Trending News|May 05, 2014 12:54 EDT
Gospel of Jesus's Wife Papyrus Fake? Controversial Documentary Explores Whether Jesus Married Mary Magdalene (VIDEO)
A new documentary is exploring whether Jesus married Mary Magdalene, according to a disputed "Gospel of Jesus Wife" Papyrus.
The questionable papyrus shows ancient text written in Coptic believed to have been created between the fourth and eighth century.
The papyrus is torn and part of the text shown only shows the words: "Jesus said to them, "My wife"'
Another piece shows: "...she will be able to be my disciple...."
Theologians have rebuked any theories that the papyrus proves in anyway that Jesus was married. The documentary experts even clearly state that the Papyrus is not in any way evidence that Jesus married Mary Magdalene. However, that still does not stop the documentary from exploring the question.
Some people have claimed the forged document was written in the very same handwriting using a similar ink and papyrus as the "Gospel of John" document, and believe this offers authenticity to the claims.
"It's never a good sign for a text of doubtful authenticity to be found in the company of a sure forgery. More directly: Multiple experts agree that the fragment of John and the Jesus' wife papyrus are written in the same hand, using the same ink and even the same writing instrument. Simply put: If one is a forgery, they're both forgeries," wrote Joel S. Baden and Candida R. Moss in a CNN report.
"The Gospel of Jesus's Wife" special airs on Monday, May 5, 2014, at 8 p.m. ET on the Smithsonian Channel.