Harvard Professor Karen King told the 10th International Congress of Coptic Studies today that four words on a previously unknown papyrus fragment provides the first evidence that some early Christians thought that Jesus had been married.
The fragment dates back to the 4th century and was written in the Coptic language. The finding indicates that there is a lost gospel. It also refers to Jesus saying "my wife," which King says is not evidence that Jesus had a wife.
The fragment is authentic, King reports. She says that during the same period, there were writings that said that Jesus did not have a wife. She finds it interesting that discussions about whether or not Jesus was married did not occur until about 150 years after he died, corresponding with a period in time when Christians began to question they should marry or remain celibate.