If you have ever read or seen 'The Da Vinci Code' then you'll be all too familiar with the Jesus had a wife and child theory. Dan Brown, the author, stated this theory was based on the Gnostic Gospels, a set of 54 texts which made up the 'secret' Gospels which prove that Jesus had an intimate relationship with Mary Magdalene. Brown focused on the theory of the Holy Grail; he argues that the Grail which is though to refers to the cup of the last supper and the object from where Jesus' blood was collected following his crucifixion, is in fact a metaphor to the womb of Mary Magdalene through which she carried the bloodline of Christ.The book states the church had kept this a secret due to a fear that the child of Christ would overthrow Peter as the next apostle.
- The Bible was compiled by the emperor Constantine
- Jesus' divinity was decided upon at the council of Nicea
- A secret brotherhood called the Priory of Sion kept the secret of the holy marriage
- The Opus Dei are a Vatican-sanctioned Catholic sect who were tasked with killing the heir of Christ.
If proved right however, the theory that there is an existing royal bloodline would effectively crumble the foundations of Christianity. Also, by implying the church had kept this secret for over 2000 years, it would no doubt raise more questions about what else the church has been hiding.
Although Brown portrays his book as being based on facts, historians have said otherwise . Whilst it is generally understood that at first following the death of Jesus, there was no definitive list of writings to make up the Biblical canon, it was however settled and compiled by the 4th century AD.
As far as evidence for this theory goes, the New Testament provides no evidence on Jesus' marital state, indicating he wasn't married, and some scholars would argue this view is only compounded by the fact that Jesus advocated celibacy(Matthew 19:10-12). The authenticity of the 'Gospels' have also come under scrutiny, and they aren't part of the standard Biblical canon.
Despite the overwhelming lack of evidence surrounding Brown's 'factual' book, which is based on the book 'The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail' (seem familiar?) , the conspiracy theories regarding Jesus' divinity, Jesus' secret bloodline and his marriage continue to keep theorists busy.
