Gospel of Jesus' wife - fake or real? This is perhaps the biggest question that many Catholics are trying to decipher today after an artifact containing the words "Jesus said to them, my wife" has been analysed by experts.
According to New York Daily News, recent tests on a small piece of papyrus containing the words "Jesus said to them, my wife" reveal that the artifact is not fake but an authentic document dating from A.D. 569 to 859.
Harvard Divinity School said in a statement Thursday that the analyses of the papyrus and carbon ink testing are now done in determining the origin date of the small piece of papyrus. "None of the testing has produced any evidence that the fragment is a modern fabrication or forgery," the school added.
It can be noted that the "Gospel of Jesus' wife" scrap was revealed to the public in 2012, and many religious experts and church leaders questioned its authenticity right away because of its blunt reference to Jesus' "wife."
Hollis Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, Karen King, was the one who announced the existence of such a controversial artifact.
However, King said that though the fragment may make it sound as though Jesus had a wife, the statement was simply an affirmation that "women who are mothers and wives can be disciples of Jesus - a topic that was hotly debated in early Christianity as celibate virginity increasingly became highly valued."
The recent tests performed on the alleged "Gospel of Jesus' wife" papyrus included radiocarbon dating, which was carried out at Harvard University, and a microspectroscopy, which was performed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Microspectroscopy is a test that determines the damage caused by time on any artifact; it also aids in the identification of its authenticity.
The alleged "Gospel of Jesus' wife" document is written in Coptic and it is believed to have come from Egypt.
In the said scrap, which is about the size of a business card, Jesus is quoted mentioning his mother, his wife, and a female disciple.
The Independent reports that the exact words translated from the papyrus reads: "Jesus said to them, 'My wife... She will also be my disciple."
Meanwhile, the Vatican has not yet released an updated statement about the "Gospel of Jesus' wife" artifact. In 2012, the Vatican newspaper published an editorial saying that the document was a fake.
On the other hand, Brown University Professor Leo Depuydt, in an analysis for the Harvard Theological Review, opined that the "Gospel of Jesus' wife" papyrus might be fake since the text contains grammatical errors. Something, which according to him, is not possible for a native Coptic speaker.
What do you think about the ancient document? Do you think the "Gospel of Jesus' wife" artefact if fake or not? Sound off in the comments section below.
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