Was Jesus Married?

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Six Coptic words on a fragment of 4th-century parchment could redefine the Jesus narrative, as the Harvard scholar charged with their research claims they suggest the Son of God was a married man. The parchment is tantalisingly torn mid-sentence so the words in question read "Jesus said to them, 'My wife...' ". Writing in Slate, David Haglund argues this could affect Christian patriarchies.

The question of whether Jesus married, Haglund points out, is not definitively settled in the Bible. "Certainly some of the people I went to church with growing up believed that Jesus was married. That’s because I grew up Mormon...and some high-profile early Mormons believed that he was."

"As the article in the New York Times points out, the debate about whether Jesus was married still matters today, as 'global Christianity is roiling over the place of women in ministry and the boundaries of marriage.' If this text helps those pushing for more authority for women in their denominations, and a broader idea of marriage, so much the better."