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The Gospel of Jesus's Wife [View all]
As this topic was locked in General Discussion, I thought it would be good to post it here, for any further discussion. As was noted in a HuffPo article, the Harvard Theological Review published two articles, one claiming authenticity of the manuscript, and another claiming it is fake.
First an except from HuffPo, and then the two papers:
HuffPo:
An ancient, business-card-sized papyrus fragment that appears to quote Jesus Christ discussing his wife is real, Harvard University announced Thursday. The fragment caused international uproar when it was revealed by a Harvard historian in September 2012, with prominent academics and the Vatican swiftly deeming it a forgery.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/10/jesus-wife_n_5124712.html
Pro:
This article offers a critical edition of a papyrus fragment in Coptic that contains a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples in which Jesus speaks of “my wife.”1 The fragment does not provide evidence that the historical Jesus was married but concerns an early Christian debate over whether women who are wives and mothers can be disciples of Jesus. Solely for purposes of reference, the fragment is given the title The Gospel of Jesus's Wife (GJW).
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type=6&fid=9226238&jid=HTR&volumeId=107&issueId=02&aid=9226237&bodyId=&membershipNumber=&societyETOCSession=&fulltextType=RA&fileId=S0017816014000133
Con:
The following analysis submits that it is out of the question that the so-called Gospel of Jesus's Wife, also known as the Wife of Jesus Fragment, is an authentic source. The author of this analysis has not the slightest doubt that the document is a forgery, and not a very good one at that.
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type=6&fid=9226260&jid=HTR&volumeId=107&issueId=02&aid=9226259&bodyId=&membershipNumber=&societyETOCSession=&fulltextType=RA&fileId=S0017816014000194
I think there are two aspects to this:
1. The academic aspect of whether it is a forgery or not, and if not, what is its significance.
2. The religious aspect of what effect this would have on Christianity if it were true. It is certainly not in the tradition, but IMHO it isn't at odds with fundamental Christian beliefs. In fact, it is often stated that Jesus was a real man, with human weaknesses and emotions. So the idea of a wife seems natural.
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