Perhaps it’s the wonderful end of obsessions with sex as original sin, women as evil, or the proof of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code fictions. Perhaps Catholic priests will now be allowed to live happily married lives. It was no Biblical story that forced in the idea, for instance, that Mary herself was conceived by Immaculate Conception, but the decrees of Church councils.
Karen King, a Harvard professor of Divinity, has just discovered a snippet of ancient parchment with words to the effect “and Jesus said, my wife…..who may become my disciple.” The Da Vinci Code may be a dreadful read, in literary terms, but it is also a very clever page turner. It builds on rather astonishing ideas about Da Vinci then, Jesus being married to Mary Magdalene, and out of books like The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail. We still think The Godhead Game should be seen as a Da Vinci Code of Mayan World End ideas, this year, but that’s special pleading! In the meantime, what a blessing for debate, life and different kinds of sacred love, even if Christians did get so upset about a film they misunderstood, The Last Temptation of Christ. Ghandi used to renew his marriage vows every day.
PA PRESS
This little piece of papyrus proves nothing. It is skeptical, at best…. Christ’s only bride is the church. And she can become His disciple.