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Suggestion of a married Jesus - Ancient papyrus shows that some early Christians believed he wed
Harvard Gazette ^ | 09-18-2012 | Staff writer Alvin Powell contributed to this report.

Posted on 09/18/2012 11:20:37 AM PDT by Red Badger

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To: DonkeyBonker; Red Badger

Maybe I’m a layman, and just read what is written, but isn’t the church supposed to be a like a bride, for Christ? Why wouldn’t He then refer to the church as “my wife, the church”?

/simplest explanation is usually the one that is right


41 posted on 09/18/2012 12:06:54 PM PDT by ro_dreaming (G.K. Chesterton, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting. It’s been found hard and lef)
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To: Red Badger

Well, the main point is that Jesus’ mission here on earth was not to get married and sire a genetic line of descendants. This would be a detraction from the real reason He came here.

His mission was to be a sacrifice for all so that jew and gentile alike could inherit eternal life if they believe in Him, and be adopted into God’s family.

God’s need for human sex to accomplish things is nonexistant. He had the power to become flesh, He has the power to make all peoples part of His family without them having to be part of His personal genetic dynasty.


42 posted on 09/18/2012 12:09:20 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (I can neither confirm or deny that; even if I could, I couldn't - it's classified.)
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To: Red Badger
It just means that he suffered a little more than we thought..........

It would mean he was wrong all the time....

:)

43 posted on 09/18/2012 12:09:20 PM PDT by NeoCaveman ("If I had a son he'd look like B.O.'s lunch" - Rin Tin Tin)
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To: RMDupree

1) Had Jesus married, it would not have been a sin. So, a claim that he was married would not detract from his sinless nature. (Not that I believe he was married—I don’t.)

2) The Bible repeatedly talks about the church (the body of believers) as being the bride of Christ. Remember, we’re reading someone’s translation of this scrap into English. Bride and wife mean the same thing. Had the translator chosen bride instead of wife “Jesus said: my bride” it wouldn’t be controversial to most Christian’s ears at all, as most would interpret it as a reference to the church.

3) There are thousands of “early christian” manuscripts floating around that are obvious fake/uninspired even to non-experts. There’s no reason to think this scrap didn’t come from a similar fake/uninspired manuscript unless it can be proven otherwise (in other words, finding a copy of the manuscript in its entirety so it can be analyzed).


44 posted on 09/18/2012 12:09:48 PM PDT by Brookhaven (The Democratic Party has become the Beclowning Party)
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To: grellis
“I've got a ton of crap to do this afternoon and now I have to go out and riot, sheesh”

Me too. My schedule is booked. I'll try to fit it in however. Maybe we should look at outsourcing our rioting on days we are busy?
There are probably some well qualified offshore companies that could handle our individual rioting needs at a reasonable price.

45 posted on 09/18/2012 12:13:13 PM PDT by HereInTheHeartland (Encourage all of your Democrat friends to get out and vote on November 7th, the stakes are high.)
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To: RMDupree

Ten bucks says the end result will be about Jesus referring to the church as his “Bride” - but some doofus is trying to gin up publicity by creating a “controversy”.

Ten bucks also says that IF jesus was married his wife was well past puberty.


46 posted on 09/18/2012 12:13:30 PM PDT by GraceG
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To: Red Badger; delacoert; Colofornian
Four words on a previously unknown papyrus fragment provide the first evidence that some early Christians believed Jesus had been married, Harvard Professor Karen King told the 10th International Congress of Coptic Studies today.

King, the Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, announced the existence of the ancient text at the congress’ meeting, held every four years and hosted this year by the Vatican’s Institutum Patristicum Augustinianum in Rome. The four words that appear on the fragment translate to “Jesus said to them, my wife.” The words, written in Coptic, a language of Egyptian Christians, are on a papyrus fragment of about one and a half inches by three inches.

I'll bet Mormons are ecstatic over the news!

Related thread:
Was Jesus Married?

47 posted on 09/18/2012 12:13:39 PM PDT by Alex Murphy (At the end of the day, you have to worship the god who can set you on fire.)
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To: ro_dreaming

Occam’s Razor............


48 posted on 09/18/2012 12:18:54 PM PDT by Red Badger (Anyone who thinks wisdom comes with age is either too young or too stupid to know the difference....)
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To: Houghton M.
I don't think she said it was Gnostic--just that it is similar to some previously-discovered Gnostic texts.

It's of no value for telling us anything about Jesus and the original disciples--it may shed light on what some divergent quasi-Christian group in Egypt thought 300 years later.

49 posted on 09/18/2012 12:19:57 PM PDT by Verginius Rufus
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To: Red Badger
“Jesus said to them, my wife...”

“...is the Church”?

“...is those who hear the Word and do it”?

See, at this point, we don’t know.

50 posted on 09/18/2012 12:20:14 PM PDT by RichInOC (Jesus is coming back soon...and man, is He ticked off. (I'm trying to keep it clean.))
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To: Red Badger

Where did you think the line “Take my wife... Please” come from?


51 posted on 09/18/2012 12:22:03 PM PDT by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong!)
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To: Red Badger

My personal view on this is that knowing his mission and his destiny he would not have wanted to put a wife through the horror of being widowed by the Crucifixion. Nor would he have wanted to muddle the message about us all being Redeemed Children of the Father by leaving actual blood descendants behind to stir controversy.

(I’m more worthy than you, as I’m a blood descendant of the Savior).

Muslims always get into spitting matches about who is blood descended from their prophets from what I’m told.


52 posted on 09/18/2012 12:22:23 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: grellis
I've got a ton of crap to do this afternoon and now I have to go out and riot, sheesh

ROTFL!

53 posted on 09/18/2012 12:22:42 PM PDT by Alex Murphy (At the end of the day, you have to worship the god who can set you on fire.)
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To: Red Badger

The entire quote in its context was “Jesus said, ‘Take my wife, please!’”


54 posted on 09/18/2012 12:23:22 PM PDT by blindsangamon
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To: txrefugee
Jesus said that the foxes have holes and the birds have nests, but He didn’t have a place to lay His head. Would Jesus have had a homeless wife and children? No. That would be irresponsible and that would be a sin.

Add to that, on the cross, He turns familial responsibility of His mother over to John, so that she would have someone to provide for her. He doesn't mention anyone taking care of a wife. Mary Magdalene, whom many "scholars" seem to list as the front runner in the wife category was standing right there. John 19:25-27

55 posted on 09/18/2012 12:23:33 PM PDT by Hoffer Rand (There ARE two Americas: "God's children" and the tax payers)
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To: Red Badger

The entire quote in its context was “Jesus said, ‘Take my wife, please!’”


56 posted on 09/18/2012 12:23:33 PM PDT by blindsangamon
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To: RichInOC

“Take my wife........please”............


57 posted on 09/18/2012 12:24:15 PM PDT by Red Badger (Anyone who thinks wisdom comes with age is either too young or too stupid to know the difference....)
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To: blindsangamon

GMTA!..............


58 posted on 09/18/2012 12:25:28 PM PDT by Red Badger (Anyone who thinks wisdom comes with age is either too young or too stupid to know the difference....)
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To: blindsangamon
The entire quote in its context was “Jesus said, ‘Take my wife, please!’”

Well, he was Jewish. The lost Book of Rodney?


59 posted on 09/18/2012 12:28:55 PM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
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To: Houghton M.
Your casual willingness to abandon 2000 years of belief is breathtaking.

My faith is based on a very personal salvation experience.

It is not rooted in the details of the church teachings or "belief". Same for things like the Shroud of Turin, the exact locations of sites like tombs, etc.

While I find them interesting, and I seek to learn more, I am strong in my faith in my Lord.

60 posted on 09/18/2012 12:31:35 PM PDT by 5thGenTexan
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