Paul KeenanControversial document undermined by Coptic specialist
The so-called ‘Jesus Wife’ papyrus has been exposed as a fake, according to reports in the United States.
The subject of heated debate since it was revealed to the world in 2012, the papyrus fragment, mooted as tantalising evidence that Jesus had married during his lifetime, is now said to be a copy of an earlier document, a ‘Gospel of John’ which has been definitively ruled a forgery since its emergence in 1924.
According to assistant research Professor Christian Askeland, who specialises in Coptic studies at Indiana Wesleyan University, the similarities between the documents coupled with a glaring language element seriously undermine the veracity of the papyrus.
“The [Jesus Wife] fragment shared the same line breaks as the 1924 publication,” Prof. Askeland stated. On the language element, he explained: “The fragment contained a peculiar dialect of Coptic called Lycopolitan, which fell out of use during or before the 6th Century.”
The relevance of this, the scholar pointed out, is that radiometric testing carried out by Professor Karen King, who first revealed the existence of the document, showed the papyrus as dating from the 7th to the 9th Centuries, long after the passing of Lycopolitan.
World media was sent into a frenzy in 2012 when Prof. King, a Divinity specialist with Harvard University, first brought the controversial papyrus to world attention, revealing that analysis had shown the phrase “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife…’” legible on the document.