WBRZ - Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE- LSU Religious Studies Professor Michael Pasquier believes a new religious artifact may broaden the understanding of early Christian beliefs.

The artifact is an ancient text that suggests Jesus Christ had a wife. Karen King, from the Harvard Divinity School, did the translation.

According to King, the text contains a dialogue in which Jesus refers to "my wife," whom he identified as Mary.

The text, written on a piece of papyrus, dates back to the 4th Century and are written in Coptic.

King unveiled the fragment of the "Gospel of Jesus' Wife" in Rome on Tuesday.

King acknowledges it doesn't prove Jesus was married, but shows Christians in that time period believed Christ had a wife and speaks to issues of family.

"This is another way into understand the... humanity of Jesus. Or, how early Christians understood his humanity," Pasquier said.

King posted on a Harvard website that the dialogue includes the disciples discussing whether Mary is worthy and Jesus commenting, "she can be my disciple."