Jesus had a wife and kids. Hmmmm

[Skwim]

"[A]Long-lost ancient manuscript discovered in the British Library claims Christ married prostitute Mary Magdalene and they had children.
Jesus married his 'soul-mate' Mary Magdalene and they had two children together, a new book has claimed.
'The Lost Gospel' also alleges there was an unknown plot on Jesus' life 13 years before his crucifixion and an assassination attempt on Mary Magdalene and their children.
Professor of religious studies Barrie Wilson and historical writer Simcha Jacobovici based these claims on a manuscript dating back 1,450 years which they discovered in the British Library.
They spent months translating the ancient text and have controversially said that the original Virgin Mary was Jesus's wife, not his mother.

The book also elaborates on Jesus's alleged connections to top political figures in the Roman Empire such as Emperor Tiberius and his best friend, the soldier Sejanus."
source
​

Of course this will be viewed as heresy by almost all Christians, but I know this isn't the first claim of its kind to surface, and, in fact, may well hold more than a grain of truth. Well researched books such as The Passover Plot, The Messianic Legacy, and The Jesus Mysteries all propose scenarios quite at odds with the Bible story of Jesus, and make pretty good cases for the errancy of the Biblical version of his life.

Just sayin'

 

[Pegg]

OH, great... another long lost ancient manuscript that tells the real story.

Cool

 

[Thana]

Heh, I'm with Pegg. Nice try tho

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Simcha Jacobovici? That hoaxer who claimed to find the tomb of Jesus a few years ago? No, thanks. Just more garbage. Also, I'm not interested in feeding the delusions of certain people that they're the descendants of Jesus, like Boyd Rice.

 

[Bunyip]

Well jesus does travel with Mary, and travelling with an unmarried woman would have been illegal. It would also have been far more remarkable for a man of his time to be unmarried than to be married. Were Jesus unmarried, that would have been uncommon enough to have been commented upon.

 

[George-ananda]

Even if He did have a wife and two kids would that be such a bad thing? Not in my thinking anyway even though I tend to doubt that He did.

 

[Bunyip]

Even if He did have a wife and two kids would that be such a bad thing? Not in my thinking anyway even though I tend to doubt that He did.

I don't think it wpuld have been an issue at all for the early church. The problem was that as Christianity grew, so did the immense power and wealth of the Bishops and Cardinals. Celibacy was introduced to stop the Bishops from being able to tranfer their wealth and power to their sons and thus challenge the authority and power of the nobility. An unmarried Jesus would have fit this agenda better than a married Jesus.

 

[Skwim]

I don't think it wpuld have been an issue at all for the early church. The problem was that as Christianity grew, so did the immense power and wealth of the Bishops and Cardinals. Celibacy was introduced to stop the Bishops from being able to tranfer their wealth and power to their sons and thus challenge the authority and power of the nobility. An unmarried Jesus would have fit this agenda better than a married Jesus.

Right.

There was a lot more that went into presenting the "truth" in the gospels than truth. The Bible presents the story as it best benefited those in charge of its construction rather than an accurate account of events. Not that this is a new revelation of any kind, but I think it deserves restating from time to time lest it be forgotten.

 

[Faybull]

Good, starting point:
"And Jesus called his disciples to the wedding."
John 2:2


Cheers.

 

[xkatz]

 

[Harikrish]

Jesus was unemployed and at 30 remained unmarried. Some priests believe there is an explanation for this oddity.

Was Jesus gay? Probably

Was Jesus gay? Probably | Paul Oestreicher | Comment is free | The Guardian

Montefiore exhibited in 1967, when he was invited to lecture to the Modern Churchman's Union at Somerville College, Oxford. Knowing it was an open lecture, he nevertheless put forward the theory that because Jesus had remained unmarried, an unusual occurrence for a Jew of his age and time, he might have been homosexually inclined.


Obituary: The Rt Rev Hugh Montefiore | World news | The Guardian

 

[BSM1]

There's no evidence in any scripture that says Mary Magdelene was a prostitute. It would seem that these alleged Bible scholars should have known this.

 

[Skwim]

There's no evidence in any scripture that says Mary Magdelene was a prostitute. It would seem that these alleged Bible scholars should have known this.

I stand by my comment in post 8,
"The Bible presents the story as it best benefited those in charge of its construction rather than an accurate account of events."

 

[oldbadger]

..................a manuscript dating back 1,450 years ..................
Just sayin'

....so it was written 550 years after the event.
Bulldust.
......just sayin'

 

[allfoak]

It likely an allegory of transformation depicting the birth of the soul and the spirit and entrance into the kingdom through the coming together of opposites, male/female .

The history is of little value.

 

[LuisDantas]

While I don't see any problem with Jesus having a wife and children, I don't think we have enough evidence of his literal existence, let alone that much detail.

 

[allfoak]

It

While I don't see any problem with Jesus having a wife and children, I don't think we have enough evidence of his literal existence, let alone that much detail.

There are those who say that that is not true, but i think you are correct.
The mistake that is made is that it is discarded as useless if not historically correct.
That however is not entirely the case.
While it would be a problem for the business of Christianity to be found to be a fraud for promoting the historical Jesus as God,
people could then see what the real purpose was for writing the gospels.
The people who wrote these stories were not historians.

The Story of Jesus and Mary is as old as the gospels themselves.
It is a story that has been used to both reveal and conceal the truth.

 

[Skwim]

....so it was written 550 years after the event.
Bulldust.
......just sayin'

Okay, then when was it written?

 

[Bunyip]

Jesus was unemployed and at 30 remained unmarried. Some priests believe there is an explanation for this oddity.

Was Jesus gay? Probably

Was Jesus gay? Probably | Paul Oestreicher | Comment is free | The Guardian

Montefiore exhibited in 1967, when he was invited to lecture to the Modern Churchman's Union at Somerville College, Oxford. Knowing it was an open lecture, he nevertheless put forward the theory that because Jesus had remained unmarried, an unusual occurrence for a Jew of his age and time, he might have been homosexually inclined.


Obituary: The Rt Rev Hugh Montefiore | World news | The Guardian

I think that Montefiore's argument there is remarkably ill-considered. Firstly we know almost nothing about Jesus' life, and more importantly - if he were gay or not he would still be obliged to marry. Gay people still get married in traditional societies. Getting married was a social obligation, not a matter of preference.
Whether he was attracted to men or not, he would be expected to marry.

 

[oldbadger]

Okay, then when was it written?

Well, the BM said circa 550 years ago:-
Professor of religious studies Barrie Wilson and historical writer Simcha Jacobovici based these claims on a manuscript dating back 1,450 years which they discovered in the British Library.
........ I do like the concept of Jesus and Mary having been married, with children, but the mention of Mary being a prostitute throws this into difficulties methinks. I think that the whole doc needs to be translated and made public, and the HJ scholars need to give opinion upon it.