The Wife of Jesus, Ancient Texts and Modern Scandals by Anthony Le Donne
I'm not a Christian, but I've always enjoyed reading books that examine the background of Christianity. Jonathan Kirsch's The Harlot by the Side of the Road: Forbidden Tales of the Bible is a favorite, as was Moses, by Kirsch as well.
Recently, at an old friend's recommendation, I read The Wife of Jesus, Ancient Texts and Modern Scandals by Jonathan Le Donne. This book examines from a historic context whether Jesus had a wife or not. Of course, we were all titillated by the Dan Brown's suggestion that Jesus and Mary Magdalene was married and had descendants in the fiction the Da Vinci Code. I wanted to see if there is any scholarly and historic basis to the claim.
The Wife of Jesus examines the ancient Jewish traditions of marriage, family obligations of the eldest son in a family (Jesus), women's roles, the place of asceticism in Jewish culture, and different people's attempt at attributing Jesus with certain practices to suit their group's needs. It argues that Christianity’s interpretation of Jesus changes depending on the mores and values of different groups at any given time. For example, Mormons, the gay community, the Catholics, the Jews, etc., all claim at one time or another, that Jesus must have practiced, or endorsed what their group does in one way or another to suit their interests in promoting their causes.
The book does a good job examining historic texts that may or may not be part of the bible and seem to ultimately come to the conclusion that Jesus was most likely unmarried, but not for the reasons that various groups claim. It also demands that we all look inside ourselves to determine what we are seeking to answer in wanting to find a "Wife of Jesus." I also took home the notion that Jesus is more of a cult-like leader similar to modern day David Koresh, etc., preaching that people should give up their families to follow him. I wonder what this says about me: That I'm a non-Christian?
Would I recommend this book to casual readers? YES. Very readable and enjoyable.
Recently, at an old friend's recommendation, I read The Wife of Jesus, Ancient Texts and Modern Scandals by Jonathan Le Donne. This book examines from a historic context whether Jesus had a wife or not. Of course, we were all titillated by the Dan Brown's suggestion that Jesus and Mary Magdalene was married and had descendants in the fiction the Da Vinci Code. I wanted to see if there is any scholarly and historic basis to the claim.
The Wife of Jesus examines the ancient Jewish traditions of marriage, family obligations of the eldest son in a family (Jesus), women's roles, the place of asceticism in Jewish culture, and different people's attempt at attributing Jesus with certain practices to suit their group's needs. It argues that Christianity’s interpretation of Jesus changes depending on the mores and values of different groups at any given time. For example, Mormons, the gay community, the Catholics, the Jews, etc., all claim at one time or another, that Jesus must have practiced, or endorsed what their group does in one way or another to suit their interests in promoting their causes.
Would I recommend this book to casual readers? YES. Very readable and enjoyable.
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