New fragment raises questions about whether Jesus was married

This photo released by Harvard University shows a fourth century fragment of papyrus that divinity professor Karen L. King says is the only existing ancient text that quotes Jesus explicitly referring to having a wife. (AP Photo/Harvard University, Karen L. King)

A recently discovered papyrus fragment reportedly written in the fourth century is raising new questions about whether Jesus had a wife.

The scrap, smaller than a business card, was discovered by a noted Harvard theological scholar. It contains a phrase never before seen in any piece of Scripture: “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife…'”, The New York Times reports.

“It certainly is a tantalizing witness to some of the conversations and debates that were going on among the early Christians,” says Andrew Davis, assistant professor of theology at Seattle University, in an interview with Ross and Burbank.

The fragment is the oldest known reference to Jesus having a wife. But Davis says while the debates about whether Jesus was married and whether he had a female disciple date to the early centuries of Christianity, the fragment can hardly be considered authoritative.

“I think what we see is in this fragment is one side of the debate that was going on exactly on this question. And so I think we could find another fragment that says quote unquote authoritatively that Jesus was not married.”

Still, the fragment, if genuine, is important as the first known statement referring to Jesus having a wife. It’s a significant issue particularly in the Roman Catholic Church, where the Vatican has reiterated women and married men are ineligible for priesthood because Jesus was believed to be unmarried.

Some scholars are questioning the authenticity and significance of the much-publicized discovery.

“There’s something about this fragment in its appearance and also in the grammar of the Coptic that strikes me as being not completely convincing somehow,” said Stephen Emmel, a professor of Coptology at the University of Muenster, at the conference where the fragment was revealed.

Seattle University’s Davis says early gospels are silent on the issue of Jesus’ marital status. And he says ultimately what’s most significant about the fragment is the questions it raises about the role of women in Christianity and the debate among Christians about whether Jesus was celibate.

“And I think certainly the broader implications of this fragment would be exactly in that direction. I think recognizing the prominent role that women had not only in those earliest Christian communities, but in the centuries going forward, they continued to play a vital role in these Christian communities,” Davis says.

The Associated Press contributed to this report