Blogger J.W. Wartick shares the following regarding the text:
"Apart from the fact that it is 4th century and therefore a few hundred years after the events and during primetime for Gnostics making up facts about Jesus to undergird their own theological leanings, many seem to think this is somehow evidence against Christianity."
Wartick goes on to offer an outstanding collection of resources responding to the discovery here.
To her credit, Karen King, the Harvard Scholar who unveiled the fourth-century papyrus, admitted:
"This is the only extant ancient text which explicitly portrays Jesus as referring to a wife. It does not, however, provide evidence that the historical Jesus was married, given the late date of the fragment and the probable date of original composition only in the second half of the second century." [1]
Of course, to my knowledge, many of the major media outlets didn't feel the need to report that.
Added 9-22-12
New Testament Scholar Dan Wallace weighs in on "The Gospel of Jesus' Wife" here.
HT: Apologetic315 via twitter
Added 9-28-12
Video: Did Jesus Have a Wife? -William Lane Craig
Enjoy!
Courage and Godspeed,
Chad
Source:
1. Karen King, Jesus said to them, 'My Wife," http://news.hds.harvard.edu/files/King_JesusSaidToThem_draft_0917.pdf, 2012.
Comments
"Apart from the fact that it is 4th century and therefore a few hundred years after the events..."
I am guessing, just guessing, that if it was written just 30-50 years after the events, most Christians would still minimize the historical importance of the find because it contradicts what they already believe. So pointing out the time that had passed between the events and the documents creation is pointless and is not helpful in determining whether or not it is true (How many years had passed between the end of the OT and the beginning of the NT).
"...many seem to think this is somehow evidence against Christianity."
I disagree. I have not read or heard of anyone claiming this is "evidence against Christianity". At best, it could be considered evidence against what most Christians currently believe about Jesus, but I don't see how it could be considered as evidence against the religion its self.
It's nice to hear from you and I hope you are doing well.
I still pray for you and your son who is the armed forces every now and then. I am grateful for his service and hope he is home safe.
Take care