A new book based on a 1,500 year old manuscript claims that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene. The authors make a stab at revelation with the breathless opening passage, beginning their book with “What the Vatican feared — and what [“Da Vinci Code” author] Dan Brown only suspected — has come true.” Their fear is sure to produce its share of loathing. But they–co-authors Barry Wilson and Simcha Jacobovici–are careful not to hurt anybody’s feelings. We’re just talking text, they say, not trying to mess with anybody’s theology. But Pope Francis, a pope who seems open to priests getting married, may welcome the news.
Unless it turns out to be swiftly debunked, like previous efforts to marry Jesus to the Magdalene. In the text examined in the new book Jesus’ wife’s name is Aseneth, whom the authors believe is Mary Magdalene. One of the authors, Jacobovici, has been accused of perpetrating dubious claims about Jesus’s family life before. The Washington Post mentions a group of academics from Duke and Columbia objecting to previous claims. But if you want to read what Dan Brown “only suspected” here it is, The Lost Gospel: Decoding the Ancient Text that Reveals Jesus’ Marriage to Mary the Magdalene
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