Posted on 09/28/2012 8:38:33 AM PDT by Steelfish
Gospel of Jesus Wife Fragment Is a Fake, Vatican Says
September 28, 2012 VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - An ancient papyrus fragment which a Harvard scholar says contains the first recorded mention that Jesus may have had a wife is a fake, the Vatican said on Friday.
"Substantial reasons would lead one to conclude that the papyrus is indeed a clumsy forgery," the Vatican's newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, said in an editorial by its editor, Gian Maria Vian. "In any case, it's a fake."
Joining a highly charged academic debate over the authenticity of the text, written in ancient Egyptian Coptic, the newspaper published a lengthy analysis by expert Alberto Camplani of Rome's La Sapienza university, outlining doubts about the manuscript and urging extreme caution.
The fragment, which reads "Jesus said to them, my wife" was unveiled by Harvard Professor Karen King as a text from the 4th century at a congress of Coptic Studies in Rome last week.
Her study divided the academic community, with some hailing it as a landmark discovery while others rapidly expressed their doubts .
"It's really pretty unlikely that it's authentic," University of Durham Professor Francis Watson told Reuters after he published a paper arguing the words on the fragment were a rearrangement of phrases from a well known Coptic text.
Watson, who has previously worked on identifying forged gospels, said it was likely to be an ancient blank fragment that was written over in the 20th or 21st century by a forger seeking to make money.
Watson argues the words on the fragment do not fit grammatically into a larger text.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
That is all a fabrication.
The book is a work of fiction and the supposed "historical facts" it discusses are entirely made up.
Well, you could knock me over with a feather. (sarc)
His spouse is spiritual - known as The Church, and He comes later to seek her as His bride.
The agenda is to cast doubt over the authenticity of the canon and thereby the Church.
Same as with the gnostic texts.
Looks like the gullible ivy league feministas were duped. Guess the discrediting of the church they hate will have to wait for another day.
Heck, she’s a Harvard scholar, she has to be right and taken seriously by the pink media /sarc
Only on Super Bowl Sunday.
Hitler Diaries. Of course. But this isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last, antiquities “experts” will have been scammed along with their adherents. The Piltdown Man, for instance.
This, IMO, is just one more, albeit veiled, attempt at discrediting the Roman Church. Most Christians don’t really care whether Jesus was married or not, but Catholics do care; and God knows, the Church cares! How lovely for the agendae of dems and academics everywhere if the slander takes.
It doesn’t matter to you one way or the other? I does to me. My bible says absolutely nothing about Jesus having a girlfriend, or a wife.
A. If your Bible does say that he had a girlfriend, or wife, chapter and verse, please.
B. If you Bible says nothing about it, it is a lie to say that it does. Why are you not defending the word of God against this lie?
Seems that I heard somewhere that Obama was also a Harvard something-or-other...
One could postulate therefore that all Harvard something-or-others are phonies. Won't pass the rules of logic test but it is well within the reasoning matrix of the mainstream meadianuts and therefore should warrant a front page above the fold exposure...
Ummm.. Let me think...
I seem to remember that the answer to that question has something to do with my tagline...
You’re a dupe.
Do you really think Catholics are the only ones who care about heresy? I do believe that’s how the Protestant church came into being....
It's a lie. Jesus is not married.
Geez, lighten up Frances. If I recall correctly, nowhere in MY Bible does it say Jesus had - or didn’t have - a wife or girlfriend. He did befriend Mary Magdalene who happened to be a girl, therefore she is a girl-friend.
While I’m on the subject, nowhere in MY Bible does it mention computers or the internet. Guess you better shut your off, huh? Not approved by God in a book written by, well, men only at the direction of God.
Is the ‘find’ a lie? Most likely but you have to admit that the Church, having based it’s dogma on Him being celibate certainly has a one-sided interest in perpetuating that view.
As for my belief? I believe in Jesus Christ and God Almighty. I think the Bible notes that Jesus was without sin and through His life, death, and resurrection purchased our forgiveness. Your rant indicates to me that you believe that had Jesus been married it would be a sin. Since marriage is defined and proscribed in the Bible, you explain to me how Him being married is sinful? No need to quote chapter and verse as you demanded from me, I don’t play that game.
My feelings for God and my Saviour aren’t dictated by something I read. Influenced but not dictated, mind you. I pray to God daily through Christ, not to the Holy Bible. A genuine relationship with the Lord seems to work for me rather than a regurgitation of quotes from the Bible.
And, go ahead and tell me I’m wrong because I don’t believe what you believe. Those pesky Muslims do it all the time to us infidels. See, I’ve had two strokes. The second one should have left me deaf and blind. I’m pretty sure I can still see and hear because of the intervention of my Lord and Saviour. In my mind, my lack of belief as you define it hasn’t precluded the love of God and Jesus from being showered upon me.
But, that’s just me. Unlike you, I don’t expect you to worship or believe as I do. You do it your way, I’ll do it mine. Here’s a quote from the Bible (or paraphrase): Judgement is mine, sayeth the Lord. Maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to judge others and leave God’s job to God.
May the Good Lord Bless and keep you. May He wrap His loving arms around you. May He walk with you to give you guidance and may He be your strength when yours fails. Amen.
Ron
Frances here. Apparently you have some sort of deaf and blind problem, I guess, you weren’t that clear about it. Sorry to hear that, I’ll pray for you.
Note: this topic was posted 9/28/2012. Thanks Steelfish.
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