(RNS) The Harvard Theological Review is postponing publication of a major article on the papyrus fragment in which Jesus seems to refer to his wife, raising further doubts about a discovery that was set to turn Christian history on its head when it was announced last September.
The fragment of papyrus that offers fresh evidence that some early Christians believed Jesus was married. RNS photo courtesy Karen L. King
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The article by Harvard Divinity School professor Karen King was scheduled for the review’s January edition. It was expected to provide answers to questions that had been raised about the relic’s authenticity soon after King announced the discovery to select national media and at an international conference of biblical scholars in Rome.
King told CNN, which reported the latest development on Thursday (Jan. 3), that the article has been delayed because testing on the fragment is not complete.
A spokesperson for Harvard Divinity School, Kathryn Dodgson, said in an email on Friday that the owner of the papyrus — whose identity has not been disclosed — “has been making arrangements for further testing and analysis of the fragment, including testing by independent laboratories with the resources and specific expertise necessary to produce and interpret reliable results.”
Dodgson said the Harvard Theological Review is still planning to publish King’s article “after conclusion of all the testing so that the results may be incorporated.”
“Until testing is complete, there is nothing more to say at this point.”
King has said the fragment is from a fourth-century codex written in Coptic that may have come from an earlier, unknown gospel. The receipt-sized slip of papyrus contains just 33 words spread across 14 incomplete lines and quotes Jesus referring to “my wife” before the sentence is cut off.
It is the only extant text in which Jesus is explicitly portrayed as married, according to King, who dubbed the text “The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife.” King insisted that the fragment, even if authentic, would not prove that Jesus was married.
But experts said that even the possibility that he was betrothed could have upended Christian doctrine and theology and raised questions about the role of women in Christianity. And the media rollout for the discovery prompted a global wave of coverage that fostered a view that this fragment was akin to finding Jesus’ marriage license.
But doubts about the fragment were raised almost immediately. Some critics said that the text’s importance was blown out of proportion – there are countless fragments of ancient papyrus writings from the centuries after Christ – while others objected to the secrecy surrounding the owner of the fragment and the lack of any documentation about its provenance.
Other experts subsequently alleged that that papyrus may be ancient but the writing was a modern forgery and even included a typo.
The doubts led the Smithsonian Channel, which had been working with King for months on a documentary about the papyrus, to delay broadcast of the program, which had been set for October.
DSB/AMB END GIBSON
16 Comments
Mr. Mansuri
No Jew is a Jew if not believe any messenger of God from Adam to Jacob.
No Christian is a Christian if not believe any Biblical messenger of God from Adam to Jesus.
No Muslim is a Muslim if not believe any messenger of God from Adam to Muhammad including Moses, David, Jesus. Muslims are taking name of all messengers of God with respect. e.g. Jesus peace be upon him.
Why Christians loves Jesus’ killer(Jews) and hate his respecters(Muslims)?
After Muhammad(pbuh) no new messenger and not established new religion but branches grows in all formed religions.
If anybody says Jesus Christ was married, he/she is liar. Not have this record in the bible, not in Qur’an.
Please give reply with peaceful mind, not through out as your enemy.
Nobody master in his/her religion.
I am a Muslim, a student in school of Islam and eager to know about various religion. I have some questions from the bible and need reply clear from the bible but after reply of this question.
Forgive me if I heart to anybody.
Ken
The teachings of Jesus are to love all, this includes Jews and Muslims. This is what Jesus practiced in his life.
Oscar Ubalde
I agree with your observation, brother.
rev daniel hesko
I fail to see how this fragment, even if it is 4th. C. Would turn Christianity on it’s head, as the article states. Gnostic gospels from that time are well known and state all kinds of things, that the Church rejected at the time, and still rejects today. I am ‘under-awe’ by all the hoop-la.
Somebody
Yeshua (Jesus) was called “Rabbi” in His lifetime. No matter what one’s other qualities or qualifications, one had to be married at the time to be respected in that position. Hangups about Jesus being married are strictly a product of relatively modern prudishness, which would have been completely alien to the social attitudes of the day.
As far as what writings the Church has or has not accepted, it’s important to keep in mind that its approach in the early Councils was essentially to decide first what was theologically acceptable, and then include as canonical only those texts which were consistent with the accepted theology. This was a process which was continued further in the Reformation, where additional texts were thrown out as inconsistent with the new theological tenets being promulgated.
DP McManus
I have to wonder why it should turn Christianity on its head if Jesus were married. If marriage is seen as a sacred institution and vocation in the Christian faith–indeed, many clergy members do marry–does a marriage negate the good Jesus has done? Different people are said to be filled with the Spirit–some married, some single. I am more concerned about how we treat members of the human family than whether Jesus had a wife–although if he did, I’d love to find out who this very special person was.
Oscar Ubalde
Agree.
elvic_geo
May you visit the website http://www.thename.ph and http://www.thenameonline.info and read its main page now to be informed of God’s judgement upon the religious leaders, priests and pastors as written in the prophecy in the Bible that was revealed by Teacher Eraño Martin Evangelista and what they can do to avert it. Thank you.
elvic_geo
May all be informed:
Based from the Bible revelations of Teacher Eraño Evangelista in the link:
http://www.thename.ph/thename/revelations/greatestdeception-en.htm
There is a Word of God about Jesus-the descendant/offspring of King David that we should know:
2 Samuel 7:12-14
New International Version (NIV)
12 When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. WHEN HE DOES WRONG, I WILL PUNISH HIM WITH A ROD WIELDED BY MEN, WITH FLOGGINGS INFLICTED BY HUMAN HANDS
In the said verses: 2 Samuel 7:12-14 – we can read that God speaks of a coming offspring of David and not a literal “son of God” as what the religions preach.
Is it really true that Jesus was a descendant of David?
…to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.
The virgin’s name was Mary.
Luke 1:27 (NIV)
Jesus’ true father is Joseph who belongs to the house of David. So if we are to believe the teaching of the religions that Jesus is the “son of God,” then it should be Mary who should belong to the house of David.
And:
You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
Luke 1:31 (NIV)
And who was Jesus’ father?
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.
Luke 1:32 (NIV)
“will be called” – As you have read it, Jesus was only a son or a descendant of David not a real son of God;” he was just a man.
Is it true –that Jesus is a son of David? In Matthew 1:1
A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham-Matt 1:1
Now we can see that the prophecy in 2 Sam7:12-14 about a coming descendant of David and not a son of God has been fulfilled.
Considering the prophecy in II Samuel 7:12-14 that if the descendant of David commits a wrong or an iniquity, he will be punished with the rod of men. Maestro Evangelista says Jesus was also punished by men. What is the proof?
All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
Matthew 27:25-26 (NIV)
Jesus was flogged by men which when we read again what God stated in the prophecy in 2 Sam 7:14:
14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. WHEN HE DOES WRONG, I WILL PUNISH HIM WITH A ROD WIELDED BY MEN, WITH FLOGGINGS INFLICTED BY HUMAN HANDS
We can discover for ourselves that based on what God said in the prophecy that the real reason why He allowed Jesus -the descendant of king David to be beaten by men was not for our sins but for his (Jesus) own wrongdoing.
It appears now that the Apostles-the writers of the New Testament who claimed that Jesus was sent by God to be beaten for our sins were hiding from us what really happened to Jesus.
Worse than that, the apostles made us worship Jesus -who in reality was punished by God for his own wrongdoing! How will God hear our plea of salvation if we worship the one whom He has punished! We are indeed cursed as written in Deut.11:28 because we worship a false god made by the apostles.
It is a shame that we even question God why we are suffering today. The truth is we allowed ourselves to be deceived by the teachings of the apostles!
The pastors would say it was King Solomon who was prophesied in 2 Samuel 7:12-14 but he wasn’t flogged by men when he committed sin against God.
It was Jesus -the offspring of David – who was flogged and beaten by the rod of men.
Again, Read this link: http://www.thename.ph/thename/revelations/greatestdeception-en.htm
Thank you
Article on ‘Jesus’ Wife’ papyrus delayed for more testing
[...] Religion News Service [...]
Jennifer Warren Hauser
Has the text of the papyri fragment been released–untranslated? It would be nice to read the text for myself, make/reconstruct my own translation; the photograph I’ve seen isn’t entirely legible, and I’ve only seen the one side. Thanks for any information.
Some Biblical Bits | Fr. Callaghan's Sermon Footnotes
[...] throughly, totally, obviously, fraudulent “Jesus’ wife” papyrus fragment is looking less and less marketable. Since this particular effort is out of steam, we can expect a new Jesus-related fraud sometime [...]
Dan
Seems that when it first came out. . . not only King, but two coptic/papyrus experts felt that it was legitimate. . . not one expert has yet proven it is not. . . yet it seems it is quietly being swept under the carpet. . .
Saturday Ramblings 1.12.13 | internetmonk.com
[...] picture of Jesus’ wife will be hanging next to the picture of Jesus anytime soon. The Harvard Theological Review has [...]
Wednesday Link List « Thinking Out Loud
[...] The Harvard Theological Review is postponing publication of a major article on the papyrus fragment in which Jesus seems to refer to his wife, raising further doubts about a discovery that was set to turn Christian history on its head. More at Religion News. [...]
Earl
May you read this article regarding the true message of Jesus as written in the Bible to all churches (his believers) as revealed by Maestro(Teacher) Eraño Martin Evangelista in this link:
http://www.thename.ph/thename/revelations/jesusreal-en.html
Due to Maestro Evangelista’s authority in the scriptures as God’s true prophet and as the real messenger of Jesus, it is strongly suggested that all the religious leaders and preachers and so-called Bible Scholars make a public apology to all the people of the world for they have propagated erroneous teachings about God and Jesus.
They also need to return ALL the money offerings, tithes, and properties that they had received from their church members because of their false teachings.