Since it first caught attention in 2012, the fragment of manuscript referred to as the "Gospel of Jesus's Wife" has been debated by scholars for its authenticity. It was discovered by Harvard University professor Karen King, who maintains the manuscript is ancient and not a forgery like other scholars say, according to Live Science.
New research analyzing the ink on the papyrus suggests its origins may have been ancient. Columbia University researcher James Yardley said new tests have been run on the ink, but he refused to comment until the study has been peer reviewed and published.
The manuscript dubbed as the "Gospel of Jesus's Wife" is a small fragment about the size of a business card. It contained eight lines, more like snippets of incomplete sentences, that mentioned the words: Jesus said to them, "My wife..."
The text snippet also mentioned the name "Mary," which many believed to be Mary Magdalene. The text was written in Coptic, a language used by early Egyptian Christians.
The manuscript fragment was given to Harvard University by someone who refused to be named. The person bought it, along with other manuscripts like the Gospel of John, from Hans-Ulrich Laukamp in 1999. Laukamp reportedly got it from the old East Germany in 1963.
Researchers have long contested the authenticity of the manuscript fragment. One of the arguments is that Laukamp, who supposedly got the manuscript in East Germany in 1963, was living in West Berlin during that time. That means he had to climb the Berlin Wall to get it, which was impossible.
Those who knew him said he had no interest in antiquities and most likely did not own ancient manuscripts. Unfortunately, Laukamp died in 2002 so the claims about the anonymous buyer could not be confirmed.
While analyzing a papyrus of the Gospel of John that was given to Harvard University along with the "Gospel of Jesus' wife" fragment, Christian Askeland from the Institute for Septuagint and Biblical Research, noticed there was something amiss.
Askeland discovered that not only the text, but even the line breaks, of the Gospel of John were similar with those of another papyrus that was published in a book in 1924. The second papyrus was written in a Coptic dialect called Lycopolitan that had been extinct for about 1,500 years, leading Askeland to conclude that the Gospel of John was a forgery.
Because the Gospel of John bore similarities with the "Gospel of Jesus' Wife," Askeland decided that both manuscripts were forgeries, according to a study published in the journal New Testament Studies in June 24.
Gesine Schenke Robinson from Claremont Graduate University wrote a study presenting 10 reasons why the "Gospel of Jesus' Wife" fragment was a fake. Her research was also published in the journal New Testament Studies in June 24.
Robinson agreed with Askeland that the manuscript fragment was most probably a fake by guilt of association with the Gospel of John manuscript, as both bore similar handwriting and similar ink. Thus, if one does not pass as authentic, the other falls along with it.
Arguments have also challenged a 2014 press release from Harvard University stating the papyrus is ancient and dates back to the 8th century A.D. While the papyrus may indeed be ancient, the ink may tell another story. Furthermore, the manuscript fragment was written in Coptic, a language no longer used in the 8th century.
Other scholars have observed that the manuscript fragment was similar to the text in the Gospel of Thomas, including a typo error found in the online 2002 edition of the Thomas manuscript.
Until more conclusive studies are made, experts will continue to clash about the real origin of the "Gospel of Jesus' Wife" manuscript fragment.
