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| The manuscript dating back to 570 AD (above) is written in Syriac. |
Jesus Christ did not die on the cross, he had married Mary Magdalene, and the happy couple had two children by the time Christ was crucified. The shocking revelation comes from a lost 'Gospel' dating back to 570 AD and written in Syriac — a Middle Eastern literary language used between the 4th and 8th centuries and related to Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus.
Written on vellum — treated animal skin — it had been in the archives of the British Library for about 20 years. The British Museum had originally bought it in 1847 from a dealer who said he had obtained it from the ancient St Macarius Monastery in Egypt.
For the past 160 years, the document has been studied by a few scholars but has been considered pretty unremarkable. But after six years of study by Simcha Jacobovici, an Israeli-Canadian film-maker, and Barrie Wilson, a professor of religious studies, a missing fifth gospel was found.
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| Jesus revealing himself to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection in painting by Antonio Allegri da Correggio. |
Jacobovici believes that his 'lost gospel' proves that Jesus must have a wife. He says: "Jesus is called a "rabbi" in the gospels. And a rabbi, to this day, in order to have a congregation and a ministry, has to be married. If he's going to lead a congregation, he’s got to be a model for that congregation. In the first century, you reach manhood — you get married."
To emphasise his belief that Mary of Magdalene was Jesus' wife, he describes her decision to visit his body on the Sunday after the Crucifixion. "The gospels told us why she went there — to wash and anoint his body. She"s just a follower and yet she's going to unwrap his naked body? Women do not wash rabbis or male bodies. Only males do it — unless you are the man's wife."
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| According to 'The Lost Gospel', Mary Magdalene and Jesus had two children together, they are believed to be portrayed in Da Vinci's The Last Supper. |
-via Mail Online
