“ “Jesus Christ”Jesus Christ”Our LordOur Lord

Allegations – Allegations – Always FalseAlways False

A Papyrus A Papyrus fragment fragment

referred to as referred to as The Gospel of The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife Jesus’s Wife ((GosJesWifeGosJesWife))

“ “Jesus said to them, Jesus said to them, ‘My wife…’” ‘My wife…’”

A New Coptic Gospel A New Coptic Gospel Papyrus Papyrus

by by Karen L. King Karen L. King with contributions by with contributions by AnneMarie Luijendijk AnneMarie Luijendijk

• Published here for the first time is a fragment of a fourth-century CE codex in Coptic containing a dialogue between Jesus and his disciples in which Jesus speaks of “my wife.”

This is the This is the only only extant ancient extant ancient

text text which which explicitly explicitly

portrays Jesus as portrays Jesus as referring to a referring to a

wife. wife.

It does It does notnot, , however, however, provide provide evidenceevidence that that the the historical Jesus historical Jesus was married was married

• the fragment does provide direct evidence that claims about Jesus’s marital status first arose over a century after the death of Jesus in the context of intra-Christian controversies over sexuality, marriage, and discipleship …

• … the closest parallel material to (the) fragment is found in literature originally composed in the second century, namely, the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, and the Gospel of the Egyptians

• …. While the Coptic fragment certainly has its provenance in Egypt, the place of composition and areas of circulation in the second and third centuries are less certain, although Egypt and perhaps Syria or even Rome (given the presence there of Valentinians and Tatian) are possibilities

• Many ancient Christian gospels were pseudonymous ( مستعار ,(اسمbut without a title or other identification, the ancient attribution of this text (if it indeed explicitly had one) remains unknown

• There is insufficient evidence to speculate with any confidence about who may have composed, read, or circulated GosJesWife except to conclude they were Christians

• … The material discussed below provides no reliable historical information for that discussion.

• Nor do I argue that historically

there is any evidence that if Jesus was married, it was to Mary Magdalene.

• She appears in the most reliable historical information as a prominent disciple of Jesus.

… … no extant early no extant early Christian writing Christian writing

other than other than GosJesWife GosJesWife

unequivocally unequivocally represents Jesus as represents Jesus as

marriedmarried

our papyrus is much too

fragmentary to sustain these readings with

certainty.

• Even the impressively close parallels with other gospels of the period, (that of Stephen, Mary and Thomas of the 4th centuries) does not ensure that similar language carries the same or similar meanings.

Does this fragment constitute

evidence that Jesus was married?

In our opinion, the late date of the Coptic papyrus

(c. fourth century), and even of the possible date

of composition in the second half of the second century, argues against its value as evidence for the life of the historical

Jesus

The earliest and most historically reliable

Christian literature is utterly silent on the issue, making the

question impossible to answer one way or

the other.

Only Yesterday:Only Yesterday:

Harvard journal: Jesus 'wife' papyrus

unverifiedAssociated Press

http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/national/article_f9502aef-a092-5c50-b192-aa455b94c215.html?comment_form=true

اإلنحناءاإلنحناءBending… Bending…

مفاهيم وحقائق للخدمهمفاهيم وحقائق للخدمهConcepts & Truths Concepts & Truths

for our Servicefor our Service

السبت في المجامع أحد في يعلم امرأة  وكان وإذابها ضعف كان سنة، روح عشرة منحنية ثماني وكانت

البتة تنتصب أن تقدر : ولم (13:10لوقا)

Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. (John

13:3)

انحني هل ضعفا

حبا .... انحني ام

Bent Woman X Bent Bent Woman X Bent JesusJesus

Woman

• Her weakness• The work of the

Devil • Unable• Sin• Can’t see

anything

Jesus

• Our Weakness• Salvation of

Humanity• Capable• Our sin• Sees it all

BendingBendingVoluntary

• In worship• Humility • Love • Metanyaat

(down and up … down and up)

Non-voluntary

• In Weakness• Sin • Shortsightedne

ss • Down and

down

Voluntary BendingVoluntary BendingHumility in Humility in

Worship/ServiceWorship/Service

Fake/Pretense

Because I have to …Prestige /Image

DutyI know my capabilities

True/Authentic

• Because I am …• Exerting Effort …• Love• I am well-aware

of my weaknesses

خمس تدريبات في اإلنحناء خمس تدريبات في اإلنحناء الحقيقي للخادم)الحقيقي للخادم) (اإلتضاع(اإلتضاع

اآلخرين: ... • اخطاء في يركز او يرصد انه عقلي امنع اواللعدو ضحيه مجرد الفاعل ألن الفاعل وليس الفعل اكره

) قهره ) ... ... سنستطيع معا ربنا بنعمه الخيرللناس: ... • اعذرهم الناس اعقل الناس اعذر ثانياالتوبه: ) • طالبا دائما وتقصيراتي اخطاءك اتذكر ثالثا

والرجاء(انسب: ... • الله عند من هو عندي ما كل ان دائما اتذكر رابعا

ربنا ... لنعمه دائما الفضل كلواللي : • حولي اللي القديسين بسير ذهني اشغل خامسا

السما في

It is ONLY when we BEND under His Holy Hands that we are given the Grace

to Glorify HIS Holy Name inOur Service

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for He is our God and we are the people of His pasture,

the flock under His care (Psalm 95:6-7)