addendum to Gnostic thought. According to Long (2012), “The bottom line is that this fragment is interesting, but adds little to what was already known about Gnostic thinking in the second and third century.” Normally around this point, I would insert a relevant Bible passage somewhat related to the topic at hand. Unfortunately, there is no such biblical text to speak of that mentions Jesus’s wife or the absence thereof. How utterly clever of me. Certainly, this has not been done in any of the other blog posts written here. However, there are allusions to a friendly yet deep relationship between Jonathan and David (1 Samuel 18:3 ESV) and the idea that Jesus chose wholeheartedly to commit to the church, knowing the consequences. Imagine the ramifications of Jesus’s wife during the crucifixion event. Such a prophecy would have likely been heartbreaking! I also doubt she would have ascended into heaven in Acts. Although it is fun to speculate, the likely reality is that there are many events and occurrences Jesus either needed to stimulate or suffer through for a marriage to have not been a veritable practice.
Further, a celibate Jesus plays a key role in their understanding of his divine mission. Gnostic texts, such as the Gospel of Philip and the controversial ‘Gospel of Jesus’ Wife’, provide alternative narratives about Jesus potentially being married, raising intriguing questions about the nature of ancient Christian beliefs. The very debate about Jesus’ marital status exposes the fascinating interplay between religious doctrine, historical interpretation, and cultural context. Significantly, it enriches our understanding of Jesus as an individual and the Christian concept of the “Bride of Christ.” While intriguing, the silence of the canonical gospels and the disputed veracity of such documents continue to veer the consensus towards Jesus being unmarried. Whether or not Jesus had a wife matters very little in the grand scheme of redemption, but it is always fun to imagine “what if.” Nonetheless, I believe this discovery rather points toward what the historical Jesus said regarding marriage. Jesus considered (hyperbolically) that looking with lust at a woman constituted adultery. Jesus reacted strongly against the casual attitude of easy divorce in His ancient historical situation and pointed to the unbreaking nature of marriage (Mark 10:11–12;). To break a marriage vow and marry another constituted adultery in its purest form (Strauss, 2020).
I do not believe that Jesus had a wife because he would not have had time. Jesus spent most of his time traveling and spreading the gospel, as well as spending time with his peers such as his disciples. If Jesus had a wife, he would be the most perfect husband ever, but it is just hard to believe that he would have any time what so ever for a marriage with all of his miracles that he was performing. Jesus was just simply too busy for marriage.
Of course, I agree that Jesus did not have a wife. I really liked what Austin said about how He would not have had time for a wife. Jesus was perfect, and He would act perfectly towards His wife if He did have one. I also feel like they would have made it clear in scripture if He did have a wife, because marriage is important, especially in the Bible. Mark 10:9 discusses how marriage is God ordained, and that nobody can separate a marriage. If Jesus was married He definitely would not hide this fact, he would make his marriage known; as marriage is beautiful. Jesus also had a clear mission, although he did have relationships with people; he did not have time to strictly focus on one relationship. Jesus was performing miracles, healing many people, leading his disciples, etc. Jesus truly did not have time to maintain a marriage. I honestly have never even heard of people saying Jesus had a wife. When I read the title of the blog I chose it because it just shocked me. Jesus had a mission, and God sent Him to save the world. Jesus died on the cross to save us sinners. Jesus focused on His mission, and He did not turn his head and focus on His love life. Jesus’s love for us was the only type of love that Jesus was focused on. Although I would love to see Jesus as a husband and He would have been a perfect example, that was just not a part of His mission. Therefore, He did not have a wife.
First I’m going to say that I felt it was pretty crazy that some people believed Jesus had a wife. I think this is obviously false but I do find the thought of Jesus having a wife to be interesting. We know that Jesus never had a wife because we have the bible. The bible never even hints at the possibility of a love interest for Jesus. Jesus came to earth for a purpose and that was to free humanity from its sin. Not get married and have a family. If Jesus did for whatever reason have a wife or even a love interest it would have been mentioned in the bible at some point because that would be quite significant and I feel that wouldn’t be something that disciples would not have left out of their writings about his life and ministry. Jesus simply did not have the time or desire for marriage because his mission on earth was far more important. I never knew before reading this Blog that people believed Jesus had a wife because its not a commonly believed thing about jesus and their simply is no hard biblical or historical evidence to support that theory.
As far as I am aware there is nowhere in the bible that tells us Jesus actually had a wife. However, this is certainly something interesting to think about. God sent his son as a sacrifice so that we could have a relationship with him, through the power of the holy spirit. Jesus’s mission was to defeat death and to bring ultimate glory to God. Therefore I do not believe he would have had a wife, as that is not what God had called him to do, and really would not have aligned well with his overall purpose, it seems to me that he would have been more concerned with spreading the gospel and teaching those around him.