Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
In the wake of the lame reporting about a 4th century swath of papyrus that mentions Jesus talking about a wife (which is no more proof of anything than if I were to write it today), we had ourselves a fun discussion here at Ricochet - not about whether Jesus had a wife (he didn’t) - but what it would mean to Christianity if it were discovered that he did.
I took the position that it wouldn’t change a thing about scriptural interpretation and therefore would be insignificant (from a Catholic point of view).
To my surprise, the opposition to my thesis was so rough I was accused of damaging the very dignity of Ricochet (proving the old adage that religion shouldn’t be discussed in polite company, I guess).
Father Jonathan Morris is a contributor to FoxNews.com and frequent guest on Fox News television shows. He is the network’s go-to Catholic priest. I had the pleasure of being a guest on a web show hosted by him (the web show is where Fox tries you out to see if they want to bump you up to TV. Not getting the invite to the big show, I assume they decided I have a face for radio).
It appears Father Morris has damaged the dignity of Fox News, as he penned a piece that holds a wife of Jesus would have no effect on Catholic interpretation of scripture:
Christians have no reason to be scandalized by the thought of a married Jesus because there is nothing in Christian theology that would eliminate the possibility. Jesus was pro-woman and pro-marriage. He attended weddings and even did his first miracle at a wedding feast by turning water into wine. When asked about marriage and about men who wanted to divorce their wives, Jesus defended the marriage bond with no equivocation: "what God has joined, men shall not divide."
If Jesus chose not to marry--and the body of evidence, beginning with all of the Gospels and two thousand years of tradition, points overwhelmingly in that direction--it was only because he chose to give up something wonderful for the sake of his divine mission.
Father Morris went even further than I, by opining that a wife of Jesus would not change Church practices either:
Furthermore, Christians would have no reason to be nervous because proof of a married Jesus wouldn't change the practice of the Church in any way. The Church has learned from Jesus to treat women as equals to men in dignity and worth. Jesus was unafraid to break social norms to make sure all cultures, of all times, would understand this truth. He involved women in his ministry. He traveled with them. He had female friends. He honored his mother publicly. He invited women to be his disciples. And on the day of his Resurrection from the dead, he chose to appear first to several women even before he appeared to his twelve male apostles.
Scandalous!
There is a great deal more to Father Morris’ article about the topic, which you can read here.
The very fact that I’m quoting Father Morris is proof that I’m over being jealous that he got bumped up to TV and I didn’t (I may have to go see him in the box Saturday morning about that last sentence).
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May '10
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
Embarrassing.
May '10
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
I mean it's so embarrassing I'm speechless. I hope to God Cardinal Dolan has the sense and charity to pull him off the public circuit and let him recover from a plainly disastrous formation in the Legionaires of Christ.
Sep '10
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
I saw that headline on Yahoo yesterday and didn't bother to read it, but I said to myself "I'll bet it was written well after the time of Christ, maybe a century later. That's how these things usually roll, like the "Gospel of Judas" etc. Turns out it is three centuries.
At some point in the future perhaps there will be a debate as to whether Abe Lincoln was a vampire hunter. You know, cuz there was a movie about that two centuries after his birth.
May '10
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
kylez:
At some point in the future perhaps there will be a debate as to whether Abe Lincoln was a vampire hunter. You know, cuz there was a movie about that two centuries after his birth.
Yes, and why should it make any difference to our politics whether or not Abraham Lincoln turns out to have been a vampire slayer? I mean, there's nothing in the Republican party platform against it, right? So, what's the big whoop? Why get bent out of shape about it?
Edited on September 22, 2012 at 6:48amFeb '12
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
Mrs. Idahoklahoman here:
I was not impressed by the essay. Fr. Morris neglected to mention that there were so-called gospels arising within the first century after Jesus' death that were intended to deny the Truth.That was why every New Testament writing underwent such incredible scrutiny before being included in Bible. Even the Book of Revelation barely qualified as Scripture. Something written 300 years after the death of the apostles has no merit as far as Scripture is concerned. I wish Fr. Morris had taken that approach.
Jan '12
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
If I had a TV show you could be on mine mr. de seno. I think you're 110% right that it doesn't matter at all about if Jesus was married or not.
To people who over react to this: There is no point in getting worked up over factual details over a book that was written to guide humanity over ~2000 years ago, especially one that has been proven time and time again to NOT be something you should follow word for word. I mean come on, common sense: it wasn't written in english!
To double tap: There is no point in getting worked up over an addition to the faith (assuming the "worst" and that this bogus means anything, which I doubt it does), especially when said addition does nothing to undermine the positive and healthy practice of life said religion promotes.
Leave the words behind, it's the message that's important not the paper, not the details. Come back when some amazing proof surfaces that Jesus actually didn't want women to be treated as equals, and that we shouldn't trust each other and love each other. Then I'll rage with you.
Mar '11
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
katievs
kylez:
At some point in the future perhaps there will be a debate as to whether Abe Lincoln was a vampire hunter. You know, cuz there was a movie about that two centuries after his birth.
Yes, and why should it make any difference to our politics whether or not Abraham Lincoln turns out to have been a vampire slayer? I mean, there's nothing in the Republican party platform against it, right? So, what's the big whoop? Why get bent out of shape about it?
Re-quoted because we can only like a comment once.
My wife (who studied Catholic theology) is howling with laughter on the couch over this comment (and the insipidity that inspired it).
Sep '12
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
As he knew that he'd eventually be betrayed by his inner circle and slain at what I presume was a young age even for his time and place, marrying would have meant he callously planned to leave a widow behind, so I'd say a revelation about his marriage would change things a little bit.
Would it not mean that he was a little cold-hearted?
Nov '10
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
Same with evangelical faith. Nothing in our theology that I know of precludes Jesus having been married. However, the Gospel records and apostolic writings appear to take for granted that he had not, although there are no direct statements one way or another. The teaching "there are those who become enuchs for the sake of the Kingdom" is thought by some to be a reference to his own abstinence, as is his teaching that in the resurrection there is no giving or taking in marriage. But both are pretty oblique references.
All that said, it would shake up people's thinking. And, more importantly, stuff like this comes up on an annual basis. It's always cr*p.
Feb '12
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
I tend to think that St. Paul would have a hard time resisting the temptation to use Jesus' marriage (if such existed) as an example for us to follow. Perusing Corinthians (1 Cor 7), he is not shy in directing what we should or should not act like. Paul is otherwise not shy in using Jesus as a template to explain our faith to us..
Jun '10
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
This married Jesus, knowing that he would seldom be home, and knowing that his time on Earth would be short, doesn't sound very Jesus-like in taking a wife. How would he be serving her as a spouse? Not very well. Priests, being human like the rest of us, sometimes say stupid things.
May '10
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
1. To say this is to prove that one has only a shallow and glancing (at best) grasp of Catholic theology.
2. The suggestion that resistance to the notions the Jesus was married can only stem from a low opinion of marriage and women is risible.
Among the reasons I personally am completely sure that further scholarly testing will prove this fragment worthless in terms of shedding light on the life of Jesus, is because it so flies in the face of the Church's high regard for the mystery of marriage.
A deep seriousness about the historical reality of the person Jesus is another key feature of the Catholic faith.
One of the major themes of mystical theology (and the Gospels) is Jesus as Bridegroom, and the culmination of the earthly journey of the Church is the heavenly banquet, the "Wedding Feast of the Lamb".
Edited on September 22, 2012 at 5:39pmDec '10
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
katievs
kylez:
At some point in the future perhaps there will be a debate as to whether Abe Lincoln was a vampire hunter. You know, cuz there was a movie about that two centuries after his birth.
Yes, and why should it make any difference to our politics whether or not Abraham Lincoln turns out to have been a vampire slayer? I mean, there's nothing in the Republican party platform against it, right? So, what's the big whoop? Why get bent out of shape about it?
What Mendel said: "Re-quoted because we can only like a comment once."
Jul '11
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
I take all of these things with a grain of salt. I did discuss it with my wife and was curious if Jesus was nagged for not being perfect.
Of course living a sinless life, teaching us about His Father, and saving all of mankind is one thing but garbage day is another.
Jan '11
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
It's important to remember that theology is more than morality and biblical interpretation. You're not Christian merely because you follow a Christian philosophy.
Who Jesus was, matters.
There's a debate that began from the earliest moments of Christianity about the relationship between Jesus' divinity and his humanity. To say that he was married obviously affects that relationship.
But Tommy makes the following point:
No. As a Catholic, I hold that the church itself predates scripture, and has at least as much authority (if not more) as the written word. Other denominations differ from that, but I agree with it, and that's one reason why I'm Catholic.
The earliest church taught that Jesus never married, and the church has retained that view from the beginning.
The fact that the scripture is silent on the issue isn't enough. The magisterium has taught from the earliest times that Jesus wasn't married, and that's why some non-canonical scrap of paper isn't only "indecisive," it should be presumed false.
Jan '11
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
After all, at Caesarea Phillippi, Jesus didn't ask "what are they saying about my philosophy?"
He asked, "who do they say that I am?"
Sep '10
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”
Jan '12
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
If some fragment from an unknown source is discovered that appears to posit that Jesus had wings, we traditional Christians will be up against the wall again. Since there is no definitive statement in the New Testament or in the Church Fathers explicitly stating otherwise.
Jul '11
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
I wonder what has been done to truly assure this isn't a fake. The whole DaVinci garbage made so many militant atheists salivate that I wouldn't be surprised if an expert forger did this.
Sep '12
Re: Fr. Jonathan Morris: A Jesus Wife Wouldn't Change Catholic Theology Or Church Practice
When would Jesus have found time for a wife? And how would a wife had fit into his mission? That's the attack: Jesus didn't really believe he was the son of God, which is why he got married, so why should the rest of us believe?
Such attacks will continue because history can't deny Jesus' claims although it would dearly like to. What did C.S. Lewis say? Jesus is either Lord, liar or lunatic, but he can't be none of the above because it's impossible for the entire world to know about a Jewish carpenter who lived 2,000 years ago.