The big news in biblical studies this week is the discovery
of a fourth-century piece of papyrus written in Coptic that quotes Jesus
referring to “my wife.” The existence of the document was announced by Karen K.
King, a Harvard Divinity School professor. The story made the New
York Times, network
news, and every blog
ever written
by
New
Testament
scholars
(and non-scholars).
The consensus of the scholars is that this document is not
real proof that Jesus was married. It is too late (4th century) and
seems to be an isolated case. In fact, Professor
King’s academic journal article about the papyrus does
not primarily deal with whether Jesus was likely married or not. Her primary
argument is that the document suggests that women were considered among Jesus’
disciples early on in church history.(Of course, but it is good to have academic support on this.)
I must admit that to
me there is a more interesting question than whether Jesus was or wasn’t
married. The exact phrase on the snippet of papyrus is "Jesus
said to them, 'My wife …'"
Does this mean that Jesus might have been the first preacher
in Christian history to use his or her spouse in a sermon illustration?
(Find Mike Luckovich's cartoon here.)
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