Vatican paper weighs on 'Jesus' Wife' scrap: fake

Associated Press, Nicole Winfield, Sep. 27, 2012

This Sept. 5, 2012 photo released by Harvard University shows a fourth century
 fragment of papyrus that divinity professor Karen L. King says is the only existing
 ancient text that quotes Jesus explicitly referring to having a wife. King, an expert in
 the history of Christianity, says the text contains a dialogue in which Jesus refers to
 "my wife," whom he identified as Mary. King says the fragment of Coptic script is a copy
 of a gospel, probably written in Greek in the second century. (AP Photo/Harvard
University, Karen L. King)

  

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The Vatican newspaper has added to the doubts surrounding Harvard University's claim that a 4th century Coptic papyrus fragment showed that some early Christians believed that Jesus was married, declaring it a "fake."

The newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, published an article Thursday by leading Coptic scholar Alberto Camplani and an accompanying editorial by the newspaper's editor, Giovanni Maria Vian, an expert in early Christianity. They both cited concerns expressed by other scholars about the fragment's authenticity and the fact that it was purchased on the market without a known archaeological provenance.

"At any rate, a fake," Vian entitled his editorial, which criticized Harvard for creating a "clamorous" media frenzy over the fragment by handing the scoop to two U.S. newspapers only to see "specialists immediately question it."

Karen King, a professor of early Christianity at Harvard Divinity School, announced the finding last week at an international congress on Coptic studies in Rome. The text, written in Coptic and probably translated from a 2nd century Greek text, contains a dialogue in which Jesus refers to "my wife," whom he identifies as Mary.

The issue has had resonance since Christian tradition has long held that Jesus was unmarried, and any evidence to the contrary would fuel current debates about celibacy for priests and the role of women in the church.

As such, it's not surprising that the Vatican would challenge the claim.

King has said the fragment doesn't prove Jesus was married, only that some early Christians thought he was. She has acknowledged the doubts raised by her colleagues and says the fragment's ink will be tested to help determine when it was written.

Some scholars attending the conference questioned the authenticity of the fragment, noting its form and grammar looked unconvincing and suspicious. Others said it was impossible to deduce the meaning of it given the fragmented nature of the script.

Camplani, a professor at Rome's La Sapienza university who helped organize the conference, cited those concerns and added his own, specifically over King's interpretation of the text — assuming it is real.

Rather than taking the reference to a wife literally, he wrote, scholars routinely take such references in primitive Christian and biblical literature metaphorically, to symbolize the spiritual union between Jesus and his disciples.

The absence of any reference to Jesus being married in historic documents "seems more significant than the literal interpretation of a few expressions from the new text, which by my reading should be understood purely in a symbolic sense," he wrote.

Camplani nevertheless praised King's academic paper on the subject as scientific and objective.

In its announcement about the discovery, Harvard said the paper would be published in January in the Harvard Theological Review, a peer-reviewed journal. The journal later said it hadn't committed to publication and would await testing on the fragment's ink to help determine its authenticity.

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The 2012 Scenario: Jesus talked about his wife Mary Magdalene – and their daughter and son – on An Hour With an Angel on January 16, 2012;

At the time, he told Steve Beckow: “Yes. My wife and (daughter) Sarah, (son) James, my brother Joseph, and a retinue of disciples who would attend to the family went to France. Andrew as well. The life was very simple, and very quiet. The Magdalena in many ways retreated. But Sarah did not, for she moved amongst the people, and she embraced them. And they embraced her as well. And she is the one who carried the lineage”.

So you ‘heard it here first’ folks, to use the old saying… and now it’s on London’s The Guardian newspaper… and a Harvard Divinity School video. And another truth simply ‘pops’ into the Light!

Matthew message (Channelled by Suzanne Ward, Sep 24, 2012)

“..  34. The recent discovery of part of an ancient record that mentions Jesus’ wife is not “by chance”—nothing happens by chance!  It “came to light” as the first step that may inspire Christians to being receptive to the truth about Jesus’ long life with his beloved Mary Magdalene and their children.  …” - New


"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.)