It is obvious that anybody who wants everyone to jump to the unwarranted conclusion that Jesus had a wife, and do so based only upon Karen King’s newly discovered “fragment,” has a personal agenda of their own. An objective, reasonable assessment of the evidence simply does not support drawing that conclusion.

If Jesus was married it is very likely that that fact would have been mentioned at least in passing, similar to the way Peter’s marital status is revealed in Matthew, Mark and Luke by the account of Jesus healing Peter’s wife’s mother. Yet Jesus being married isn’t mentioned in the gospels. It isn’t mentioned in the writings of the apostolic fathers, men who were taught by the apostles. It isn’t mentioned at all in the writings of any of the church fathers. It is not a part of the traditional belief of the Church.

Why keep Jesus’ marital status hidden? Had He had a wife and had children by her, their being the biological sons and daughters of the Son of God (Grandchildren of God?) would have been huge and would have been mentioned by somebody. If He had a wife at all that would still have been huge and mentioned by somebody — but it wasn’t, except in this fragment that, if it isn’t pure fiction like many ancient texts, can best be interpreted as a reference to the Church being the bride of Christ, not as explosive proof that Jesus had a wife, as though there were some conspiracy to keep that fact hidden that has now been exposed. Notions such as that are pure silliness.