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Jesus Christ/Was Jesus married
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This page is based on an answer to a question submitted to the FAIR web site, or a frequently asked question.
Contents
Question
Do Mormons believe Jesus Christ was married?
Answer
The easy answer is that no, Mormons don't officially believe that Jesus was married. In fact, there is no official Church doctrine on this issue. Individual members are free to believe as they wish concerning this matter. (Some believe that He was married; others believe He wasn't. Most members are open to belief either way.)
Early LDS views
Several early LDS leaders believed Jesus was married, and said so from the pulpit on occasion. Here is one example from Apostle Orson Hyde:
- Now there was actually a marriage [at Cana (John 2:1–11)]; and if Jesus was not the bridegroom on that occasion, please tell who was. If any man can show this, and prove that it was not the Savior of the world, then I will acknowledge I am in error. We say it was Jesus Christ who was married, to be brought into the relation whereby he could see his seed (Isaiah 53:10), before he was crucified. "Has he indeed passed by the nature of angels, and taken upon himself the seed of Abraham, to die without leaving a seed to bear his name on the earth?" No. But when the secret is fully out, the seed of the blessed shall be gathered in, in the last days; and he who has not the blood of Abraham flowing in his veins, who has not one particle of the Savior's in him, I am afraid is a stereotyped Gentile, who will be left out and not be gathered in the last days; for I tell you it is the chosen of God, the seed of the blessed, that shall be gathered. I do not despise to be called a son of Abraham, if he had a dozen wives; or to be called a brother, a son, a child of the Savior, if he had Mary, and Martha, and several others, as wives; and though he did cast seven devils out of one of them, it is all the same to me.[1]
Later views
Joseph Fielding Smith apparently believed that Jesus had been married, and that He had children. In a 1963 letter to Elder Smith (then President of the Quorum of the Twelve), J. Ricks Smith asked for clarification on a question he had concerning the marital and paternal status of Jesus:
Burbank, California
March 17, 1963
President Joseph Fielding Smith
47 East South Temple Street
Salt Lake City 11, Utah
Dear President Smith:
In a discussion recently, the question arose, "Was Christ married?" The
quote of Isaiah 53:10 was given, which reads,
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put Him to grief:
when thou shalt make his soul and offering for sin, he shall see
His seed, he shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord
shall prosper in his hand.
What is meant by "he shall see his seed"? Does this mean that Christ had
children?
In the Temple ceremony we are told that only through Temple marriage can
we receive the highest degree of exaltation and dwell in the presence of
our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Christ came here to set us the
example and, therefore, we believe that he must have been marred. Are we
right?
Sincerely,
J. Ricks Smith
1736 N. Ontario Street
Burbank, California
In a written response (on the same letter), Elder Smith indicated his feelings on the matter—both in the positive. Placing an asterisk next to the words "His seed" in the letter, at the bottom of the letter Elder Smith wrote:
*Mosiah 15:10-12 Please Read Your Book of Mormon!
Placing two asterisks next to the words "he must have been married," at the bottom of the letter Elder Smith wrote:
*Yes! But do not preach it! The Lord advised us not to cast pearls before swine!
Apparently Elder Smith believed that the married state of Jesus was true, but that it should not be preached to others.
Official doctrine?
Even though several leaders have expressed positive opinions on the subject, there has never been any revelation or official statement on the subject on behalf of the Church.
Dale Bills, a spokesman for the Church, said in a statement released Tuesday, 16 May 2006:
- The belief that Christ was married has never been official church doctrine. It is neither sanctioned nor taught by the church. While it is true that a few church leaders in the mid-1800s expressed their opinions on the matter, it was not then, and is not now, church doctrine.[2]
Conclusion
The Bible is silent on the issue of Jesus' marital state, and there has been no modern revelation stating he was or was not married. This leaves the issue an open question. Some Latter-day Saints believe he was married, but the Church has no position on the subject.
Endnotes
- [note] Address given at General Conference, Salt Lake City, 6 October 1854; Journal of Discourses 2:82. Elder Hyde's interpretation of Isaiah 53:10 is at variance with the one given in the Book of Mormon. Abinadi taught that the prophets and those who believe the words of the prophets are Jesus' seed (Mosiah 15꞉10-13).
- [note] "LDS do not endorse claims in 'Da Vinci'," Deseret News, 17 May 2006; (Link). See also "Book's premise not so shocking to LDS," The Salt Lake Tribune, 19 May 2006; (Link).
Further reading
FAIR wiki articles
FAIR web site
- FairMormon Topical Guide: Jesus Married FairMormon link