Thu, September 20, 2012
By Yuan Yue, Sina English
An ancient fragment of papyrus can be the possible evidence that Jesus has a wife, according to a Christian historian with Harvard university.
the International Congress of Coptic Studies in Rome, Karen King, a Harvard divinity professor, unveiled the 4th-Century Coptic script, written on a fragment of papyrus about the size of a credit card, with eight lines on one side. She said the text was a copy of a gospel, probably written in Greek in the 2nd Century.
Professor King said researchers had identified the words "Jesus said to them, 'my wife'."
She said she had asked two experts to appraise the authenticity of the papyrus; and at this moment, good chance is the fragment is genuine. But more tests need to be done before the researchers can confirm that.
She cautioned that this fragment should not be taken as strong evidence that Jesus was actually married. The text was probably written long after the time when Jesus lived, and all other early, historically reliable Christian literature is silent on the question.
Traditionally, Christian believes that Jesus did not marry - but in early years, said Professor King, that question was subject to debate.
The provocative find could spark debate over celibacy and the role of women within Christianity, she added, and it revealed the concerns of early Christians with regard to family and marriage matters.
