The Truth about Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene

Since the early days of Christianity, there has been speculation about whether or not Jesus was married and if Mary Magdalene was his wife.  This controversy is still relevant today because the Roman Catholic Church bars women from becoming priests, often justifying their stand by saying they want to follow the model of Jesus who remained unmarried and had only male followers.  However, is it true that Jesus never married?

The Da Vinci Code Theory

Over a decade ago, in the best-selling novel and movie, “The Da Vinci Code” by Dan Brown, the possibility that Jesus and Mary were husband and wife was discussed as a work of fiction.  In the story, a curator at the Louvre in Paris is found shot, and his granddaughter is determined to find out the reason.  She elicits the assistance of a Harvard professor who helps her discover that her grandfather was searching for the Holy Grail.  It turns out that the Holy Grail is not a cup or chalice, but is the tomb where Mary Magdalene is buried.  By the end of the novel it is “discovered” that Mary Magdalene was the wife of Jesus and they had a child together.

While it is easy to dismiss “The Da Vinci Code” as an exciting figment of the author’s imagination, there have long been rumors that the early belief in the divine right of kings came about at least partially because the Merovingian kings of France were thought to be descendants of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene.  Several books have been written on the topic, including those by Margaret Starbird and Clive Prince’s “The Templar Revelation.”

Jesus, Mary and Da Vinci

Elizabeth Vargas of ABC News researched the rumors that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus Christ, and reported on her findings in a television special called “Jesus, Mary, and Da Vinci” that aired in November, 2003.  At one point in her research she interviewed a Catholic priest from Georgetown University.  He stated that they do not know if Jesus was married but, if he were, Mary Magdalene would undoubtedly have been his wife.  While some theologians agreed, others did not.  Most of them did agree, however, that it would have been highly unusual for Jesus to be single at the time he was alive. In fact, there was not even a word for “bachelor” in the Jewish language at that time.  In addition, they noted the fact that Mary Magdalene was allowed special privileges, such as visiting the grave of Jesus after his death, which would not have been accorded to anyone other than a wife or close family member.  They also pointed out the fact that after his death Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene before any of his disciples.  Of course, none of these statements prove conclusively that Jesus and Mary were married.

New Evidence that Jesus was Married

This week, however, there has been a new development which once again brings up the possibility that Jesus and Mary were husband and wife.  According to a number of news sources, summarized in a Yahoo News article entitled, “Jesus had a wife, newly discovered gospel suggests,” there is new evidence that Jesus was married to someone.  Karen King, a Harvard historian of early Christianity, has verified a fourth century piece of papyrus which contains the words “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife..’” and “she will be able to be my disciple.”

While this statement does not mention Mary Magdalene or prove that she was married to Jesus, it is one more tantalizing clue that indicates it is a possibility.  What we do not know is whether early Christians intentionally covered up evidence of the marriage, or whether this marriage was considered too unimportant and commonplace to mention.  Either way, researchers will continue to study the question in the hope that one day we will learn the truth.

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Photo of Mary Magdalene by an unknown sculpture is courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/commons