Was Jesus married?

(G: p 117-127)

At the time of Jesus, all Jews were expected to marry. They were bound by the sacred oath to be ‘fruitful and multiply’ (Genesis).

The name that is most favored to be Jesus’ wife is Mary Magdalene. She has been wrongly labelled ‘prostitute’/’sinner’. This smear campaign was started early in the 6^th century by Pope Gregory the Great. It was only in 1969 that the Catholic Church removed that stain from her memory.

There are a number of hints about the marriage of Jesus in the gospels both canonical and otherwise.

Mary Magdalene is presented as a single woman who accompanies Jesus. This is rather curious by Jewish standards of the time.

Some have claimed that the wedding at Cana (found only in the gospel of John) represented Jesus’ own marriage edited to make it appear to be some anonymous person’s wedding. 

In Jewish weddings of the time, only the bridegroom or the parents could order the servants as Mary did.

Another clue is that Mary Magdalene let her hair down to wipe Jesus’ feet. Only a husband was allowed to see his wife’s hair untied.

Outside the canonical gospels, in the gospel of Peter, it is said that Jesus loved Mary Magdalene more than all other disciples and ‘often kissed her on the mouth’.

In conclusion, it would be more than probable that Jesus was married and his wife was Mary Magdalene.