Jesus' "wife"

[DavidFilmer]

There’s another active thread here discussing the whole “wife of Jesus” thing. I want to approach this from a different direction:

Why would it matter?

Other than being interesting, if we discovered that it was really true, so what?

I don’t want to discuss whether it’s true (the other thread is doing that), but why anybody would care one way or another.

 

[patrick457]

There’s another active thread here discussing the whole “wife of Jesus” thing. I want to approach this from a different direction:

Why would it matter?

Other than being interesting, if we discovered that it was really true, so what?

I don’t want to discuss whether it’s true (the other thread is doing that), but why anybody would care one way or another.

On the one hand, the fragment doesn’t really answer the question whether the historical Jesus is married or not (as Prof. Karen King herself admits - anything else is just sensationalism). On the other hand, if the fragment is authentic, it may tell us the guy or the people who wrote it. If it’s a fake, then at least it will be interesting to find out how the putative forger managed to dupe Prof. King.

 

[Faith1960]

There’s another active thread here discussing the whole “wife of Jesus” thing. I want to approach this from a different direction:

Why would it matter?

Other than being interesting, if we discovered that it was really true, so what?

I don’t want to discuss whether it’s true (the other thread is doing that), but why anybody would care one way or another.

Other than the Church would then be wrong about teaching Jesu was single I wouldn’t care if He had been married.

 

[1ke]

Jesus is God.

 

[AussieTrish]

Written around 300 years after Jesus was born. Why should we believe it anyway?
How are people who lived hundreds of years later authorities on anyone’s life?

 

[Faith1960]

Written around 300 years after Jesus was born. Why should we believe it anyway?
How are people who lived hundreds of years later authorities on anyone’s life?

It’s thought to be a copy of a late 2nd century document.

 

[Sochi]

Written around 300 years after Jesus was born. Why should we believe it anyway?
How are people who lived hundreds of years later authorities on anyone’s life?

Yes, that is the question people ask who realize that we have no original Gospels and what we have is likely not written by MML&J, neither was Peter, and half of Paul. So. Good question.

 

[AussieTrish]

It’s thought to be a copy of a late 2nd century document.

mmm, but "thought to be’ is in no way conclusive.
The earth was thought to be flat which didn’t make it true…sailors’ experience showed no curving of the ocean…

 

[Usagi]

Yes, that is the question people ask who realize that we have no original Gospels and what we have is likely not written by MML&J, neither was Peter, and half of Paul. So. Good question.

The books of the New Testament may not trace back to Jesus’ lifetime, but they are still way closer than the “Jesus’ wife” fragment. Almost nobody traces the NT to multiple centuries after Jesus lived – the argument is over how many decades. There is no comparison.

Indeed, anyone who considers the Gospels too late to reflect the real Jesus but thinks this fragment tells us anything new about the guy would be exhibiting rather inconsistent standards of evidence.

Usagi

 

[CradleJourney]

There’s another active thread here discussing the whole “wife of Jesus” thing. I want to approach this from a different direction:

Why would it matter?

Other than being interesting, if we discovered that it was really true, so what?

I don’t want to discuss whether it’s true (the other thread is doing that), but why anybody would care one way or another.

Since my understanding is that the purpose of marriage is to create a family and raise offspring, putting one’s spouse ahead of any other earthly thing, then I’d be put off a bit by Jesus getting married when, presumably, he’d know he’d be leaving her to go off on his mission and that she would be far down on his list of priorities. The difference with the apostles were that they married before they knew Jesus would be coming and redirecting their life purposes.

 

[Sochi]

Indeed, anyone who considers the Gospels too late to reflect the real Jesus but thinks this fragment tells us anything new about the guy would be exhibiting rather inconsistent standards of evidence.

Usagi

I agree. Comment was about the question, not about validity of the fragment. Not much doubt for me Jesus was, but great doubt about interpretations. Fine if it works for believers, not so much for me, despite conviction that to those right next to Him Jesus had a vital message. There is still a message, just don’t think it is His.

 

[Petaro]

If Christ was married she was the quietest wife I have ever heard of. She does not appear at the foot of the Cross; her feelings on His death and Resurrection are not noted. Her opinions are not asked for, by anyone. Her complete absence from the Scriptures or the tradition of the Church is enough for me to see her as a spurious creation of someone who wrote a paragraph about something unsubstantiated by any other historical document.
Its importance is seen only in those wanting to vilify the Truths taught by all traditional Christianity.As you suggest - what does it matter.

 

[Faith1960]

If Christ was married she was the quietest wife I have ever heard of. She does not appear at the foot of the Cross; her feelings on His death and Resurrection are not noted. Her opinions are not asked for, by anyone. Her complete absence from the Scriptures or the tradition of the Church is enough for me to see her as a spurious creation of someone who wrote a paragraph about something unsubstantiated by any other historical document.
Its importance is seen only in those wanting to vilify the Truths taught by all traditional Christianity.As you suggest - what does it matter.

I occasionally email an archeologist when questions and topics like this come up. She Is a professor of classic and Near Eastern archaeology, specializes in ancient Palestine does research work in Jerusalem etc.
I contacted her while waiting for news about the test results and she said she and most scholars think there is no reason to believe Jesus was married.
That’s good enough for me.

 

[TimothyH]

Jesus and a human wife is an absolute theological absurdity. Follow it logically…

Jesus marries a woman - enters into a covenant relation ship with a wife - and then dies on the cross. Jesus’ wife is now the Widow of God. Pause here for a second. Just think about that for a moment… The Widow of God…

Covenants end when one of the members dies. The death of Jesus therefor releases Jesus’ wife from the marriage but then… SURPRISE! Her husband rises from the dead!!! Is the Widow of God still married to God? Is the Widow of God re-married to God? Is the Widow of God free to marry someone else? Is she both the Widow and the Wife of God?

Jesus then abandons the Widow/Wife of God (and possibly his children), ascends to Heaven and takes the Church as his bride. Jesus now has two wives; 1) the original Widow/Wife of God and, 2) the Church. Is this polygamy? Does the Church have to share Jesus with another bride? Are there two brides of Christ?

Then Jesus assumes his mother into heaven but doesn’t assume his wife and children into heaven. There really isn’t room for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Widowed Wife and Abandoned Children of God on the Church calendar anyway.

Reductio ad absurdum. It goes on and on, a complete theological nightmare, absurdity and exactly what some desire - nullification of our entire faith.

-Tim-

 

[TimothyH]

…

 

[TimothyH]

Jesus and a human wife is an absolute theological absurdity. Follow it logically…

Jesus marries a woman - enters into a covenant relation ship with a wife - and then dies on the cross. Jesus’ wife is now the Widow of God. Pause here for a second. Just think about that for a moment… The Widow of God…

Covenants end when one of the members dies. The death of Jesus therefor releases Jesus’ wife from the marriage but then… SURPRISE! Her husband rises from the dead!!! Is the Widow of God still married to God? Is the Widow of God re-married to God? Is the Widow of God free to marry someone else? Is she both the Widow and the Wife of God?

Jesus then abandons the Widow/Wife of God (and possibly his children), ascends to Heaven and takes the Church as his bride. Jesus is guilty of spouse and child abandonment and now has two wives; 1) the original Widow/Wife of God and, 2) the Church. Is this polygamy? Does the Church have to share Jesus with another bride? Are there two brides of Christ?

Then Jesus assumes his mother into heaven but doesn’t assume his wife and children into heaven. There really isn’t room for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Widowed Wife and Abandoned Children of God on the Church calendar anyway.

And would the Widowed and Abandoned Wife of God intercede for us?

Reductio ad absurdum. It goes on and on, a complete theological nightmare, absurdity and exactly what some desire - nullification of our entire faith.

-Tim-

 

[StrawberryJam]

Jesus and a human wife is an absolute theological absurdity. Follow it logically…

Jesus marries a woman - enters into a covenant relation ship with a wife - and then dies on the cross. Jesus’ wife is now the Widow of God. Pause here for a second. Just think about that for a moment… The Widow of God…

Covenants end when one of the members dies. The death of Jesus therefor releases Jesus’ wife from the marriage but then… SURPRISE! Her husband rises from the dead!!! Is the Widow of God still married to God? Is the Widow of God re-married to God? Is the Widow of God free to marry someone else? Is she both the Widow and the Wife of God?

Jesus then abandons the Widow/Wife of God (and possibly his children), ascends to Heaven and takes the Church as his bride. Jesus is guilty of spouse and child abandonment and now has two wives; 1) the original Widow/Wife of God and, 2) the Church. Is this polygamy? Does the Church have to share Jesus with another bride? Are there two brides of Christ?

Then Jesus assumes his mother into heaven but doesn’t assume his wife and children into heaven. There really isn’t room for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Widowed Wife and Abandoned Children of God on the Church calendar anyway.

And would the Widowed and Abandoned Wife of God intercede for us?

Reductio ad absurdum. It goes on and on, a complete theological nightmare, absurdity and exactly what some desire - nullification of our entire faith.

-Tim-

This is not the only thing that would raise doubt about the faith or nullify it by any means.
It is interesting how you have seen all the reasons why it will not comport with your faith.
It shows that questioning any of it could lead to it all falling right down.

 

[steve_b]

If Christ was married she was the quietest wife I have ever heard of. She does not appear at the foot of the Cross; her feelings on His death and Resurrection are not noted. Her opinions are not asked for, by anyone. Her complete absence from the Scriptures or the tradition of the Church is enough for me to see her as a spurious creation of someone who wrote a paragraph about something unsubstantiated by any other historical document.
Its importance is seen only in those wanting to vilify the Truths taught by all traditional Christianity.

CradleJourney
the purpose of marriage is to create a family and raise offspring

TimothyH

Jesus then abandons the Widow/Wife of God (and possibly his children), ascends to Heaven and takes the Church as his bride. Jesus is guilty of spouse and child abandonment and now has two wives; 1) the original Widow/Wife of God and, 2) the Church. Is this polygamy? Does the Church have to share Jesus with another bride? Are there two brides of Christ?

In addition, one would also have to ask, where are his children? Who out there was ever saying Jesus is my dad ? Dead silence on that one.

What does the CCC say about this.

789 , 796 , 808

I think it matters to say Jesus has one bride.

 

[Stillsosola]

I could care less if Jesus was married His divinity would still be divine not his spouse obviously but he himself would still be divine

 

[TimothyH]

In addition, one would also have to ask, where are his children? Who out there was ever saying Jesus is my dad and who then in extension was their mom? Dead silence on that one.

Not to mention, the Church is considered the bride of Christ. Jesus the bridegroom and the Church His bride.

789 , 796 , 808

The children would be the Grandchildren of God.

Jesus’ son would be the son of the Son of God.

The Second Person of the Trinity would be both God the Son and God the father.



-Tim-