JOEL - Both Mormon and non-Mormon Bible scholars have suggested that Jesus was probably married, including a Protestant scholar, William E. Phipps, who wrote an entire book on the subject called, Was Jesus Married?, where he considers both historical and scriptural evidence for his conclusions. Phipps said:
"According to Semitic tradition it was as obligatory for a father to find a wife for his son as to teach him and circumcise him. Hence, even if there were no reference in the Gospels to Jesus's circumcision, it would be wrong to conclude that his father neglected or rejected that duty. Just as the Koran does not mention circumcision and takes the obligation of marriage for granted, so the Gospels do not mention the circumcision or marriage of most of the men who are discussed in it. This is due to the fact that those social institutions were practiced in a thoroughgoing manner in the Semitic culture. Deviations from normative behavior are more likely to be remembered and thus lodged in oral and written traditions, so it makes sense to assume that Jesus and his apostles were all circumcised and married." (1973:44-45)
Dr. Malachi Martin, a Catholic scholar and a former member of the Vatican's Pontifical Institute, "conceded that there was ultimately no real theological objection to a married Jesus".
LDS Apostle Orson Hyde once said:
"Did the Savior of the world consider it his duty to fulfill all righteousness? And if the Savior of the world found it his duty to fulfill all righteousness to obey a command of far less importance than that of multiplying his race, would he not find it his duty to join with the race of the faithful ones in replenishing the earth?"--Orson Hyde, Journal of Discourses, volume II, page 79.
Jesus and His parents were known to properly follow all the Jewish customs of the day. If that is true, included in those customs would be that of the father arranging for his son's marriage, as early as 16 years old; which means that Jesus could have been married for as many as 10 to 15 years before He started His misistry.
Also, during His ministry, none of those critical of Jesus made any accuations of Him not following the strict tradition of marriage; possibly because they knew that He was married. It is interesting to note also that Jesus was referred to by a title only given to married teachers, that of Rabbi(John 1:38, 49; 6:25).
There are elements in the wedding account(John 2:1-10) that suggest it was the wedding of Jesus. The fact that Mary(His mother) was worried about the supply of wine and that she presented the problem to Jesus, suggests that Mary was the hostess of the wedding and that Jesus was the groom. Traditionally, the mother of the groom was the wedding hostess and it was the groom's responsibility to provide the wine.
So if Jesus was married who was His wife? Following is a list of some of the reasons why both Mormon and non-Mormon Biblical scholars believe that Jesus may have been married to Mary Magdalene:
1. Mary Magdalene's name was constantly at the top of the list of women who faithfully followed and supported Jesus, and she is treated in a special and preferential manner. She was with the mother of Jesus at the crucifixion(John 19:25); and at the sepulchre when He was laid to rest(Matt 27:61), and when they both returned with spices to annoint His body(Mark 16:1).
2. In John we read:
"Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment." (John 12:3)
This ceremony was an ancient one among many royal houses in the ancient world, which sealed the marital union between the king and his priestess spouse. We find it mentioned briefly in the Song of Solomon(Chapter 4). Although we may not understand its significance, Jesus and Mary knew what they were doing. It was the type of ceremony that a wife would perform for her husband.
3. The fact that it was to Mary Magdalene that Jesus first appeared after His death, rather than to His Apostles, would suggest that she might have been His wife. She called Him, "Rabboni," an Aramaic term sometimes reserved for one's husband (John 20:1-18).
4. Mary Magdalene was often refered to as "woman" The Greek word for "woman" and "wife" is the same. Translators must rely upon the context in deciding how to translate it. Sometimes, the translation is arbitrary. When Mary is referred to as a "woman" who followed Jesus, it can just as easily be translated as "wife".
Of course all of this is mostly circumstantial evidence, subject to one's own interpretation of the scriptures and Jewish customs. Any instance where past or present leaders of the church have suggested that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, or even married at all, is purely a matter of their own opinion and not official church doctrine.
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