Did Jesus marry?

[OpenBook]

They found a scrap with ancient (Coptic?) writing on it that describes Jesus referencing his wife. Here is a link to a CNN article about it:

 

Newly revealed Coptic fragment has Jesus making reference to 'my wife' – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs

 

I always assumed that Jesus never married. It isn't mentioned anywhere in the Bible. Although come to think of it - I don't think it says anywhere that He DIDN'T marry.

 

What say you? Do you believe Jesus ever got married?

[M30USA]

They found a scrap with ancient (Coptic?) writing on it that describes Jesus referencing his wife. Here is a link to a CNN article about it:

 

Newly revealed Coptic fragment has Jesus making reference to 'my wife' – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs

 

I always assumed that Jesus never married. It isn't mentioned anywhere in the Bible. Although come to think of it - I don't think it says anywhere that He DIDN'T marry.

 

What say you? Do you believe Jesus ever got married?

 

Considering that Jesus' mission in life was to die as a ransom for sinners, him taking a wife doesn't exactly fit together with that mission. Women don't exactly dig men who plan on getting killed. Plus, since the Bible takes such a high view of marriage, I doubt they would leave out a significant detail like that about Jesus' life if he were in fact married.

[pie2]

Throughout the bible, the metaphores of "wife" and "bride" are used as a symbol of the church (believers).

 

Ephesians 5:25 ESV / 17 helpful votes

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,

 

Revelation 21:2 ESV / 24 helpful votes

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

 

Revelation 21:9 ESV / 20 helpful votes

Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

[TaraMaiden]

The Bible is one thing.

This researched piece of documentation is quite another. 'Wife' may be symbolic in Biblical terms - but this parchment isn't Biblical. And the researching source seems extremely Bona Fide. Simply because it doesn't 'fit' with current Biblical interpretations doesn't mean it's not a factual account... Open-mindedness, people.

it matters little whether Christ had a wife. he had a mother too... and she was just as vulnerable to her own son's demise as any wife would be.

[serial muse]

Plus, since the Bible takes such a high view of marriage, I doubt they would leave out a significant detail like that about Jesus' life if he were in fact married.

 

From what I understand, people are suggesting that this scrap might be part of an apocryphal text. The history of New Testament is quite muddled and it's really a mishmash of texts, some of which actually contradict each other (the four gospels, for example, don't exactly line up event-for-event). And there was a lot of debate among the faithful in the early centuries of Christianity about what should be considered canon. That has evolved considerably over time, and obviously even the different branches of Christianity don't necessarily agree on what that canon is. The texts that didn't make it in are called the Apocrypha (and what is apocryphal, as I said, varies somewhat between the different branches of Christianity).

 

All of which is to say that just because the version of the Old/New Testaments known as the King James Bible (for example) doesn't include a particular detail -- for example, a statement that Jesus had a wife -- doesn't mean it wasn't ever written down anywhere else. For example, on this scrap of text. Which is kind of the point. As you yourself noted, Jesus having a wife does seem to detract from the (apparent) message of the New Testament as commonly accepted - so if you think about that, you can see how the people who eventually won the canon debate may have had their reasons for erasing a salient point of Jesus' life - far easier to paint him as a selfless martyr if he doesn't have very obvious worldly ties. And they were very much in the business of building their brand. Staying on-message. The nature of Jesus' divinity -- just how human was he? Half? All? -- was a key part of the debate, and one that became the basis for a number of heresies in the ensuing centuries. The idea that he might have had a wife certainly alters one's view of him: It makes him appear more human, and consequently somewhat less divine. Whether that's a bad thing for the faith depends on your viewpoint.

 

To answer the OP: I have no idea. I don't think there's any reliable record to refer to, and that includes the various versions of the Bible. Who knows what really happened?

Edited September 19, 2012 by serial muse

[OpenBook]

My understanding - Jesus was fully human. And in my mind it wouldn't detract at all from His divinity if He indeed had a wife.

 

I wonder if another reason why His marital status was never revealed, was to protect His offspring?? Can you imagine, there could be people running around today who are descended from His lineage... just like He was a direct descendant of David. Extraordinary.

 

Just a few weeks ago I voiced (and wrote, elsewhere from LS) almost word-for-word exactly the same thing M30USA said above - that if Jesus really did have a wife, the early Christians would have emphasized & celebrated it in the Bible, as big as they are on the institution of marriage, rather than ignoring or hiding it. But now I'm not so sure.

 

I'm also aware of the Biblical references to the bride of Christ and how most Christians interpret that as being the church. So this new piece of evidence could simply be another reference to that.

 

Still makes me wonder though.

[strongnrelaxed]

Reality is irrelevant when it comes to such matters. The story that has been sold to believers is that Jesus was a bachelor. Period. That will not change unless believers are told to accept the next thing by their leaders. This is how it works folks.

 

There is no room for evidence, proof, facts or anything related to reason or critical thinking in a belief system. The words "faith" and "belief" are essentially antonyms for reason and fact. That is the whole point - you don't have to believe that there is a sky - it is just there and accepted. No belief needed - you can actually see it. That makes it a fact. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is a freaking wingnut, horribly uneducated, or trying to trick you.

 

Pastors will continue to do and say what they always do and say. This is the great thing about religion - they only change when they are told to change. To wit, here is the Pope on purgatory - Purgatory is a process, not a place, pope says | National Catholic Reporter

 

This is last year folks. All those years of telling grieving parents that their deceased babies are going to hell wasn't cutting it, so they created a new place called limbo or purgatory (not mentioned in the bible by the way). Then that wasn't cutting it before too long, because those same parents want to be reunited with their deceased babies when they themselves go to heaven. So not purgatory is no longer a place but a "process"

 

Awww. How sweet. Isn't the pope nice to make such a decree? From time to time the actual pesky realities of their followers trump doctrine in the most interesting ways.

 

The church did this with exorcism, the flat earth, bacteria, viruses, chemistry, alchemy, geocentrism, and the list goes on and on. They have no choice but to keep up with undeniable scientific facts - even if centuries later. If they did not, then they would become completely irrelevant to thinking people. And thinking people are the only ones who have money to donate. You can only stretch credibility so far folks. Just so far. And religions always seem to know exactly how far that is by the size of their coffers.

 

So they can no longer deny that the earth is spherical, otherwise the people who sail or fly around the world or see photos from outer space would catch onto the scam and start asking harder questions. In fact they do, and many ultimately leave the cult into which they have been indoctrinated.

 

So Jesus being married or not is irrelevant. Of course he was married. People going back to DaVinci have been trying to tell us over and over and over. The apocryphal books of the bible were left out for a reason. If you believe the believers and their bible, these apocryphal books were inspired by god herself - but it was decided by a very select group of men that these texts be excluded. Truth in action right there.

 

Let's just understand this once and for all. Believers do not want the real truth. They prefer a different sort of reality - a "belief" or "faith" flavor of what they call "my truth" (I guess we all live in a different reality now?). In this new sort of "truth" they have ghosts that follow them around, an invisible old man who floats around in the sky with a magical bird and his hippie son and who can read our minds, they consume the flesh of a man who died two milennia ago (symbolically or literally depending one who you ask), they and worship the dead bloody battered corpse of one of the most decent humans to ever walk the earth, displayed in all of its painful glory on a wooden pole of torture for all to see.

 

These are all facts. I am just reporting them. This is a tricky thing for believers because when they are confronted with such things they only have a few options.

 

1. Deny what has been said, which unfortunately they cannot because these things are deeply embedded in their belief systems.

 

2. Agree with what has been said, which makes the belief system all the more bizarre and creepy and exposes the belief system for the cult it really is.

 

3. Plug their ears and close their eyes and start quoting scripture, because that's just about all one can do when confronted with their own biblical facts presented by a person who can think critically.

 

4. Start name calling and attacking the presenter and everything else about him/her while ignoring the basic facts presented. (The most hypocritical approach in my book)

 

5. Take the Christian high road approach and "pray for" the presenter and hope god forgives him/her. (the most decent and Christian approach of all, in my book)

 

This is the only pattern I have seen hundreds of times over. It is easy to predict because it is all there is.

 

When one debates with scientists and educated people - or even common folks without a high falutin' education but have good critical thinking skills, the conversation becomes wondrous and complex and multi faceted. It takes into account many perspectives and many potential outcomes until the best contender stands above the rest. Not because the perspective was shouted out the loudest, or bullied into existence, or repeated most often, or threatened - but because it is the one that can be proven using reasonable standards of proof and scientific inquiry.

 

Good luck all.

Edited September 21, 2012 by strongnrelaxed
Typos

[TaraMaiden]

The Pope is a plagiarist, now....?

 

To wit, here is the Pope on purgatory - "Purgatory is a process, not a place", pope says.

A famous Quaker quotation states:

 

"Peace is a PROCESS to engage in , not a PLACE to be reached."

 

.....the pope said, adding that the suffering is purgatory.

Whereas we would state:

Pain may be unavoidable, but Suffering is Optional.

Edited September 21, 2012 by a LoveShack.org Moderator
Merge

[BetheButterfly]

They found a scrap with ancient (Coptic?) writing on it that describes Jesus referencing his wife. Here is a link to a CNN article about it:

 

Newly revealed Coptic fragment has Jesus making reference to 'my wife' – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs

 

I always assumed that Jesus never married. It isn't mentioned anywhere in the Bible. Although come to think of it - I don't think it says anywhere that He DIDN'T marry.

 

What say you? Do you believe Jesus ever got married?

 

 

If Jesus had a wife, she would have been mentioned by his apostles who walked and talked with him. This knowledge, plus the leadership of the wife (and any kids) would have been a vital part of the history of the Apostles and the early Christians.

 

There is no place in any book of the New Testament that infers Jesus having a wife. However, he did have many friends and followers who were women (and still does today).

 

 

Jesus' women friends and followers who traveled from place to place with him and his disciples. However, there are no accounts of any sexual stuff going on between Jesus and his followers.

 

The following are a few verses that mention some of them: (I boldened some of the verses below.)

 

Luke 8

http://www.biblegate...e 8&version=NIV

 

"After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means."

 

John 11

http://www.biblegate... 11&version=NIV

 

"Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

 

Jesus loved and respected both men and women. His goal was in obeying God the Father: healing people, teaching the Good News (the gospel) and doing what God wanted him to do. He was not your typical guy who got married and settled down, no. Instead, he didn't even have a permanent home during his ministry. (Luke 9:57-62).

 

I don't think God wanted him to get married and leave a wife and kids behind when he ascended into Heaven.. I believe Jesus was celibate, though I'm not sure if he just controlled himself or if he was born without the desire for sex.

 

By the way, the church (group of believers) is called the bride of Christ, but that is a spiritual term. it doesn't mean we will be physically married to Jesus. Rather, it's a spiritual term to show connection with Jesus. That, however, is a metaphor in Paul's writings.

 

Ephesians 5 (I boldened some.)

Ephesians 5 NIV - Follow God

 

"21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

 

Paul, who knew the apostles of Jesus personally, is the one who advocated the idea of the church being the wife of Christ. This shows as well that Jesus did not have a wife, since the idea of the wife of Jesus became a metaphor for the church. If Jesus was married, I would think all of the accounts about what Jesus said and did, including those in the Bible of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, would have mentioned her, as well as Paul.

 

As for the recent discovery, sadly, forgeries and other "gospels" exist. The Gospel of Barnabas, for example, is one which was conveniently found after Muhammad's time and which denies that Jesus is the Messiah. That flies in the face of the message that Jesus and his followers taught others. (It is also against the Qur'an, ironically, because the Qur'an does state that Jesus is the Messiah.)

 

Sadly, not every manuscript written about Jesus is correct. That is why the Bible was compiled with what the early believers in Jesus considered to be true, based on the testimonies of the apostles of Jesus and those who knew the apostles personally. After the apostles of Jesus died, it was vital to have a group of manuscripts that contained the message of what Jesus said and did, as well as encouragement for those who believe in him.

 

Again, if Jesus had been married, his apostles would have let people know about that as well, and his wife would have become famous among the followers of Jesus, both Jewish and Gentile. However, Jesus obviously came not with the desire to get married and start a family, but rather to be the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (Isaiah 53, Matthew 1:21; John 1:29)

 

Christians believe that God rose him up from the dead. One of the reasons we believe this is because of the testimony of his apostles, as well as the Holy Spirit guiding us. Christians also believe that Jesus will come again. So, Jesus is not considered a mere mortal man who gets married, but rather the Savior of the World who will reign on the throne of King David forever (Luke 1:29-33).

Edited September 21, 2012 by BetheButterfly

[strongnrelaxed]

If Jesus had a wife, she would have been mentioned by his apostles who walked and talked with him. This knowledge, plus the leadership of the wife (and any kids) would have been a vital part of the history of the Apostles and the early Christians.

 

There is no place in any book of the New Testament that infers Jesus having a wife. However, he did have many friends and followers who were women (and still does today).

 

 

Jesus' women friends and followers who traveled from place to place with him and his disciples. However, there are no accounts of any sexual stuff going on between Jesus and his followers.

 

The following are a few verses that mention some of them: (I boldened some of the verses below.)

 

Luke 8

http://www.biblegate...e 8&version=NIV

 

"After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means."

 

John 11

http://www.biblegate... 11&version=NIV

 

"Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” 5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, 7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

 

Jesus loved and respected both men and women. His goal was in obeying God the Father: healing people, teaching the Good News (the gospel) and doing what God wanted him to do. He was not your typical guy who got married and settled down, no. Instead, he didn't even have a permanent home during his ministry. (Luke 9:57-62).

 

I don't think God wanted him to get married and leave a wife and kids behind when he ascended into Heaven.. I believe Jesus was celibate, though I'm not sure if he just controlled himself or if he was born without the desire for sex.

 

By the way, the church (group of believers) is called the bride of Christ, but that is a spiritual term. it doesn't mean we will be physically married to Jesus. Rather, it's a spiritual term to show connection with Jesus. That, however, is a metaphor in Paul's writings.

 

Ephesians 5 (I boldened some.)

Ephesians 5 NIV - Follow God

 

"21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[b] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[c] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

 

Paul, who knew the apostles of Jesus personally, is the one who advocated the idea of the church being the wife of Christ. This shows as well that Jesus did not have a wife, since the idea of the wife of Jesus became a metaphor for the church. If Jesus was married, I would think all of the accounts about what Jesus said and did, including those in the Bible of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, would have mentioned her, as well as Paul.

 

As for the recent discovery, sadly, forgeries and other "gospels" exist. The Gospel of Barnabas, for example, is one which was conveniently found after Muhammad's time and which denies that Jesus is the Messiah. That flies in the face of the message that Jesus and his followers taught others. (It is also against the Qur'an, ironically, because the Qur'an does state that Jesus is the Messiah.)

 

Sadly, not every manuscript written about Jesus is correct. That is why the Bible was compiled with what the early believers in Jesus considered to be true, based on the testimonies of the apostles of Jesus and those who knew the apostles personally. After the apostles of Jesus died, it was vital to have a group of manuscripts that contained the message of what Jesus said and did, as well as encouragement for those who believe in him.

 

Again, if Jesus had been married, his apostles would have let people know about that as well, and his wife would have become famous among the followers of Jesus, both Jewish and Gentile. However, Jesus obviously came not with the desire to get married and start a family, but rather to be the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (Isaiah 53, Matthew 1:21; John 1:29)

 

Christians believe that God rose him up from the dead. One of the reasons we believe this is because of the testimony of his apostles, as well as the Holy Spirit guiding us. Christians also believe that Jesus will come again. So, Jesus is not considered a mere mortal man who gets married, but rather the Savior of the World who will reign on the throne of King David forever (Luke 1:29-33).

The challenge is that others have used scriptures and apocryphal text to claim otherwise. Your quarrel is not with me - it is with biblical scholars.

 

Those books were left out of the bible for a reason.