There's a news story at http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/us/historian-says-piece-of-papyrus-refers-to-j\
esus-wife.html that some people are passing off as a new find that allegedly proves that our Messiah had a wife and a female "disciple".  Well, He's had MILLIONS of female disciples and plenty of scriptures tell us that the disciples are His "Bride", using marriage in an allegorical way.  But there is nothing in this fragment of papyrus that challenges Orthodox thinking about the Gospel in any way.

 

Did the Messiah have a "wife"?  Matt 9:15, 25, Eph 5, Rev 21 and numerous other passages tell us that WE are his bride.  We are told that His Bride - that is us - are to be his disciple.  So what is so earth shattering about the old fragment that uses this type of allegorical speach to get a spiritual point across?  Absolutely nothing.  but it is amazing what conclusions some people will come to when they read a spiritual text with an unspiritual mind.

Let me encourage you to read the news article.  It has a photo of the papyrus and an English translation.

 

Shalom, Joe