Speculation has been growing as news outlets publish headlines stating that Jesus Christ may have been married — a statement brought on by one small piece of papyrus deciphered by Harvard Divinity School historian, Karen King. The historian presented a paper on the Gnostic gospel fragment, stating the papyrus is the “only extant ancient text which explicitly portrays Jesus as referring to a wife," according to the Washington Post.

Gary Manning, associate professor of New Testament at Biola University's Talbot School of Theology, wrote a response today to questions raised by the manuscript, bringing in his perspective as a New Testament scholar. Read his response, "Did Jesus Have a Wife? A New Gnostic Fragment," on Talbot's faculty blog, The Good Book Blog.

Written by Jenna Bartlo, Media Relations Coordinator. For more information, contact Jenna at jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu or 562.777.4061.