A documentary slated to air on Smithsonian Channel about the papyrus fragment that includes a phrase referring to Jesus’ wife has been delayed, reports the New York Post.
With questions arising about the scroll’s authenticity, the channel postponed airing the program, the story notes. “The Gospel of Jesus’ Wife” had been scheduled to debut Sept. 30.
The story reports: “The documentary’s major piece of evidence was a papyrus fragment written in Coptic that, when translated, read ‘Jesus said to them, my wife …’”
While some experts believe the fragment could have been written in the second century, others believe it might be a fake, the story adds. The show will get a new premiere date soon and will add in responses to the announcement of the fragment and upcoming tests on the papyrus, the network said.
"Any time questions about Jesus’ marital status arise so do questions regarding the celibacy of Catholic priests and the role of women in the church," the story notes.
” “Any time questions about Jesus’ marital status arise so do questions regarding the celibacy of Catholic priests and the role of women in the church,”… ”
as does pressure to quash a story like this that questions dogma.
I don’t know if this is real or not, but it’s funny how certain “Jesus” story documentaries in recent years have had no problems with getting aired, even though at first glance they were almost certain fraudulent (and not much later turn out to be so) since vetting them was suspicious from the get-go.
This story, unlike the others, has initial vetting particulars that give it a much better chance of being authentic… although that wouldn’t keep it from being called a fake by self-serving experts with a vested interest in preserving the status quo.