The Journey 264: Jesus Christ, a Celibate?
Read: Mathew 19:1-12
The marital status of Jesus Christ is the topic that theologians, historians, biblical scholars are now discussing. This discussion has come about when Professor Karen King, while speaking at the Tenth International Congress of Coptic Studies in Rome, unveiled a fragment of papyrus containing a phrase in Coptic which says that “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife’. According to King, who stressed repeatedly that the text does not prove that Jesus had a wife. According to the news agencies like Christian Post, the aim of this analysis which King is going to publish in the January 2013 edition of Harvard Theological Review, the author states that her intention is not to reconstruct the historical Jesus nor to argue whether Jesus had a wife or was a celibate but on the contrary to bring new voices within the diverse chorus of early Christian faith tradition about Jesus Christ, where some Christians use to argue that Jesus was married. According to certain biblical scholars there is no evidence of any debate among the earliest followers with regards to the marital status of Jesus Christ. It is claimed that this debate surfaced later probably in the third and the fourth century when people started spreading their own beliefs about various aspects of the life of Jesus Christ especially with regards to his childhood and his marital status. But most of the authors now argue that with the discovery of this papyrus, a hype is being created which is meaningless. This papyrus belongs to a private collector and contains about eight incomplete lines of script. Many biblical scholars have also expressed reservations about the papyrus since nothing is known about the circumstance of its discovery and King believes that this may have been excavated from an area in Upper Egypt. With these news doing rounds I read that lot of people have jumped into the discussion band wagon that this proves that Jesus is against the celibacy of priest in Catholic Church and that Jesus propagated an inclusive community when he did His earthly ministry. I feel even without getting into the marital status of Jesus Christ, the biblical accounts has been very strong that Jesus always promoted an inclusive community. Hence I think some discussions related to the discovery of papyrus is going overboard. How I look at the whole issue that has been raised by King is that “ How does the marital status of Jesus Christ- whether Jesus was celibate or married, makes a significant difference or in other words contribute significantly to the existing biblical tradition of faith that we have in the Bible, that will enhance the ministry of the Church in the world?.
As we meditate on the theme “Transformed Living” the portion that we shall use for our meditation is two portions. One is from Mathew 19: 1-12 and 1 Corinthians 7: 1-9. In the first portion we find Jesus honouring the institution of marriage and strongly defending the right of woman, when the Pharisees asked the question of divorce. Here we find that Jesus maintaining the unity and the sanctity of marriage. But later from v: 10-12 there is a discussion between the disciples and Jesus Christ on the topic of marriage and the challenges associated with marital life. That is when Jesus quotes that there are some eunuchs who have been made so from birth while some have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of God [Mathew 19: 10-12]. Here is Jesus Christ emphasizing that whether you are married or celibate you need to work for the extension of the Kingdom of God. Some work for the Lord by being married while some other work by being “made eunuchs” for the Kingdom of God. This is reiterated later by Paul in his epistle to the first Corinthians where he states while addressing unmarried and widows that it is well for them to remain unmarried as he is but they should marry if they are not able to control their passion [ 1 Corinthians 7: 8-9]. Here in this context also, what is emphasized by Paul is holy living whether married or celibate, a life that is lived for the glory of the Lord and for the extension of His Kingdom. What Jesus also communicated through His life and ministry [ Irrespective of His marital status] is that He had come to fulfill the will of His heavenly Father. I think as Christians what is important in this context is that whatever be our status, whether married or single, or the so called guesses and discussion about the marital status of our Lord, is whether we are becoming a tool in the hands of the Lord for the extension of His Kingdom on the earth and are ready to do His will. That should be the focus of our life and the objective of discussion of the marital status of Jesus Christ- our Lord.
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla
The marital status of Jesus Christ is the topic that theologians, historians, biblical scholars are now discussing. This discussion has come about when Professor Karen King, while speaking at the Tenth International Congress of Coptic Studies in Rome, unveiled a fragment of papyrus containing a phrase in Coptic which says that “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife’. According to King, who stressed repeatedly that the text does not prove that Jesus had a wife. According to the news agencies like Christian Post, the aim of this analysis which King is going to publish in the January 2013 edition of Harvard Theological Review, the author states that her intention is not to reconstruct the historical Jesus nor to argue whether Jesus had a wife or was a celibate but on the contrary to bring new voices within the diverse chorus of early Christian faith tradition about Jesus Christ, where some Christians use to argue that Jesus was married. According to certain biblical scholars there is no evidence of any debate among the earliest followers with regards to the marital status of Jesus Christ. It is claimed that this debate surfaced later probably in the third and the fourth century when people started spreading their own beliefs about various aspects of the life of Jesus Christ especially with regards to his childhood and his marital status. But most of the authors now argue that with the discovery of this papyrus, a hype is being created which is meaningless. This papyrus belongs to a private collector and contains about eight incomplete lines of script. Many biblical scholars have also expressed reservations about the papyrus since nothing is known about the circumstance of its discovery and King believes that this may have been excavated from an area in Upper Egypt. With these news doing rounds I read that lot of people have jumped into the discussion band wagon that this proves that Jesus is against the celibacy of priest in Catholic Church and that Jesus propagated an inclusive community when he did His earthly ministry. I feel even without getting into the marital status of Jesus Christ, the biblical accounts has been very strong that Jesus always promoted an inclusive community. Hence I think some discussions related to the discovery of papyrus is going overboard. How I look at the whole issue that has been raised by King is that “ How does the marital status of Jesus Christ- whether Jesus was celibate or married, makes a significant difference or in other words contribute significantly to the existing biblical tradition of faith that we have in the Bible, that will enhance the ministry of the Church in the world?.
As we meditate on the theme “Transformed Living” the portion that we shall use for our meditation is two portions. One is from Mathew 19: 1-12 and 1 Corinthians 7: 1-9. In the first portion we find Jesus honouring the institution of marriage and strongly defending the right of woman, when the Pharisees asked the question of divorce. Here we find that Jesus maintaining the unity and the sanctity of marriage. But later from v: 10-12 there is a discussion between the disciples and Jesus Christ on the topic of marriage and the challenges associated with marital life. That is when Jesus quotes that there are some eunuchs who have been made so from birth while some have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom of God [Mathew 19: 10-12]. Here is Jesus Christ emphasizing that whether you are married or celibate you need to work for the extension of the Kingdom of God. Some work for the Lord by being married while some other work by being “made eunuchs” for the Kingdom of God. This is reiterated later by Paul in his epistle to the first Corinthians where he states while addressing unmarried and widows that it is well for them to remain unmarried as he is but they should marry if they are not able to control their passion [ 1 Corinthians 7: 8-9]. Here in this context also, what is emphasized by Paul is holy living whether married or celibate, a life that is lived for the glory of the Lord and for the extension of His Kingdom. What Jesus also communicated through His life and ministry [ Irrespective of His marital status] is that He had come to fulfill the will of His heavenly Father. I think as Christians what is important in this context is that whatever be our status, whether married or single, or the so called guesses and discussion about the marital status of our Lord, is whether we are becoming a tool in the hands of the Lord for the extension of His Kingdom on the earth and are ready to do His will. That should be the focus of our life and the objective of discussion of the marital status of Jesus Christ- our Lord.
Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla