A faded fragment of papyrus, known as the “Gospel of Jesus’ Wife”, is a genuine ancient artefact and not a fake, according to scientists.
The fragment is controversial because it makes reference to Jesus having a wife, saying:
“Jesus said to them, “My wife…”
The fragment is torn at the edge, with no clue as to what makes up the rest of the infamous sentence, but also includes the phrase:
“She is able to be my disciple”
The papyrus and ink were analysed by researchers from Columbia University, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who used carbon testing to date the document between the sixth and ninth centuries.
Karen L. King, the Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, said:
“This gospel fragment provides a reason to reconsider what we thought we knew by asking what the role claims of Jesus’s marital status played historically in early Christian controversies over marriage, celibacy, and family,”
The origins of the fragment, which emerged in 2011, are unknown, although it is believed to be from Egypt as the text is written in Coptic, the form of the Egyptian language used by Christians there starting in the Roman imperial period
The Vatican has declared the papyrus a fake as no scriptures make reference to Jesus having a wife or a female disciple and the idea goes against Catholic doctrine, with women not permitted to become priests.
The research was published in the journal Harvard Theological Review.
