The Gospel of Jesus's Wife papyrus
| The Gospel of Jesus's Wife papyrus | |
|---|---|
| FALSE | |
| "A small papyrus fragment, written in Coptic and containing the words "Jesus said to them, 'My wife...'," was an ancient text showing that some early Christians believed Jesus was married." | |
| Domain | Culture, Religion & Society |
| Tactic | Fabrication Imposture |
| Era | Current |
| First seen | 2012 |
| Origin | A fragment presented by Harvard Divinity School historian Karen King at a conference in Rome in September 2012, after it was provided by an anonymous collector |
| Last reviewed | 2026-10-27 |
| Further reading: books on Culture, Religion & Society | |
The Gospel of Jesus's Wife papyrus made international headlines in 2012. Karen King, a respected scholar of early Christianity at Harvard Divinity School, announced that a business-card-sized fragment of papyrus contained a fourth-century Coptic text in which Jesus referred to "my wife." King was careful to say it did not prove Jesus was married, but suggested it showed that some early Christians discussed the question. Many scholars doubted its authenticity from the start. In 2016, journalist Ariel Sabar traced the fragment to its owner, Walter Fritz, a former Egyptology student living in Florida whose account of his background proved false, and uncovered serious problems with its documented history. King then said the evidence "tips the balance towards forgery."
What the evidence shows
- Textual problems. Scholars noticed that the text appeared to be composed of phrases copied from the Gospel of Thomas, including a typographical error found in an online edition of that text.
- Companion fragment. A fragment of the Gospel of John from the same collection was shown to copy the line breaks of a modern printed edition, strongly suggesting forgery.
- Testing. Laboratory tests indicated that the papyrus itself was old, but this did not establish when the ink was applied. Forgers can use ancient blank papyrus.
- Provenance. Sabar's investigation in The Atlantic found that documents meant to establish the fragment's history were dubious, and that Fritz had lied about his background.
- Retraction. In 2016, King acknowledged that the fragment was probably a forgery.
Why it persists
The idea that Jesus was married has long fascinated the public, fueled by novels such as The Da Vinci Code. A respected scholar's involvement and a Harvard affiliation gave the claim credibility.
Lessons for readers
- Ancient materials do not guarantee ancient writing.
- Provenance, the documented history of an object, is essential.
- Even careful experts can be deceived.
- Sensational discoveries deserve independent scrutiny.
See also
- The James Ossuary is the burial box of Jesus's brother
- Mark Hofmann's Salamander Letter rewrote Mormon history
- The Hitler Diaries
Sources
- Ariel Sabar, "The Unbelievable Tale of Jesus's Wife," The Atlantic, July/August 2016.
- Ariel Sabar, Veritas: A Harvard Professor, a Con Man and the Gospel of Jesus's Wife (Doubleday, 2020).