Was Jesus celibate, as the Church claims, or did he marry? If he had a wife, was she Mary Magdalene or someone completely unknown to us? In this knowledgeable and accessible book, Bible metaphysician, theologian and author Maggy Whitehouse puts forward a ground-breaking new theory; that just like any other Jew of the time, Jesus married at the age of 14. The "missing years" in the Bible are those he spent as a husband, raising his family. Given that the average life-span of a woman 2000 years ago was 27 years and two out of three women died in childbirth, Jesus was probably a widower when he began teaching. So what happened to Jesus' wife, this most forgotten of women? To find out, Maggy Whitehouse examines the legends, social and economic laws of the time on marriage and the legends of Jesus' celibacy and his marriage to Mary Magdalene. She explores the evidence in ancient Graeco-Roman and Pagan religions, the Gnostic gospels, the earliest known Christian scripts, the Jewish oral tradition and the commentaries on the Torah, demonstrating how the Christian world grew to need both the idea of a celibate God made man and the sacred union of male and female.
The Marriage of Jesus
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"The Marriage of Jesus" is enjoyable, thought-provoking and fascinating. Author Maggy Whitehouse seamlessly blends an impressive mix of scholarship, practicality and mysticism. She demonstrates a deep knowledge of the lives of people in Biblical times in presenting this powerful and plausible theory. This book should be read by everyone involved in contemporary religious study. Dr David Goddard, author of Sacred Marriage of the Angels and other titles.
About the Author
Maggy Whitehouse is the author of Living Kabbalah and The Book of Deborah. She founded and produced BBCi's holistic health and spirituality website 360, edits The Tree of Life magazine and is an accomplished speaker and workshop leader in all matters of interfaith. She is an ordained minister in the Apostolic Church of the Risen Christ.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By S. Jackson
Format:Paperback
Whitehouse's argument that Jesus was probably married is presented in a thoughtful and thought-provoking style, generously acknowledging that there is little evidence either way. However, she constructs a well reasoned argument, and discusses other issues relating to the more social side of life in the time of Jesus. I highly recommend this book to any students of the era and of Christianity, to encourage you to think outside the box.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Adamos
Format:Paperback
This is an extraordinary book that challenges conventional perceptions of the figure of Jesus and the concept of Christhood in a way that is both intellectually penetrating and spiritually uplifting.
Whitehouse presents strong arguments for why Jesus would have been married, a radical view of both Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Jesus, but never once claims to offer THE Truth. Instead, Whitehouse makes clear that this is her view and she offers evidence in a rational and coherent way. Her fictionalised account of what Jesus's wife and family may have been like offers an intriguing and tantalising view of Jesus's world and, while purely speculative (and claiming to be nothing more than speculation,) it nonetheless contributes significantly to the reader's understanding of the subject. Whitehouse is also a talented author of fiction and it is to be hoped she one day turns the fictional sections of this book into a full length novel.
It is regrettable that there is no bibliography, but various acknowledgments to the work of other writers demonstrates that the ideas contained in the book are based on genuine research. Indeed the author's breadth of learning and understanding are breathtaking and, whether you agree with her conclusions or not, there can be no questioning the quality of her scholarship.
Whitehouse's aim is clearly not to debunk Christianity or those who hold a Christian (or Jewish) faith, but she successfully contributes to an important debate that reclaims the role of the feminine, the status of women in spiritual work and the very essence of what it means to be a spiritual person, male or female, in a world too often ruled by dogma and bigotry.
Those who hold a strictly Christian or Jewish faith will find this an uncomfortable book to read, as it clearly has the amazon.com reviewer, but, for those willing to approach the book with an open mind, it offers a rich and stimulating reassessment of Jesus for the twenty first century and a valuable, unsensationalised contribution to contemporary debate about the relevance of the teachings of Jesus for the modern world.
Whitehouse presents strong arguments for why Jesus would have been married, a radical view of both Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Jesus, but never once claims to offer THE Truth. Instead, Whitehouse makes clear that this is her view and she offers evidence in a rational and coherent way. Her fictionalised account of what Jesus's wife and family may have been like offers an intriguing and tantalising view of Jesus's world and, while purely speculative (and claiming to be nothing more than speculation,) it nonetheless contributes significantly to the reader's understanding of the subject. Whitehouse is also a talented author of fiction and it is to be hoped she one day turns the fictional sections of this book into a full length novel.
It is regrettable that there is no bibliography, but various acknowledgments to the work of other writers demonstrates that the ideas contained in the book are based on genuine research. Indeed the author's breadth of learning and understanding are breathtaking and, whether you agree with her conclusions or not, there can be no questioning the quality of her scholarship.
Whitehouse's aim is clearly not to debunk Christianity or those who hold a Christian (or Jewish) faith, but she successfully contributes to an important debate that reclaims the role of the feminine, the status of women in spiritual work and the very essence of what it means to be a spiritual person, male or female, in a world too often ruled by dogma and bigotry.
Those who hold a strictly Christian or Jewish faith will find this an uncomfortable book to read, as it clearly has the amazon.com reviewer, but, for those willing to approach the book with an open mind, it offers a rich and stimulating reassessment of Jesus for the twenty first century and a valuable, unsensationalised contribution to contemporary debate about the relevance of the teachings of Jesus for the modern world.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.5 out of 5 stars
2 reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reassessing Christ....
8 April 2013
By Adamos
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
This is an extraordinary book that challenges conventional perceptions of the figure of Jesus and the concept of Christhood in a way that is both intellectually penetrating and spiritually uplifting.
Maggy Whitehouse presents strong arguments for why Jesus would have been married, a radical view of both Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Jesus, but never once claims to offer THE Truth. Instead, she makes clear that this is her view and she offers evidence in a rational and coherent way. Her fictionalised account of what Jesus's wife and family may have been like offers an intriguing and tantalising view of Jesus's world and, while purely speculative (and claiming to be nothing more than speculation,) it nonetheless contributes significantly to the reader's understanding of the subject. Maggy Whitehouse is also a talented author of fiction and it is to be hoped she one day turns the fictional sections of this book into a full length novel.
It is regrettable that there is no bibliography, but various acknowledgments to the work of other writers demonstrates that the ideas contained in the book are based on genuine research. Indeed the author's breadth of learning and understanding are breathtaking and, whether you agree with her conclusions or not, there can be no questioning the quality of her scholarship.
Maggy Whitehouse's aim is clearly not to debunk Christianity or those who hold a Christian (or Jewish) faith, but she successfully contributes to an important debate that reclaims the role of the feminine, the status of women in spiritual work and the very essence of what it means to be a spiritual person, male or female, in a world too often ruled by dogma and bigotry.
Those who hold a strictly Christian or Jewish faith will find this an uncomfortable book to read, as it clearly has the amazon.com reviewer, but, for those willing to approach the book with an open mind, it offers a rich and stimulating reassessment of Jesus for the twenty first century and a valuable, unsensationalised contribution to contemporary debate about the relevance of the teachings of Jesus for the modern world.
Maggy Whitehouse presents strong arguments for why Jesus would have been married, a radical view of both Mary Magdalene and Mary, mother of Jesus, but never once claims to offer THE Truth. Instead, she makes clear that this is her view and she offers evidence in a rational and coherent way. Her fictionalised account of what Jesus's wife and family may have been like offers an intriguing and tantalising view of Jesus's world and, while purely speculative (and claiming to be nothing more than speculation,) it nonetheless contributes significantly to the reader's understanding of the subject. Maggy Whitehouse is also a talented author of fiction and it is to be hoped she one day turns the fictional sections of this book into a full length novel.
It is regrettable that there is no bibliography, but various acknowledgments to the work of other writers demonstrates that the ideas contained in the book are based on genuine research. Indeed the author's breadth of learning and understanding are breathtaking and, whether you agree with her conclusions or not, there can be no questioning the quality of her scholarship.
Maggy Whitehouse's aim is clearly not to debunk Christianity or those who hold a Christian (or Jewish) faith, but she successfully contributes to an important debate that reclaims the role of the feminine, the status of women in spiritual work and the very essence of what it means to be a spiritual person, male or female, in a world too often ruled by dogma and bigotry.
Those who hold a strictly Christian or Jewish faith will find this an uncomfortable book to read, as it clearly has the amazon.com reviewer, but, for those willing to approach the book with an open mind, it offers a rich and stimulating reassessment of Jesus for the twenty first century and a valuable, unsensationalised contribution to contemporary debate about the relevance of the teachings of Jesus for the modern world.
2 of 5 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Uncomfortable reading
20 Feb 2009
By snow violet
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have long been intrigued by the notion that Jesus may have been married; so I looked forward to reading this book. They say, "You cant tell a book by its cover", but this one you can. The fact that they chose to depict Jesus' possible wife in an actual photo, made me very uncomfortable. We dont even know for certain if He had a wife, and here this books puts forth an actual stock photograph of a woman instead of an illustration or even a silhouette that leaves the mind open to wonder about the possibilities of the unknown and unconfirmed woman. Its almost sacrilege. The content of the book is unfortunately much the same. The author even assigns a fictional name to His wife and tells fictional stories of this girl's daily life. I did not intend to purchase a work of fiction; I wanted historical information on the debate surrounding the possible existence of this woman. I skipped over the fictional accounts since they made me so uncomfortable. I do, however, confess that much of the research in the other parts was very interesting and well researched. Its too bad that the fictionalization and familiarity with Jesus' possible wife will obscure the interesting historical facts and insights into the social norms of the day contained within the pages.
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3.5 out of 5 stars
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