Was Jesus Married?

[Merlin]

other than Mary Madeleine, there is another candidate for the wife of Jesus. She is Mary of Bethany, sister of Martha and Lazarus.

She and her family are clearly on familiar terms with Jesus, and they are also a wealthy family, maintaining a house in a fashionable suburb of Jerusalem large enough to accommodate Jesus and his entire entourage.

When in the fourth Gospel Lazarus falls ill, Jesus is staying with his disciples on the Jordan. Hearing of what has happened, he nevertheless delays for two days, a rather curious reaction. He then returns to Bethany where Lazarus lies 'dead' in the tomb. As he approaches Martha rushes forth to meet him (John 11:21). The incident is significant because Martha, when she reached Jesus, is alone. One would expect Mary, her sister, to be with her. Mary, however is sitting in the house and does not emerge until Jesus explicitly commands her to do so.

It would be plausible enough for Mary to be sitting in the house when Jesus arrives. According to Jewish custom she would be sitting Shiveh (sitting in mourning), because Lazarus is dead. Under the tenets of Judaic law at this time a woman sitting in shiveh would have been strictly forbidden to emerge from the house except at the express bidding of her husband. In this incident, the behaviour of Jesus and Mary of Bethany conforms precisely to the traditional behaviour of a Jewish man and wife.

 

[Merlin]

Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany are almost certainly the same person.

 

[James the Persian]

What ever happened to Mary Magdalene? I know she was painted a... uhh... women of some small disrepute by the Catholic Leadership early on in it's history, but some Gnostics I've spoken to regard her as the wife of Jesus, possibly bearing children.

Actually, painting St. Mary Magdalene as a prostitute was not that early on, was the result of an error by a single Pope and was never accepted outside of the west (and this is before the Schism - the Pope involved is an Orthodox as well as Roman Catholic saint). The Pope responsible was St. Gregory the Great and he appears to have made a genuine mistake in conflating Mary Magdalene with the unnnamed sinful woman. Many have since followed him in this, but only in the west. St. Mary Magdalene is one of the most important saints in the Orthodox Church, is never viewed as having been a prostitute and is called 'Equal to the Apostles'. It is neo-Gnostic claptrap (a la Dan Brown) to suggest that there was a concerted effort to blacken Mary Magdalene's name and one that I find quite ironic given some of the misogyny directed at her in at least one of the Gnostic 'Gospels'.

James

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

The law of the time was very spcific about marriage. Many thing swere allowed only if one was married. For instance, no one could teach the Gospel unless married.

Your source?

 

[michel]

The West does have doubts, James, as shown by the following:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/print/religion/religions/features/biblemysteries/mary.shtml

Mary Magdalene's story is intimately linked with Jesus. She plays a starring role in one of the most powerful and important scenes in the Gospels.

When Jesus is crucified by the Romans, Mary Magdalene was there supporting him in his final terrifying moments and mourning his death. She also discovers the empty tomb, and she's a witness to the resurrection. She was there at the beginning of a movement that was going to transform the West. But the Mary Magdalene that lives in our memories is quite different. In art, she's often semi-naked, or an isolated hermit repenting for her sins in the wilderness: an outcast. Her primary link with Jesus is as the woman washing and anointing his feet. But we know her best as a prostitute.

The whole story of Mary as a prostitute, who is fallen and redeemed, is a very powerful image of redemption a signal that no matter how low one has fallen, one can be redeemed.

Powerful as this image may be, it is not the story of Mary Magdalene. Mary Magdalene is mentioned in each of the four gospels in the New Testament, but not once does it mention that she was a prostitute or a sinner. At some point Mary Magdalene became confused with two other women in the Bible: Mary, the sister of Martha and the unnamed sinner from Luke's gospel (7:36-50) both of whom wash Jesus' feet with their hair. In the 6th Century, Pope Gregory the Great made this assumption official by declaring in a sermon that these three characters were actually the same person: Mary Magdalene, Repentant Saint. The Catholic Church did later declare that Mary Magdalene was not the penitent sinner, but this was not until 1969. After several centuries, the reputation still lingers.

So who was Mary Magdalene?
Although we know something about Jewish society in ancient Palestine, 2,000 years ago, we know very little about Mary herself. The Bible provides no personal details of her age, status or family.

Her name, Mary Magdalene, gives us the first real clue about her. It suggests that she came from a town called Magdala. There is a place today called Magdala, 120 miles north of Jerusalem on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. We do know there was also an ancient place called Magdala from literature. The name occurs in the New Testament, and also in Jewish texts. Its full name is Magdala Tarichaea. Magdala seems to mean tower, and Tarichaea means salted fish, so its full name might be the tower of salted fish. If the name of the town was 'Tower of Salted Fish, it's no surprise that its main business was fishing. As a woman living in Magdala, Mary may have worked in the fish markets.

 

[cardero]

Was Jesus Married?
I do not think Jesus subscribed to such an earthly tradition. Did Jesus fool around? Again, I do not think Jesus would subscribe to such an earthly tradition.

 

[Merlin]

Your source?

Not my post, but Rabbinic law I believe

 

[dan]

It was Rabbinic law. It's not on the internet, so you'll have to give me some time.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

It was Rabbinic law. ... you'll have to give me some time.

I seriously doubt that, but I'll be gladly give you whatever timr you need.

 

[blueman]

According to Biblical history, He was not. Now if you want to point to writings by anonymous authors who pegged their writings (separate books outside of the Old and New Testament) under such biblical characters such as Barnabas, James, Mary and Thomas as being books with any level of credibility and accuracy, you will probably see some reference to Jesus being wed and having children or Jesus being homosexual, nonsense like that. The Bible never makes such claims, and if it were true and material as part of Jesus's life, I would assume it would have been cited in one of the New Testament books.

 

[dan]

I have requested a source from a Rabbi. He tells me it's Torah Law, and he's getting more information for me. I really don't care for that kind of patronization either. We're all adults here.

 

[blueman]

One thing we have to understand as well that the seal of the law was broken with the ministry and subsequent atonement for sins that was brought about through Jesus's incarnation, death and resurrection. There were a number of rituals and laws imbedded in Jewish that were superceded (such as not working on the Sabbath) by Jesus's ministry.

 

[dan]

Jesus specifically mentions all the laws that were fulfilled. Whatever laws not mentioned as specifically fulfilled cannot be construed as superceded, such as the law of the Sabbath. The marriage law was never mentioned.

 

[Katzpur]

You're mixed up on a whole lot of points, Matt.

If he was married, shoudln't he have gotten married earlier than 33?

If He was married, He probably did get married before He was 33. The Bible doesn't say anything about what He did or did not do when He was in His 20s. Do you think that the fact that the Bible doesn't mention Him getting married during His ministry means that He couldn't have married before starting His ministry?

If he was married, i would say he would have his own home, and wouldn't be living with his mother.

What makes you think He didn't have His own home, and what makes you think He was living with His mother?

He would probabaly had some kids too.

Maybe. Maybe not.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Jesus a jewish rabbi? if so, wouldn't that mean he would need to not have a wife, to stay spiritually pure or something?

Here's where you really blew it. A Rabbi at that time would definitely have been expected to be married. For a Rabbi to not be married would be the exception rather than the rule.

 

[Katzpur]

LDS source on Jesus marriage:

http://www.helpingmormons.org/married.htm

Cal,

Thanks for the link, but the fact is, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has absolutely no official doctrine on the subject of Jesus' marital status. Do you know the difference between an LDS website and a website about the LDS? It's pretty significant, trust me.

Kathryn

 

[dan]

Basically there are three kinds of websites: official Church websites; websites by members; and anti-Mormon websites. Too many people here spend a lot of time looking at anti-Mormon websites. Why so much time and effort committed to trying to destroy a church?

 

[Katzpur]

Basically there are three kinds of websites: official Church websites; websites by members; and anti-Mormon websites. Too many people here spend a lot of time looking at anti-Mormon websites. Why so much time and effort committed to trying to destroy a church?

Dan, Cal has never come across as someone who is "trying to destroy a church." I just think we needed to point out that not everything you read on the internet about the "Mormons" is true! As a matter of fact, as you and I both know, most of it isn't.

 

[dan]

Objectivity is rare in this case, because an objective observer often realizes the truth and joins the church.

 

[greatcalgarian]

Cal,

Thanks for the link, but the fact is, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has absolutely no official doctrine on the subject of Jesus' marital status. Do you know the difference between an LDS website and a website about the LDS? It's pretty significant, trust me.

Kathryn

Yes, but that is the easy way to get some representative view. Just like I cannot ask the Pope
http://www.catholic.net/the_pope_page/template_channel.phtml?channel_id=18
everytime I have a question. So I look up the most representative or authoritative web page on Catholic:
http://www.newadvent.org/

Did I have this web bible for LDS correct:
http://scriptures.lds.org/bm/contents

 

[dan]

http://scriptures.lds.org/contents - This page has the Book of Mormon, the Bible, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price.

http://www.mormon.org/ - This page has info on doctrine and basic beliefs.