Did Jesus have a wife?
Scholars
examining a 4th century scrap of papyrus containing fragments of an unknown
Gospel written in Coptic, the language used by some early Christians in Egypt,
have announced that one line has been translated as: Jesus
said to them, 'My wife...' The text is cut off at that
point.
What the
text actually means is the subject of much debate. Scholars caution that it
doesn't necessarily mean that Jesus was married, or that it should be taken
literally. At best it may only indicate that there was an active discussion
among early Christians as to whether Jesus was married, or celibate, as came
to be the traditional view.
Fortunately
we have located a copy of the full text:
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Jesus said unto
them, “Take my wife.... Please!”
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And John the Apostle gave forth with a mighty
rimshot;
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And the Hebrews did laugh as a multitude.
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And the Lord said, “Blessed are they who tip
their waitresses.”