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Was Jesus married?

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    Ancient Greek text contains dialogue referring to wife

  • Duration 3:34
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The question of which could -- it's a question which could change christianity if we as we know it if you buy it.

The Jesus Christ actually ever get married.

Religious scholars around the globe -- now said to be reexamining that debate because of some writing on a scrap of paper the size of a post it note.

A piece of paper that could be some 16100.

Years old.

It all goes to a Harvard professor of early christianity who yesterday unveiled this text see -- here.

If real it would contain the first known dialogue in which Jesus allegedly refers allegedly -- tournament which Jesus is said to refer to his wife.

Whom he identifies as Mary.

It's written in ancient Coptic and experts say it's likely translated from Greek.

Anyway Christian tradition obviously holds Jesus never got married I mean -- ever heard of mr.

and mrs.

Jesus.

Many scholars say they are very skeptical of this text summer demanding more tests to determine whether it's a forgery.

There's something about this fragment in -- appearance and also when the the grammar of the Coptic.

That strikes me as being not completely convincing somehow.

Get a Harvard professor says she welcomes the input and plans to test the documents paper and ink to get a better idea just how old it really is.

Trace Gallagher is working this story for us tonight why can't this be I mean.

Come on -- haven't haven't they know on this.

Well that -- look at about the age -- this thing shepherd they think this thing was it was no later written in the third century because that's when Coptic which is an ancient Egyptian language first -- to be written and I think it's from Egypt because clearly -- was only spoken in Egypt but take a look at this here's the fascinating part.

I spoke with a virus experts and they look at the edges of this -- see how clean they are.

He says there's no way that this is 17100 years old -- -- they would be tattered so he thinks.

This was actually cut from a larger document by a dealer sometime in the last maybe fifty or sixty years which means.

That a much bigger piece of the puzzle is still out there and listen.

It's very frustrated because we can only see part of the context we don't really.

Get everything that the writer was trying to get across by this we don't know what surrounded this and so on so it.

It's very important not to try to push this farther then the tiny fragment allows us to.

Bottom line it definitely refers to Jesus having a wife on that small piece of papyrus but we don't know the broader context.

And -- traced the phrase my wife aren't they looking into whether that might have had a different meaning in that time my wife.

You did it did back -- antiquities my wife -- -- -- -- someone who cooked and cleaned for you and not necessarily an intimate relationship for a sexual relationship in fact the Harvard professor who brought forth this document.

Even she says this certainly is not proof that Jesus had a wife.

But she says it does show that some 2000 years ago people were talking about whether Jesus was married or not listen.

Here we are is already knew that it -- -- already about a 150 years after the death of Jesus.

On the controversy going on about sexuality of the production.

Marriage with Christian life should be -- for the first time.

There -- asking this question was Jesus -- And by the way just -- you know on that piece of papyrus there were eight lines on the front and six lines on the back in the experts say the writing of the penmanship was.

Not very good at -- all right Trace Gallagher live with us tonight -- thanks.

Rival workers from the.

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