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The only convincing evidence I’ve seen of Jesus being married is that he is referred to as “rabbi” (see above). All the rest is speculation.
I hate to say it, but do we have to point out every time Jesus treated a woman with the respect lacking in those days, as an example of erotic affection/marriage?
i think Jesus was very even-handed to women. But the idea that he was married – or gay as some have tried to state – isn’t corroborated properly.
Here’s what we think we know: We have no biblical or historical documentation of Him being married.
We have no declarative statement from any authoritative source that says He was married.
But in support of the idea we have:
Our understanding of the Celestial Kingdom leads us to conclude that He must be married.
And the weak support of the references to Him as Rabbi and Rabboni in the Book of John.
And to contradict the view we have:
How could the entire canon of scripture have missed it?!?
How could the Romans have missed out on using her against Jesus.
How would subsequent generations have dealt with Jesus’ direct descendants, especially when they misbehaved?
If no progeny, what was Mrs. Jesus’ continuing role and why don’t we hear of it? (We have plenty on Mary)
My own conclusion is that Jesus went through this mortal existence without marrying and, like so many here on earth, had to wait till the resurrection to enjoy those blessings. Yet one more sorrow he got to taste.
I’m not sure the CK idea even works. I mean you’re talking about someone who according to Mormon theology occupies a radically different position to us, and doesn’t always follow the same rules. (Look at what he’s supposed to have done with death, and he had a tendency to defy the laws of physics too.) Quote:How could the entire canon of scripture have missed it?!?
Either it was so obvious that it was not mentioned (and women are overlooked), or it as deliberately excluded/excised.
The latter is into Da Vinci territory, but the former doesn’t hold up, as we DO hear about other people’s wives, such as Pilate’s. However, many of the disciples’ wives (presumably they had some) are not mentioned either.
Jesus’ lead disciples all weren’t single – but we only know that because Peter’s mother-in-law got sick. If that hadn’t happened, we would have no evidence whatsoever that any of them were married. It’s hard to believe that the tax collector and the physician, specifically, were single – but, again, there is no mention of their wives. Was Moroni married? We have no record of him having had kids, and a wife is never mentioned. Did he have a wife and kids who died in the final battle – or did he choose not to marry and have kids because he knew what would happen to his people? We have no way of knowing.
To me, these questions that center on gospel and canon ambiguities are a lot like the question: “If a tree falls in the forest, and there is no one to hear it, does it make a sound?”.
No one knows. Not to discourage discussion, just my opinion.
Old-Timer wrote:Jesus’ lead disciples all weren’t single – but we only know that because Peter’s mother-in-law got sick. If that hadn’t happened, we would have no evidence whatsoever that any of them were married. It’s hard to believe that the tax collector and the physician, specifically, were single – but, again, there is no mention of their wives.
If they had families to support when they abandoned their nets to follow Jesus – what happened to these families financially. Was following Jesus’ call irresponsible?
Aren’t there only three women named in the Bible? Sariah, Isabel and Mary. I think the answer is simple: The fact that Jesus was married was removed from New Testament manuscripts because it was deemed too hard to explain and even unorthodox by that time. This censorship must have occurred after the apostles died and before the third or fourth century. Furthermore, several gnostic Christian texts mention that Jesus was married. The gnostics were copiers. They took orthodox Christian doctrines and gave new twists to them.
Mike makes a good point. The gnostic gospels are reasonable evidence. Although they aren’t conclusive, it’s hard to dismiss entirely how many of them mention Jesus being married.
NT Apocrypha varies widely in its apparent authenticity. I think some of the other gospels contain real quotes and incidents, but some are obvious fabrications. By the way a Mormon sect in England has canonized many of these books.
Old-Timer wrote:Mike makes a good point.
The gnostic gospels are reasonable evidence. Although they aren’t conclusive, it’s hard to dismiss entirely how many of them mention Jesus being married.
Also, as a number of scholars have noted, if Jesus had not been married, his Jewish opponents would have made a very big deal over this. This would have been a prominent criticism of him, both during his ministry and after his death. The fact that no early Jewish critic ever suggested that Jesus was not married is revealing.
The Gnostic Gospels are of WIDELY varying relevance. Some of them are very obvious fakes. Some like Thomas less obvious to dismiss. I find it interesting the lessons that we derive from Jesus’s marital status. Gahndi was married and then later in his life choose to abstain from sexual relations as a way to show his devotion. This was not especially easy for his wife but she supported her husband.
Suppose this exact thing happened to Jesus – what would that say about us and our ideal of marriage. What if Jesus had a family but abandoned them when he felt his “call” to the ministry – where would that leave us then.
I believe that we will never know the details… but that doesn’t stop us from trying to superimpose ourselves and our standards onto Jesus.
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